An evangelical Christian argument for reparations

In June, in the East Room of the White House, President Biden signed bipartisan legislation designating June­teenth as a new federal holiday. In his remarks, he recalled the end of “the long, hard night of slavery,” the “original sin” that had left a lasting “moral stain” on the nation’s soul.

One word Biden did not use to speak about slavery and its consequences was theft. Unlike more generic conceptualizations of slavery’s impact, theft is a specific act that results in quantifiable imbalances. Theft cannot be made right by symbolic gestures like a federal holiday or a sign on the front lawn. It cannot be made right by feeling sorry. Theft requires tangible restitution.

Duke Kwon and Gregory Thompson want to talk about theft. Theft, they argue, is the most appropriate descriptor of America’s racial history. It’s therefore the most relevant context for White Christians seeking a scriptural path toward racial healing. If we understand slavery to be a nebulous “moral stain” we have inherited, then the most theology can do is challenge White Christians to be less prejudiced than our ancestors. We will never genuinely repair the material or spiritual harm wrought by White supremacy unless we treat it as a theft that has yet to be made right.