Beyond the White Church: Disrupting Racism, Rebuilding Faith Community

Description “On the Fourth of July, 1981, my church burned to the ground.” With that searing image, Rev. Doug Cunningham begins a gripping memoir of faith, loss, and the lifelong work of disrupting white supremacy within the U.S. church. Beyond the White Church is both a personal journey and a prophetic challenge, inviting Christians, churches, and spiritual seekers to dismantle the racism embedded in American Christianity and to rebuild faith communities rooted in anti-racism, social justice, and boundary-breaking belonging. Raised in white suburban Christianity, Cunningham’s worldview was transformed through activism, involvement with multiracial congregations, Black liberation theology, and Filipino resistance movements. Across four decades of ministry, Cunningham articulates a truth many churches resist: “Ignoring the call to dismantle white supremacy as an essential element of giving oneself to Christ keeps us complicit with the executioner. White supremacy crucifies Jesus continually to maximize profit and power.” Drawing readers into compelling stories of protests, romance, church planting, and pastoral leadership, Cunningham explores how the liberating gospel of Jesus compels white Christians toward the fight for racial equity.