Three Books that Dethrone White American Jesus

On January 6, 2021, as insurrectionists stormed the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. with a number of them waving flags declaring that "Jesus Saves!", it became clear that the fault lines in evangelical Christianity had become exposed for all to see, and that the Jesus being touted on these signs was a white, American, nationalistic version of the Messiah. Today's three guests, all on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and part of its Multiethnic Initiatives department, are all IVP authors with recent books that seek either directly or indirectly to challenge the idea of the "white American Jesus" that is reflected in the words and actions of Christian nationalists such as those participating in the events of January 6th: Jonathan Walton (Twelve Lies that Hold America Captive); Steve Tamayo (Ethnic Identity), and Chandra Crane (Mixed Blessing). Hosted by producer Helen Lee, the episode features personal and honest stories from the publishing journeys of these three authors of color, as well as the ways in which their books will be used to challenge and inspire the next generation of Christian leaders this summer--and how you can be a part of the journey even if you're not a student.

About the Guests:

Jonathan P. Walton is an area ministry director for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship's New York/New Jersey region. He previously served for ten years as director of the New York City Urban Project. He writes regularly for Huffington Post, medium.com, and is the author of three books of poetry and short stories.

Steve Tamayo serves as a strategist for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, working in the Latino Fellowship and the Creative Labs. In these roles, he equips and resources InterVarsity's national pivot to online ministry. He is the showrunner for the podcasts Con Confianza and Ministry During the Disruption.

Chandra Crane is a resource specialist for the multiethnic initiatives department of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and a member of the multiethnic Redeemer Church in Jackson, Mississippi. She has written for In All Things, The Well, and The Witness: A Black Christian Collective. She has spoken and led worship at several local and national conferences and has also participated in online discussions for Christianity Today.

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Organizations and events mentioned in this episode include:

• InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
• IVCF's Experiential Discipleship website
• Dethroning White American Jesus conference

About the Host:

Helen Lee is the director of product innovation at IVP; she also serves as the producer of The Every Voice Now Podcast and as the executive producer of Get in the Word with Truth's Table.

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