Who are the black evangelicals? How has contemporary evangelicalism reckoned with racial justice? Theologian Vincent Bacote joins Mark Labberton to discuss Black + Evangelical, a new documentary exploring the in-between experience of black Christians in white evangelical spaces. Bacote—professor of theology at Wheaton College and director of the Center for Applied Christian Ethics—shares his personal faith journey, early formation in the Navigators, growing racial consciousness, and decades-long engagement with questions of race, theology, and evangelical identity. Together, they work through the tensions, challenges, and possibilities for a more truthful and hopeful evangelical witness.
Episode Highlights
- “The goal of the documentary is not to be a kind of hit piece about the evangelical movement. It’s to tell the story of the church.”
- “To be for Black people is not to be against somebody else.” – Tom Skinner
- “I couldn’t understand why the Bible people weren’t leading the way on questions of race.”
- “Participation in evangelical spaces can’t mean leaving part of yourself outside.”
- “Realism allows you to have honesty, but also remember the good news is the greatest news of all.”
- “God wants all of us—our whole selves—not a muted version.”
Helpful Links and Resources
About Vincent Bacote
Vincent Bacote is professor of theology at Wheaton College and director of the Center for Applied Christian Ethics. He is the author of several books, including The Political Disciple: A Theology of Public Life and Reckoning with Race and Performing the Good News: In Search of a Better Evangelical Theology. His research and teaching address public theology, ethics, and the intersection of race and evangelical identity. Bacote is a widely cited commentator and a frequent voice in conversations about Christian faithfulness in public life.
Show Notes
- Mark Labberton welcomes Vincent Bacote, professor of theology at Wheaton College and director of the Center for Applied Christian Ethics.
- Introduction to the Black + Evangelical documentary, a project Bacote helped conceive and produce.
- Bacote’s upbringing at Shiloh Baptist Church of Glenarden, Maryland—unknowingly part of the Progressive National Baptist Convention.
- Conversion experience around age ten, preceded by years of genuine faith.
- College years at the Citadel; involvement in the Navigators campus ministry.
- Influence of a summer training program in Memphis focused on African American ministry.
- Early exposure to evangelical culture through radio preachers like Chuck Swindoll, Charles Stanley, John MacArthur, and James Dobson.
- Initial tensions over the lack of evangelical engagement on issues of race.
- Graduate studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School with the initial goal of becoming a pastor.
- Encounter with Raleigh Washington and Glen Kehrein’s Breaking Down Walls, grounding racial reconciliation in Ephesians 2.
- Observations of the scarcity of black theologians in evangelical seminaries.
- 1993 Geneva College conference on black evangelicals—learning from leaders like Bill Pannell, Tom Skinner, Tony Evans, Carl Ellis, and Eugene Rivers.
- Writing an editorial titled “Black and Evangelical: An Uneasy Tension?” for the student paper at Trinity.
- Realization that evangelicalism is both a biblical and socio-cultural movement with contextual blind spots.
- Arrival at Wheaton College in 2000 with a focus on public theology and ethics beyond race alone.
- Genesis of the Black + Evangelical project at a 2008 Fuller Seminary gathering with Ron Potter.
- Partnership with Christianity Today and filmmaker Dan Long to shape the documentary.
- Filming over forty hours of interviews with twenty-four participants, distilled into a ninety-four-minute film.
- Mark Labberton highlights Tom Skinner’s impact and his “Blackface” critique of white evangelicalism.
- Bacote reflects on his “racially optimistic” early years and growing awareness of systemic realities.
- Analysis of the Promise Keepers movement and the need for sustained relational work beyond large gatherings.
- Challenges in building genuine multiethnic churches versus surface-level diversity.
- The documentary’s aim: to tell the church’s story, honour lived experiences, and inspire commitment to mission.
- Bacote’s “four stages” for minorities in evangelical institutions: delight, dissonance, distress, and decision.
- Emphasis on “sober hope”—honesty about pain while holding onto the good news.
- The gospel’s call to bring one’s full self into the life of the church.
- Closing encouragement to watch and share Black + Evangelical as a story worth hearing for the whole church.
Production Credits
Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment magazine and Fuller Seminary.
