“We are protecting ourselves without violating the principles of Christian decency.”
These words, said at the end of this 1942 propaganda film meant to justify the internment camps for Japanese Americans during WW2, shook me to my core when I first heard them. I was struck in that moment how, throughout history, White Christians have used the “Myth of Christian Decency” to somehow validate their injustice and oppression.
The Myth of Christian Decency teaches that order is always better than justice; that the status quo is worth protecting at the expense of God’s image bearers; that the rights of those in power must be centered at all times; that my neighbor who is “other” is less human than I and is not worth all my support and love.