American Racism: The Null Curriculum in Religious Education

Religious educators, in neglecting to account for race in their theories, have ignored the historical legacy of institutional racism. In fact, religious education has demonstrated an inadequate response to race and racism throughout its history. As evidenced by slavery and immigration history in the United States, race must be seen as a sociohistorical and legal construction. Its influence goes beyond the assimilationist ideology taught in early Methodist curricula. The article suggests that the Bible can be a rich multicultural curriculum resource because of its positive treatment of Africans.