Comments on: The Color of Christ: America’s own personal Jesus?

By: Jerry Williams

Jerry Williams — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 17:47:52 +0000

No matter what color Jesus may be? I can attest to Jesus being the son of God. Jesus has been very instrumental in my life, and though i may fall to my flesh Jesus is there to protect me.God is real and his son Jesus!!

By: Historiann

Historiann — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 18:03:57 +0000

Thanks for the intel!

As I recall, Dogma came out long before the bro-velution (that is, before the word “bro” was everywhere.)

By: Dr. Virago

Dr. Virago — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 17:29:00 +0000

Bardiac beat me to the Bynum citation (although, see also Leo Steinberg on the masculine and *tumescent* Christ in the Middle Ages and Renaissance: http://amzn.com/0226771873).

But, just a point of information, that last image is “Buddy Jesus” from the movie _Dogma_.

By: Nursing Clio

Nursing Clio — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 11:13:39 +0000

Great post. Sharing on ours!

By: Shelley

Shelley — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 18:06:40 +0000

Why is He always portrayed as though he always spent half a day at the gym?

By: bardiac

bardiac — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 21:31:52 +0000

People in the middle ages, especially women in religious communities, had no trouble at all seeing Jesus not only as female, but as a mother figure, complete with a vaginal side wound.

Carolyn Walker Bynum writes wonderfully about it: http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520052222

By: Historiann

Historiann — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 21:02:36 +0000

Thanks, Paul–that looks interesting. And thanks for links to “Jesus of the People.”

By: Paul Harvey

Paul Harvey — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 20:43:21 +0000

Historiann, we are running a series on the book’s website (colorofchrist.com) on reactions to a series of paintings by Janet McKenzie, “Stations of the Cross”: her 1999 painting “Jesus of the People” is well known (it portrays Jesus as black/multiracial and feminine). The videos up presently can be viewed at http://colorofchrist.com/video-interviews/reflections-on-janet-mckenzies-stations-of-the-cross/.

And yes, definitely used Merritt as a source for this part of the book.

By: Historiann

Historiann — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 20:21:08 +0000

I forgot about the Moravian example–thanks, Indyanna and Paul. Jane Merritt has written about the blood and wounds theology of the 18th C Moravians as well.

I guess I should have written, “the Catholics have Mary & Marian devotion. MAINLINE Protestants? No way.”

By: Paul Harvey

Paul Harvey — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 17:29:35 +0000

Indyanna: Yes, we discuss that very image from the Moravians quite extensively in the book (drawing from Fogleman, Rachel Wheeler, and Lin Fisher), and discuss its rather obvious gendered implications. As Ed just wrote above, the book has a more gendered analysis than you might gather merely from the title or short op-ed pieces we have done.