It's Black Jesus, Part Three - Silent Wednesday

Most of us know this already. For the rest of you that choose to ignore the obvious, I'm gonna tell it to you, anyway: Jesus Christ was not of European ancestry.  There, I said it.

To quote theologian James Cone about the Black Jesus:

“The ‘raceless’ American Christ has a light skin, wavy brown hair, and sometimes – wonder of wonders – blue eyes. For whites to find him with big lips and kinky hair is as offensive as it was for the Pharisees to find him partying with tax-collectors. But whether whites want to hear it or not, Christ is black, baby, with all of the features which are so detestable to white society.”

Most Europeans are much more familiar with Black Jesus than Americans, in part because his image resonates throughout much of their artwork. This one is from a church in Rome and dates from AD 530.

Today is called Silent Wednesday because the Bible doesn't say much of anything about what Jesus did today. After yesterday's hi-jinks, I can only imagine that the good Lord and the rest of his folk slept in.  I know I would.

Today's Bonus: The Boy Who Painted Christ Black. Directed by Bill Duke and featuring Wesley Snipes and that 80s staple Jasmine Guy, this 30 minute movie is based on a short story by John Henrik Clarke.

If you'd like to read the story, click here.