Ep. 139 - Detroit’s Black Christian Utopia

The Trump campaign has made us all too familiar with the ideology of Christian Nationalism, with its violent rhetoric and racist undertones. Far less well-known, though, is the tradition of Black Christian Nationalism, a radical social and religious movement founded by Rev. Albert Cleage, Jr., in civil-rights-era Detroit. On this episode, associate editor Griffin Oleynick speaks with writer Aaron Robertson, author of The Black Utopians: Searching for Paradise and the Promised Land in America. Blending history and memoir, Robertson’s book traces the untold story of Black Christian Nationalism while grappling with a question: what does Utopia look like in black? For further reading: Tia Noelle Pratt on Black Catholic parishes Shannen Dee Williams on Black nuns in Baltimore Gary Dorrien on the theology of Sen. Raphael Warnock