Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America

by Michael O. Emerson

To understand this, we must account for the pre-millennial view that had come to dominate the American evangelical worldview and played a role in limiting evangelical action on race issues. According to this view, the present world is evil and will inevitably suffer moral decline until Christ comes again. Thus, to devote oneself to social reform is futile. The implications of this view were clearly expressed by Billy Graham. In response to King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech that his children might one day play together with white children, Graham, who had been invited but did not attend the 1963 March on Washington, said: “Only when Christ comes again will little white children of Alabama walk hand in hand with little black children.”82 This was not meant to be harsh, but rather what he and most white evangelicals perceived to be realistic.83