BUSTH PhD Student Opinion Article Published in BU Today
The following is an excerpt from PhD student Joshua Lawrence Lazard’s opinion article “The White Progressive Christian Church Needs to Adopt a Theology of Anger,” published on June 3, 2022 in BU Today. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Boston University School of Theology, its employees, faculty, or students.
Doing so would provide a public rebuttal to the silencing noise instigated by white evangelicals who are intransigent when America’s youth are killed by guns
In the wake of the recent shootings in Tulsa, Okla., Uvalde, Tex., and Buffalo, N.Y., these tragic events have, predictably, reignited political debates over gun control, specifically the banning of assault weapons. However, for white progressives, this political debate is one of many that are shaping the 2022 midterm election year. In addition to debates over gun control, voting rights, the need for a social safety net, and women’s reproductive rights have also loomed large. But without a filibuster-proof majority in the US Senate, most of the hopes of progressives nationwide are dead on arrival. For progressive Christians in this country, this is dreadful news.
News out of right-wing Christian circles often dominates the mainstream media, which leaves progressive Christian causes to be lumped under the broad banner of the left. As a result, American Christianity is branded by the loudest voices in the room, which is often those associated with white evangelicalism.