What white Evangelicals can learn from conservative black Christians
“Black Lives Matter!”
“Say their names!”
Trayvon Martin. Mike Brown. Breonna Taylor. George Floyd.
For many years, the pressure to prioritize racial identity and group solidarity has been something conservative black Christians have had to navigate. I remember the expectation to repeat the slogans, post the hashtags, and publicly align myself with a particular movement. The message was clear: stand with “your people.”
As a black lay pastor serving in a predominantly white Southern Baptist church, I experienced significant social pressure to conform to a specific narrative. That narrative claimed that black Americans are systemically oppressed and live in a nation fundamentally hostile to their existence. Mainstream media outlets, social media influencers, celebrities, and activists repeated these talking points daily. Viral videos of unarmed black men being killed by police dominated the news cycle and social media feeds. The emotional impact was powerful, and for many people, understandably so.
It would have been easy for me to embrace that narrative. In some ways, it may even have seemed expected. Yet there was one major problem. Much of what I was hearing did not align with the biblical worldview that had shaped my understanding of life, identity, and human relationships.
I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, in the Deep South. I was raised in a Christian home and spent my life in the church. My mother and grandmother instilled in me biblical principles that became foundational to how I viewed others. They taught me the importance of forgiveness, personal responsibility, and treating people the way I wanted to be treated.
Those lessons had practical implications. I knew I did not want to be judged, stereotyped, or viewed primarily through the lens of my skin color. If I desired to be seen as an individual created in God's image, then how could I justify viewing my white brothers and sisters primarily through the lens of race? How could I hold them personally responsible for the sins of people they had never met or events they had never participated in?
More importantly, Scripture taught me that my primary identity is not found in my ethnicity or skin color. My identity is found in Christ.
Over the years, I have noticed that this conviction was a common thread among many conservative black Christians who rejected the victimization narrative promoted by Black Lives Matter and similar movements. While we acknowledged that racism exists and that historical injustices occurred, we refused to make race the central organizing principle of our identity. We understood that Christianity calls believers to something greater than racial solidarity. It calls us to unity in Christ.
Ironically, in recent years I have watched some white Evangelicals face a similar temptation.
For over a decade, many institutions embraced DEI initiatives and various forms of identity politics. During this period, white people, particularly straight white Christian men, were frequently portrayed as oppressors or beneficiaries of unjust systems. Bestselling books such as White Fragility, How to Be an Antiracist, and The 1619 Project often frame American history and contemporary society through the lens of racial power dynamics. In one widely publicized example, employees participating in a diversity training connected to Coca-Cola were reportedly encouraged to “be less white.”
Predictably, many white Christians became frustrated by these messages. Some experienced workplace discrimination, social hostility, or cultural marginalization because of their beliefs and identity. Others grew tired of being collectively blamed for societal problems based solely on the color of their skin.
At the same time, social media algorithms increasingly amplified stories involving black perpetrators and white victims. Cases such as the fatal confrontation involving Karmelo Anthony and Austin Metcalf received widespread attention online. Likewise, other violent crimes that fit a particular racial narrative were heavily circulated across social media platforms.
As a result, some white Evangelicals began experiencing something that conservative Black Christians had experienced years earlier. They felt pressure to interpret every event through the lens of race. They were encouraged to see themselves primarily as members of a racial group rather than as individuals united to Christ. They were tempted to adopt a victim mentality and embrace a form of racial tribalism in response to the tribalism they had witnessed from others.
This is where white Evangelicals can learn an important lesson from conservative black Christians.
The answer to one form of racial tribalism is not an opposing racial tribalism. The answer is biblical Christianity.
Conservative black Christians who resisted the pressure of the Black Lives Matter era did not do so because we were blind to history or indifferent to injustice. We resisted because our worldview was rooted in Scripture. We understood that while race is a real aspect of human diversity, it is not the foundation of our identity.
The New Testament repeatedly reminds believers that their deepest allegiance is not to race, ethnicity, nationality, or political affiliation. Our primary allegiance is to Christ and His Kingdom.
The Apostle Peter writes: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
Likewise, Paul reminds believers:
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).
These passages do not erase ethnic distinctions. Rather, they place those distinctions in their proper context. Our shared identity in Christ is greater than any earthly category.
The temptation facing Christians today is the same temptation that has existed throughout history. The world constantly seeks to divide people into competing groups based on tribe, class, ethnicity, politics, or nationality. It tells us that our greatest duty is to stand with our group and defend our interests.
The Gospel offers a radically different vision.
In Christ, our people are not determined by skin color. Our people are those who belong to the household of God. The Church is a family composed of believers from every tribe, tongue, nation, and ethnicity. We are united not by shared ancestry but by a shared Savior.
That is why Christians must resist every attempt to elevate racial identity above Christian identity. Whether the pressure comes from the political Left or the political Right, the answer remains the same.
As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:16, “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh.”
If we are to remain faithful in this cultural moment, we must remember who we are. We are not first black Christians, white Christians, Hispanic Christians, or Asian Christians. We are Christians. And that identity shapes everything.
Kevin Briggins serves as the Managing Director of the Center for Biblical Unity and as a lay elder at Grace Auburn Church in Auburn, Alabama. A retired military intelligence professional, Kevin completed a distinguished 22-year career of service and holds a bachelor's degree in Middle Eastern Studies. He is passionate about equipping Christians to think biblically about issues of race, culture, and unity within the church. Kevin and his wife, Shulonda, have been married for 19 years and are the proud parents of three daughters: Karis, Kinley, and Khloe. Together, they are committed to serving their local church and advancing the Gospel through discipleship, teaching, and faithful engagement with the culture.
