The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism

Tisby notes that the Bible also was a “battleground” during the Civil War as theological tensions also characterized the period. Despite emancipation, racial conflict persisted as Christians used biblical and theological explanations to justify enslavement and Confederate ideals.

Two Facts about the Civil War

Tisby’s first claim is that the future of enslavement as an institution was at the center of the Civil War. A second claim is that many white Christians fought to preserve it. Enslavement was the contradiction at the heart of the country and the church, and the Civil War was its climactic conflict. Antebellum life collapsed due to the conflicting ideals at the foundations of America.

The Nation’s Bloodiest War and its Causes

The government compromised with Southern enslavers, passing a series of laws that preserved enslavement and ensured Black people’s subordination. Self-emancipated people had no rights over their enslavers. Conflicts between abolitionists and supporters of enslavement escalated.

The civil conflict also caused division within the American church. Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians debated whether Christians should be enslavers.

Methodists Split Over Slaveholding Bishops

While Methodists originally opposed enslavement, they became more conservative, particularly in the South. Southern Methodist ministers accommodated their teachings to justify the institution and support enslavers among the clergy.