Saint Augustine- Black Founder of White Christianity

Many white christians are surprised to learn that they worship a black man’s religion. As is so often the case with the faithful/faithfully blind, they are completely ignorant that Saint Augustine- the founder of Western Christianity- was a black man from Africa. Saint Augustine was a bishop in Africa and is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers in Western Christianity whose writings dictated the development of Western Christianity.

In his seminal book The City of God presents human history as a conflict between what Augustine calls the Earthly City and the City of God (heaven), a conflict that is destined to end in victory for the latter. The City of God is marked by people who forego earthly pleasure to dedicate themselves to the eternal truths of God. The Earthly City, on the other hand, consists of people who have immersed themselves in the cares and pleasures of the present, passing world.

What is even more disturbing is that Augustine’s thesis depicts the history of the world as universal warfare between God and the Devil. In this war, God moves (by divine intervention/ Providence) those governments, political /ideological movements and military forces aligned (or aligned the most) with the church (the City of God) in order to oppose by all means—including acts of war—those governments, political/ideological movements and military forces aligned (or aligned the most) with the Devil (the City of the World).

Ironically this then becomes the basis for Dominion theology (also known as dominionism) which is the christian ideology that seeks to institute a nation governed by white christians based on their personal understandings of biblical law. This is primarily advanced by white christian nationalist in the United States who are ironically unaware that St Augustine is the black father of their faith.

This is happening as we speak, as challenges to women’s rights sweep white christian nationalist states and Trump fabricates wars on our border, with China, and in the Middle East. Bet you didn’t realize that the Handmaid’s Tale was a documentary?