[1] In 2019 the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Milwaukee, WI., condemned white supremacy by declaring that (1) white supremacy is racism, and (2) violent rhetoric against persons of color in the name of so-called “Christian Nationalism” is not a true Christian faith. It is idolatry and the church condemns it.[1] The connection between Christian nationalism and white supremacy in some segments of our society was explicitly named in the 2025 Social Statement Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well-being of All.[2] The ELCA has also stood at the vanguard in the condemnation of racist rhetoric, addressing institutional racism in the church and in society, and identifying the connections between bigotry and nationalism. It cannot be denied that a significant number of American Christians espouse Christian nationalist ideals while ignoring the co-optation and exploitation of nationalistic ideals by those who espouse vitriolic racist beliefs.[3]
[2] Beverly Eileen Mitchell’s White Supremacy through Black Eyes offers a sober and critical analysis of white supremacy (masked as nationalism) from the experiential and historical lens of Black theology. Mitchell concludes that white supremacy functions as the means to the “theological defacement” of God’s intentions for human relationships, the image of God in all people, and the moral dignity of people of color. “Theological defacement” became the de facto paradigm utilized by our society that not only impacts the self-perception and lives of Black people (and other minority communities), but also provides the motivation for decisions made on a structural societal level.
[3] The strength of the book lies in Mitchell’s intimate lived experience, and impassioned theological narrative. In addition, her exploration of racism has been grounded by a sound biblical-theological reflection, and buttressed by a thorough historical analysis. According to Mitchell, racism perpetuates a damaging social hierarchy, distorts human relationships, and defaces the divine image. It is this concept of defacement which challenges conventional perspectives on race relations, healing, and reconciliation. White Supremacy through Black Eyes exposes facile explanations, challenges feel-good platitudes, and undermines intolerably rushed solutions “to the race problem.” This book is extremely appropriate for both classroom and church study group.
[4] White Supremacy through Black Eyes is divided thematically into five chapters that explore the moral imperative explicitly articulated in the imago dei, racism as an expression of the sin of defacement, a historical-theological examination of white supremacy, disingenuous platitudes and “narratives” that serve as impediments to racial reconciliation, and a proposal towards the process of racial healing.
[5] Mitchell’s introductory chapter clearly and passionately [some may even say bluntly] establishes the historical context of race relations in, and the institutional superstructure of America: “Since this country’s inception, white supremacy has been the ruling ideology that governs the treatment of diverse peoples who are classified ‘non-white’.” (1) Mitchell contends that the “underlying root” of this supremacist ideology is theological. The justifications for this supremacist ideology have been socially constructed and institutionally enforced, culminating in the defacement or the violation of human dignity. This defacement was clearly demonstrated by the 2020 murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police. Ultimately, this racist supremacist ideology complicates measures to remedy past injustices and address practices/beliefs associated with said defacement. Mitchell explicitly challenges the conventional ideology of reconciliation calling for a “genuine metanoia” (repentance). Some may view this as controversial or critical, nevertheless her challenge is clear—instead of continuing with the present social charade/canard of reconciliation, we need a fresh start based on an arduous and painful conversations about race, privilege and historical memory.
[6] Chapter 1 establishes that human dignity and worth are grounded on the theologically and transcendentally grounded ethical principles derived from the gift of the image of God. The imago dei promotes and safeguards the dignity of all human beings. Racism denies the “dignity and worth of Black people.” This leads to the devaluation of people of color culminating in the lack of recognition, affirmation, and protection of their rights. Mitchell also points out that implicit in the image of God is a “certain sanctity that is attached to us insofar as we come from the hands of God” (13). The theology of the image of God is present, celebrated, and promoted in the Abrahamic traditions, and undergirds ethical/legal concept such as “freedom.” Although human dignity “cannot be destroyed,” robbed, or callously dismissed, Black people have had to “fight to the death to have [said dignity] acknowledged, respected and protected through the times of their enslavement, re-enslavement, and legalized segregation,” (20-21).
[7] Chapter 2 introduces defacement (understood as the distortion of God’s intention for human community) as a theological category. Clearly stated, defacement is the consequence of sin. It “indicates a breach or alienation between God and a human being or groups of human beings” (31). Sin disrupts relationships, and leads us to harm our neighbors. Drawing on Emmanuel Levinas’[4] “face of the other” ethical reflection, Mitchell proposes that a distortion of the human dignity of the “other” contributes to “an assault on human dignity” which she calls “defacement.” Mitchell adds to the Levinasian ethical imperative an interconnected or communal ontological affirmation which not only renders us as “siblings in God’s family” but establishes a burden for the care, well-being, and justice-grounded peace of all people (35). Our “inability to acknowledge our interconnectedness to each other reflects defacement,” and culminates in the damage, disfigurement, and mutilation of the other. Defacement is not solely an individual mentality or practice—it is also communal reflected in structural racism “embedded in legislation, social policies, and cultural practices and customs” (38).The ultimate example of this dehumanizing defacement was the labeling of Black, Indigenous, Japanese, and Mexican people as “problems.” The chapter culminates with the promotion of race, racism, whiteness, and white supremacy as social constructs.
[8] Chapter 3 presents a sober and honest critique of the sociopolitical problem of white supremacy. Mitchell defines the problem as spiritual/religious with “economic, social, political, and cultural implications,” (60). A thorough historical examination exposes the social construction nature of the concept, as well as challenges modern pseudo-scientific attempts to resurrect race as a means to “explain immutable differences” among racialized groups. White supremacy is situated in every sector and segment of our society, it serves to legitimate the unjust enforcement of our laws, as well as enabling the structural inequalities that permeate our economic system. Color (whiteness more specifically) serves to denote superiority, determines human worth, and dictates the quality of life of people. Mitchell notes that “a sticking point relative to the notion of ‘dismantling’ white supremacy is the problem of the tendency to conflate white skin tone and the phenomena of whiteness,” (67). Herein lie the challenges to the dismantling white supremacy, seeking reconciliation, and securing racial healing. Mitchell concludes the chapter by declaring that white supremacy is a “form of idolatry,” and presents an ideology that “competes with the true God.” White supremacy is also “a violation of the Law of Love.”
[9] Chapter 4 cogently and methodically undermines the hypocritical perceptions and deceitful platitudes used to justify calls for racial conciliation in the present debate. Mitchell begins by asking two pertinent questions: (1) Can the races in the United States be reconciled and live in a state of harmony? (2) Do Americans have the political will not only to consider that possibility, but also to make a commitment to work toward such a goal? (101) The possibility of having an “grown-up conversation” about race is impeded by unconscious biases dependent on white privilege, an historical socio-political hypocrisy towards our ideals of justice, societal double standards for people of color, and impediments to racial reconciliation based on indifference, a lack of empathy, misinformation, propaganda, and a zero-sum understanding of sharing the goods of society.
[10] Chapter 5 frames reconciliation and racial healing as a life-long process based on a “meaningful” conversation built on repairing mistakes made in the past. Current discussions aim to gloss-over historic injustices and the victimization of Black people, while at the same time protecting the advantages of white males. Many in our society say that the inequalities of the past have been remedied, that Black people have already received “all opportunities to catch up,” that people “want things handed to them,” that people of color have to work harder to succeed, and may even see Black people as the “favored group” and white people as victims of a “reverse discrimination” (128-130). These attitudes have lead Mitchell to question the extent to which “whites really desire racial reconciliation?” She prophetically declares that “there can be no genuine reconciliation without a day of reckoning” (131). In addition to establishing eight conditions or things that must occur[5], Mitchell emphasizes the need for repentance. A genuine reconciliation cannot occur without a genuine metanoia (repentance).
[11] White Supremacy through Black Eyes, by Beverly Eileen Mitchell, presents a twofold challenge for Christians and people of good faith. First, it is a call to Christian conscience. Mitchell not only calls out socioreligious hypocrisy towards racism and white supremacy, but also calls Americans to seek forgiveness for these sins. Society and the church need to boldly affirm that white supremacy is a sin and constitutes a defacement of God’s intent. Secondly, the book is essentially a courageous call to moral action. Mitchell reiterates the moral values of courage, honesty, and a sustained commitment to justice. Finally, Mitchell invites readers into the life-affirming work of building a dignity-affirming society.
[1] See https://resources.elca.org/churchwide-assembly/2019-actions-of-the-churchwide-assembly/, p.196.
[2] https://cdn.elca.org/cdn/wp-content/uploads/Faith_and_Civic_Life_Seeking_the_Wellbeing_of_All_Social_Statement.pdf, p. 80. “Christian nationalism: A cultural framework that idealizes and advocates fusion of highly selected Christian beliefs with U.S. civic life. This nationalistic ideology holds, among other things, that the U.S. Constitution was divinely inspired, that Christianity should be a privileged religion in the United States, and that this nation holds a uniquely privileged status in God’s eyes. Proponents range from those who believe the U.S. legally should be declared a Christian nation to those involved in more virulent strains that are openly racist, patriarchal, and antidemocratic.”
[3] https://prri.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/PRRI-Jan-2023-Christian-Nationalism-Final-1.pdf
[4] The French Jewish philosopher, and Talmudic scholar, Emmanuel Levinas (1906-1995) presented a relational paradigm that addresses the problem of “othering.” In his book Totality and Infinity (1961), Levinas promoted a categorical transcendentalism that constituted an original or primordial organizing of relationships. The recognition of the Other is paramount to the very valorization of our own humanity. In practical terms, it is through the Other that we can recognize our own humanity. The respect of the Other also constitutes the beginning of community and ethics. Levinas believed that we could not avoid the Other since she/he/they deserve our attention and respect. Levinas believed that the Other was not merely a physical representation—the Other was an Epiphany. This Epiphany demands an ethical response. Consequently our responsibility and relationship to the Other is a recognition of Infinitude or God.
[5] These include: a truthful account of US history, the recognition that our founders were flawed human beings, dealing with the flawed nature of our foundational national documents, abandoning the myth of American exceptionalism, addressing economic inequalities, altering systemic and institutional patterns of interaction, acknowledging the religious hypocrisy regarding the treatment of people of color, and the need for reparations (131).
William Rodríguez is Assistant Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Bethune-Cookman University, Daytona Beach, Florida. He serves as Book Review Editor for the Journal of Lutheran Ethics.