Saying that the image of a white Jesus is racist and offensive to African Americans, a North Carolina based minister is calling for a national boycott “Son of God” movie that opens in theaters this weekend.
Minister Paul Scott aka TRUTH Minista of the Durham, NC based Messianic Afrikan Nation says that he is outraged that even in 2014, many people in this country still promote the, historically, inaccurate image of a Caucasian Christ.
He is asking that the black community not support the film which is to be released on February 28, which, ironically is the last day of Black History Month.
Although the issue of the black ethnicity of Jesus dates back as far as the 19th century, courtesy of such clergymen as Bishop Henry McNeal Turner, the issue generated new interest last December when Fox News host Megyn Kelly announced to children that Santa Claus and Jesus Christ were white men.
The white image of Jesus has also affected Hip Hop. For instance, Professor Griff and Ras Kass, openly challenged the image. However, recently rappers like The Game and Kanye West have brought ”White Jesuses” on stage with them.
Scott said that rappers need to speak “the truth that will make us free” instead of perpetuating the lie that keeps us mentally and spiritually enslaved. Scott, who coined the phrase Afrikan Liberation Theology (the Black Liberation Theology for the Hip Hop generation) in 1999, has appeared on numerous national talk shows promoting the idea of a black Messiah.
TRUTH MINISTA’s controversial essay “Hip Hop Children of a Lesser God” is featured in the anthology ”Black Church and Hip Hop Culture: Toward Bridging the Generational Divide.”
