Following in Jesus' Footsteps

Following in Jesus’ Footsteps  The Church of St. Paul the Apostle’s commitment to inclusivity  By Ava Miranda

    In light of recent class discussions about writer and civil rights activist, James Baldwin, I wanted to locate inclusive Christian spaces within New York City. As a Catholic woman of color, this outreach plan also stemmed from a desire to resolve my recent crisis of faith. While there are many factors behind my current religious dilemma, I predominantly struggle with the manipulation of Catholic doctrine to justify bigotry and racism. Over the past few years, I have noticed ongoing strides among particular congregations and church groups to exclude and condemn marginalized communities. The resulting revision of Christian dogma to support a white, cisgender male demographic is not a new phenomenon, however. 

As James Baldwin describes in his essay “Everybody’s Protest Novel,” a theological terror pervaded white consciousness during the 19th century. Following the Christian assertion that Black people were inherently evil and estranged from God, white slaveholders believed it was their religious duty to “purify” them through subjugation. As he notes, during this time, the color “black was equated with evil and white with grace” (17). For this reason, Black people needed to be “robed” in white by their white counterparts to achieve salvation. This theory was not factual however, but manufactured by the white majority in power to uphold slavery. At this time, religion was utilized as an instrument of oppression to gaslight Black Christians into believing that their subjugation was warranted. 

As Baldwin further explains, Black people were expected to worship a God “who had made him, but not in His image.” This contradiction became an inescapable facet of Black identity as it was deeply embedded in the Black psyche upon birth. Baldwin concludes his essay by urging his readers to divest themselves from this falsehood. He calls for his Black audience to overcome this narrative by subscribing to a different theology–one that does not require them to fight for their innate humanity. 

After reading “Everybody’s Protest Novel,” I wanted to adopt this mindset in relation to my own religious experience. My goal was to unearth pieces of media that followed a similar ideology, and departed from the white Catholic narrative. 

In researching different works, I discovered a previous exhibit titled “God is trans,” that portrayed God as a black, queer male and was showcased in a New York City Catholic Church. As you can imagine, these pieces led to a great deal of uproar among white Christians who claimed it was blasphemous for God to be depicted as a transgender Black man. If Catholic doctrine claims however, as Baldwin states, that all people were made in God’s image and likeness, God is inherently black and queer as he reflects his creation. While biblically accurate, this portrayal was condemned because it did not align with the white supremacist narrative. 

Inspired by the message behind “God is trans,” I visited the church that displayed this piece: the Church of St. Paul the Apostle. Located next to Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus, this place of worship is known for its beautiful sculptures and stained glass windows. In examining its art during my visit, I noticed a genuine effort towards racial inclusivity. While most churches portray Jesus and the Saints as fair-skinned or clothed in white, St. Paul the Apostle’s Church flaunted paintings of deeper complexions and statues constructed from darker mediums. For example, a replica of the famous Madonna of Bruges sculpture by Michelangelo, lies at the front of the Church, and depicts the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus. While the original, located in Belgium, is made of marble, the replica showcased at St. Paul’s Church is completely bronze. Similarly, in another painting (pictured below), of the Crucifixion, the two kneeling angels’ faces are white; however, in contrast, Jesus’ face is shaded much darker. This change to his traditional complexion is also present on the parishioner missalettes. 

When placed in conversation with Baldwin’s essay, St. Paul the Apostle’s Church debunks the nineteenth century claim that black skin is inherently evil and requires purification as they display darker toned art as sacred and holy. At a time when marginalized individuals are being religiously displaced, this step towards inclusivity feels incredibly reassuring and meaningful.