Racism and the Image of God

Abstract

Racism and the Image of God proposes a new direction in Christian thinking about the body. Western Christianity has traditionally taught that the soul or mind best represents God's image in humans; in the United States bodily differences, especially those often labeled "racial," have been used to justify hierarchies of worth. This book argues that bodies deserve respect as part of the image of God. From her perspective as a white feminist theologian, Karen Teel dialogues with five womanist thinkers to develop a Christian theology of the body that can compel Christians, especially U. S. Christians of European descent, to actively resist the sin of racism.