thanks to netgalley & nyu press for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

White Christian Privilege: The Illusion of Religious Equality in America by Khyati Y. Joshi is a clear and concise introduction to the role of White Christian hegemony, including both historical and contemporary examples. I really appreciated her approach - while there were elements of personal reflection, her primary references were examples in which White Christian privilege is enshrined in legal institutions with a nod to more nebulous (though certainly persuasive) examples of cultural norms. Later in the book, especially as she approaches more recent examples, Joshi centers a social justice approach which is guided by the lived experiences of racial & religious minorities in the United States and seeks meaningful, substantive change throughout different levels of our society.

I think this is a really solid choice for introducing readers to this topic. It's easy to imagine it being used in classrooms, but also in church reading groups.

Some interesting points, though I felt a more accurate title would have been White (Mostly Mainline and Partly Evangelical) Protestant Privilege, since I really don't think it applies to American Catholics,

Beautifully written, Joshi calls out the Christian paradigm that is cemented in everything we do in America. Her perspective allows white Christians like myself to see what our COuntry is actually like.
The tone is respectful. This isn't a Christian bashing book, but a guide to make the country a more inclusive place and therefore a better place.
I encourage any Christian to read this. It will open your eyes.

This is a thorough response to the idea of religious liberty and what it means when it doesn't apply to everyone with particular examples of how Christianity has given preference over other faith expressions that also exist in the diversity of the United States. It is academic in tone and concern as it addresses legal issues and what religious liberty really looks like. This is a great resource for academics as they mine what the United States really values when it comes to religious belief.

I couldn't complete this book as the author does a poor job of connecting major points around the topic of the book. It's a book that needs to be written for sure but this book did not illuminate a problem nor provide any practical solutions.

This book was a breath of fresh air. Full of undeniable examples of how exactly white, Christian privilege harms everyone in our "pluralistic" society, including those who are privileged. Everyone, from Christians to Satanists to everyone in between, should read this book. Joshi has, with stunning alacrity and conversationalism, given those of us who are religiously othered a touchstone from which to work.

Lots of insight into the issue that's for sure. I wasn't raised in any faith, but adopted one, pagan, when I was very young, though I had no name for it then. As a Wiccan, I am a minority, I'm sure. When I mention it (out of the broom closet) I'm not taken seriously, so I never expect my holy days to be respected or acknowledged. I just take them as vacation days, when I can. Besides, I realize that in many cultures, I might still find myself executed for my beliefs. Just think, not that long ago really, I could have been burnt at the stake or hanged over here. No where is perfect, as far as I can see when it comes to religion. I understand Joshi's point- and it's a good one. I have no solutions to the problem, but enjoyed reading the book. It has a lot of validity. But I also remember, that any one who's in the majority and runs the show, determines the rules, which includes religion, and THAT will determine who is and who is not accepted. You know, what just might be the whole problem is organized religion to begin with. It's like a giant army of people who mostly know nothing about their own religion but insist upon imposing their ignorance on others, or killing them (converted? How does one prove that? Mostly one can't, read about the Spanish Jewish Conversos. Or the Black slaves...). It's in the blood, the basic dna- "Our family has always been_________-so you are, too." I'm with John Lennon in regards to religion.

Review: White Christian Privilege: The Illusion of Religious Equality in America by Khyati Y. Joshi

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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White Christian Privilege is about the visible and invisible ways of how White Christianity functions in the US by using and intersectional approach and showing how “Christianity” is oftentimes correlated to racial identity, namely Whiteness; nationality, US-American; and culture. As Joshi explains, “Christian”, “White”, and “American” are used interchangeably, showing the dominance of Whiteness within the Christian faith. Contrary to the theoretical equality of all religions, Christianity enjoys a great deal of understudied and unnamed privilege, which Joshi calls White Christian privilege, which leads to a structural advantage of Christianity through social, economic, and political power. This Christian normativity “makes Christian values intrinsic to [US] national identity, conveys the status of truth and rightness of Christian culture, and makes Christian language and metaphors and their underlying theology the national standard.”
Some of these normative powers are overt while others remain subtle and ubiquitous, which makes it possible to claim that such privilege doesn’t exist despite the far-reaching spread of Christian culture.
A subtle example would be that mentioning “God” would evoke images of a White, bearded elderly man instead of Hindu deity Shiva, Allah, or even Buddha.
Because Christianity is historically defined by racial codings and Christianity was used to justify racist categories, it is imperative to understand Christianity not only from a religious standpoint but also a racial to explore the full extent of racism within Christian culture. Christians are not one homogenous entity but a diverse group of people and there is no denying that Black Christians still suffer from racist discrimination and are not seen as part of a Christian culture by many White Christians. In fact, Christianity is used to exclude Black people, including Black Christians, from Christian and therefore national identity. This is the reason why White right-wing terrorist, despite “fighting” for Christian values murder Black people: they are not seen as part of a Christian culture because Christian culture is tied to Whiteness and therefore to national identity.
Because of this, Joshi introduced the term White Christian supremacy, which is the perfect way of describing the racial component of the dominant US American Christian culture, as it is, in fact, about white supremacy.
Joshi marvelously shows how White Christianity functions by othering other identities, this includes, as mentioned above, other Christians, mainly people of color, but also US Americans that are not Christians, no matter their (lack of) religious affiliation. Every other identity – from Hindu and Buddhist, to Muslim and atheists – is the Other and the Otherness further strengthens when the person is an immigrant, a person of color, or from any other marginalized community.

Already in the introduction, Joshi explains the history of White Christian supremacy, beginning with the Papal edicts that claim that any “heathen” land is free to conquer because only Christians could properly inhabit a land. This “Doctrine of Discovery” was the foundation of the colonization of Africa and later the Americas. Based on these edicts, politicians, intellectuals, and scholars would produce a large body of work by using Christianity and these edicts to establish a racial hierarchy to legitimize colonization and slavery.
These ideas haven’t died out today because not only are they fundamental for the foundation of the US, they exist today as open discrimination, such as NIMBY or the Muslim Ban. Let’s also not forget how in the court of law, people swear on the Bible, children pledge allegiance to the US and God in school, God’s name is found on dollar bills, coins, and other slogans, and Christians can openly discriminate against millions of people and decline services and medical care.
Despite the loud and tearful claims, White Christians are not under threat or being prosecuted. They are not the victims but they like to present themselves as such, even as martyrs, who fight against equality by claiming that equal rights are actually “an attack” and “taking their rights away”, when it’s just about a level playing field.

Already in the introduction I was completely on board. The writing was eloquent, easily understandable, packed with sources and statistical data, and argumentatively sound. Joshi is able to immediately tell you what the book is about, bring excellent examples to underline her thesis, she explains concepts and terminology, and succinctly introduced the concept of the book and how she structured the chapters. The quality of writing is so outstanding that I couldn’t believe it was just an ARC except for very, very minor word repetitions. But otherwise, the introduction was the perfect example on how to immediately grasps a reader’s attention, introduce the topic and thesis, deliver a historical and theoretical overview, and explain what you’re about to read and how it is relevant to her thesis.
Honestly, Joshi did a phenomenal job and I couldn’t stop myself from comparing her introduction with Jenkins’ from Comics and Stuff with was atrocious. Same publisher, yet vastly different writing quality between the ARCs. In fact, I’ve read a lot of ARCs published by New York University Press and only Jenkins’ was really awful.
Joshi was so clear, her writing so elegant, her arguments so sound and scientifically backed up that I was excited to read this!

In Chapter 1, Joshi talks about the connection between three categories: Christianity, Whiteness, and Americanness. As she shows with numerous examples backed by scientific data, the three terms are often used interchangeably and thus build the idea that a “true” American is White and Christian and, conversely, only White Christians can be “true” Americans, meaning that other racial or religious minorities are continuously othered. Their race and/or their religion makes them outsiders, which Joshi further backs up by showing how, for example, Black Christians despite being Christians are still not seen as “true” Americans or how being a fifth-generation Chinese American still means the person is Other due to the fact that a Chinese American person is probably not Christian.
She furthermore shows how Christianity permeates every facet of US life: how people in courts swear on the Bible; how public and official political meetings begin with Christian prayers; how Christian monuments are built all over the country; how all holidays and the whole school and work year is designed around Christian celebrations; etc.
In fact, the connection between Christianity and Whiteness to patriotism is so strong that any (perceived) deviation is deemed un-American, traitorous, and even punishable. When Charlottesville was flooded by White supremacists a core tenant of their terrorist ideology was centering White Christianity, while chanting anti-Semitic slogans. This chapter sets the stage for the following ones.

Chapter 2 is a historical overview, beginning with the Spanish invasion of the Americas and the forced conversion of indigenous cultures to Catholicism. It was during this time that Christianity and Whiteness became interchangeable concepts, even by Papal orders: “true” Christian heritage should be traced via bloodline making religious affiliation a genetic component that could not be separated from a person’s race.
The Spanish racial cast system was used by missionaries and European empires to colonize, exploit, and convert whole populations, a process always accompanied by genocide (physical, cultural, and societal).
These concepts existed in the territories that are now the US in form of the One-Drop Rule and Manifest Destiny, the latter being the famous slogan that legitimized the slaughtering, oppressing, and forcibly removing of Native Americans from their lands. This rhetoric reinforced the idea of Christianity being superior to all other religions and, since it is a genetically (by blood) codified identity, it meant that only White people could be “true” Christians. Their Christianity made them superior to other cultures, thusly allowing them to not only commit genocide against Mative Americans but also exclude Black slaves, who often converted to Christianity because, as already explained, a conversion to Christianity does not make a person a “true” Christian since their blood is “tainted” from their inheritance, aka “heathen” religious backgrounds. Religion and race became synonymous.

I can imagine that some people are skeptical about this point but it’s not an exaggeration. Not only does Joshi show very clearly by using historical data on how blood, religion, and race are connected, I personally know people who think this way. They might not necessarily be this blunt about it or fully acknowledge that that’s what they think but it is exactly that.
For example, I personally know a person (no voluntary contact) who believes that Muslims are evil. And I do mean evil. But not only that, they are also convinced that they are evil because of their faith and their faith is born. The idea that Islam is the faith of the “false prophet” is not a joke, it is a centuries-old idea propagated by Christians and it is a deep-seated hatred of Muslims the same way that anti-Semitism is central to Christian doctrine, which casts Jewish people as traitors, unfaithful, and other awful roles.
Anyhow, this person is absolutely convinced that any Muslim person is evil and that because they are born in Muslim countries they always are and always will be Muslim, even if they’re atheist because it’s in their blood. And I know that this is not one cooky person, this is central to Christian belief and many think the same way this person does, only most don’t have the courage to express these ideas loudly and proudly (well, at least some not IRL, many do it online tho). But if you’ve followed the discourse in the US these last few years, you realize that I’m not exaggerating and neither is Joshi.

Joshi goes even further, showing how the religious bloodline was later incorporated into pseudo-scientific discourse about phenotypes and phrenology, and the lie about the Aryan race and the Dravidians. In showing how historically race and religion were seen as interchangeable identities, Joshi proves that the foundations of US society is based on the idea that Whiteness and Christianity are one identity and the nation’s laws were created to favor White Christian protestant heteronormativity.
Whiteness alone did not protect people, as seen with European immigrants, like Jews, Orthodox, or Catholics, even though in time they did slowly shift to Whiteness. But the hierarchy remains intact and nothing is greater proof than the fact that society and politics still favor White Christian supremacy and that the group that commits the most terrorist attacks in the US are White Christian supremacists attacking synagogues, mosques, temples, and Black Christian churches.

In Chapter 3 Joshi goes further into the history of Whiteness and Christianity by showing how the government implemented strict immigration policies to keep out “undesirable” groups: first Jews, Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox Christians, later Asians (e.g. Chinese immigrants) and Muslims, to contemporary bans, like the Muslim Ban.
The idea of the White suburban sitcom families was no accident, they were, as Joshi says, “deliberate social engineering efforts by early twentieth century Congresses carrying out an explicitly racist and religiously discriminatory agenda.”
She also uses numerous examples of people trying to get American citizenship and failing. In each case, the goalposts were moved: while one person would appeal to their Whiteness by saying that they had Aryan ancestry, something that was continually used to legitimize a White dominant culture, another person would appeal by saying that in being Christian, they complied with the necessary requirements to become a good American citizen.
Yet, both appeals were denied because one person was Hindu, thus not Christian, and deemed also non-White, while the other person, who was Christian, was also denied citizenship due to the fact that they weren’t White.

This shifting of identity is intentional. Because it can’t be properly explained and argued in many ways, Whiteness can be used to include and exclude whomever the government wishes. The flexibility of meaning of course shows that it is scientifically and logically unsound and ultimately a useless category but that is exactly the point: by not being definable, it can be whatever someone wishes.
We can see this in the fact how 100+ years ago certain European nationalities were not seen as White but over time shifted into Whiteness (for the most part) or in the fact that the 1900 Census categorized Syrians as White people and just ten years later, Syrians were categorized as Asians.
Thus, Joshi shows by summarizing historical information how White Christianity is more than just a religious affiliation but a political identity with immense judicial and economic leverage, or as she puts it: “Social power is more than population numbers; it is being able to create policy and replicate a national identity and worldview.”
White Christians enshrined their identity into law as the norm, allowing them incredible privilege and access to power and wealth. Then, in turn, these people in power could continue to use the power they created for themselves to oppress and control others.
And her last quote is especially relevant because it’s a direct reaction to the apocalyptic views right-wingers are sharing, namely that White Christianity will be a minority by the 2040s/50s. However, Joshi explains that not only does that data have little actual significance beyond inciting panic in the dominant culture, it’s deeply racist, xenophobic, and anti-non-Christians. But furthermore, it’s a flawed logic because, as Joshi says, even if the number of White Christians sinks [in relation to other religions, the actual number would still rise compared to now] (I would argue that many White people who don’t identify as Christians still carry with them White Christian supremacist beliefs and they would need to address this), their power remains intact. As history shows, the US government, society, and laws were created by and for White Christians. Even if the percent number should sink, they still hold structural power over everyone else.

Chapter 4 deals with every day Christian privilege, from the division of school and work year according to Christian holidays and traditions, to language, politics, food, and other amenities. Joshi combines data with numerous personal anecdotes, as well as real life examples from interviewees who belong to a religious minority. My only criticism here is that no atheist/agnostic is included.
Chapter 5 then goes into various arguments expressed by White Christians, religious minorities, and possible allies, explaining how Christian normativity colors the perception and how Christian supremacy impacts the life of religious minorities.
And finally, Chapter 6 offers a list of ways for (ex-)Christians to tackle their privilege and help create an inclusive society that takes into account the needs of religious minorities and those without any religious affiliation. Step-by-step Joshi helps the reader understand how Christians can become allies. Sadly, I think this chapter is too short with not enough concrete ideas or resources. I don’t expect her to write a book’s worth of allyship work but it could have profited a bit more content.

Conclusion: this book is an absolute must-read!
I’m not Christian, I haven’t been for years, and I had to go through a lot of hardship for rejecting the faith I was born into. But as a child I already recognized many facets Joshi talks about here and the older I got, the more I realized how self-evident Christian supremacy and normativity is for European society. Everything else is compared to it and deemed lacking. Growing up I also realized that Christianity and Whiteness were seen as interchangeable identities by White people and how every person is expected to conform to a very narrow definition of a constructed norm. I knew about White Christian supremacy before I even knew any of these concepts or words because I grew up as a poor immigrant in an abusive home and got bullied at school. All these hardships and marginalizations made me realize the role Christianity played in my own oppression, as well as in the oppression of other religions, cultures, and peoples. Also, I was never into hating LGBQT+ people ever since I was a child and I hated how Christianity, which prided itself on promoting love and acceptance, would actively persecute, torture, and kill queer people. It never made sense to me.

This book offered a great perspective on the situation in the US, drawing from history and contemporary examples to show how White Christian supremacy was established and how it functions. Reading the book from an outsider perspective – I’m not Christian, I don’t live in the US nor am I an American citizen – makes this even more fascinating because I can draw from my own knowledge and education. It makes me see certain historical connections from a European perspective. I have to be honest, the arguments and conclusions weren’t new to me, I’ve come to the exact same deductions years ago by myself but reading books like this one help me in three ways: 1. It formulates my thoughts in a concise and ordered manner and helps me build my own arguments for future discussions, 2. It gives me more information and resources, giving me more knowledge, and 3. It reminds me that I also have to continually work on my own privilege and contribute as an active ally.
The fourth perk is, of course, that I then have a great resource to share among friends.

Joshi has done a magnificent job. She writes beautifully and each argument is concise, easily understandable, and backed up with lots of information, data, and sources. I didn’t give this one five stars for a few small reasons: Chapter 6 could have been a bit more concrete, give more guidance and resources on how to actively dismantle White Christian supremacy; she uses the term “political correctness” several times and not until the very end does she actually explain what this means and criticize the use and I think repeating right-wing terminology that discredits anti-discriminatory work in a book like this one is counterproductive – Joshi tries to counteract the right-wing-rhetoric by using that expression but ends up giving them power and by that she devalues her own work; and the perspective of non-religious people doesn’t get enough attention.

But apart from that, the book is excellent in every possible way: well-written, academically sound, fantastic arguments with proof and sources, well researched, and a joy to read despite the serious content.
I truly think that this is an incredible resource and should be put next to Diangelo’s White Privilege as a must-read for social justice work.

This book was a mix. A lot of the message is well taken: people mixing their Christianity and patriotism seems like it's only a rising trend and, while it might be hard to avoid, it leads to nothing but confusion and strife. There are legitimate arguments to be had as to whether the U.S. was "founded as a Christian nation," and if it was, what that should mean for us. On the other hand, the author seems to be saying that churches need to include nonbelievers in sacred expressions of faith like taking communion? Why would this ever be necessary, or even a respectful thing to ask? The position that a religion should not encroach on public life in a country with religious freedom is a legitimate argument to make, but that a religion should not encroach on... itself? Those are sacred acts for believers, and I don't know why a nonbeliever should somehow expect to insert themselves into that context while also affirming their unbelief.

Khyati Joshi's White Christian Privilege is an important book. It takes one of the most embedded ideas, that White Christian norms should be American society's norms, and holds these beliefs up to the light. Some of the ideas she expresses will make people uncomfortable.

Joshi demonstrates that White Christianity is assumed by most to be the norm. We get Christian holidays off. Public meetings begin with Christian prayer.

Religious freedom as a concept is explored in a historical context. One thing I was surprised to find was that what we know as religious freedom was a compromise between the white settlers to ensure that no sect became America's official religion. So, religious freedom didn't begin as the high minded concept we describe it as now. It was simply a case of "If I can't have it my way, neither can you." It's stories like these that really make you question the whole mythology around America's founding.

Courts have also been hostile to any religious freedom that wasn't directed towards white men. There's discussion in the book of many court cases where courts explicitly shifted the goalposts on what constituted white and/or Christian so that they could deny rights to whatever petitioner was before them. These decisions helped keep legal immigration for non-Western European people at a minimum until LBJ signed the Immigration and Nationality Act in 1965.

The use of Christianity by whites to justify colonialism and genocide is also a big topic in the book. Manifest Destiny and the Doctrine of Destiny are two of the ideas explored. Both of these ideas constituted an explicit approval by church authorities on the subjugation and annexation of Asian, African and Latino countries. The fact that some people still think that these doctrines were correct shows how far we have to go as a society.

Where the book shines is the personal stories and anecdotes Joshi provides as illustrations. She tells us of religious bullying and retaliation in schools, refusal to perform non-Christian weddings, and similar things. I really wish she'd given us more of these stories at the expense of the historical context. While it is important for the reader to know what happened in the past, what's more important is knowing how to address this privliege in the future. Joshi also uses the last chapter to provides some proscriptions on how we can better address privilege as a society. I would have preferred to have even more exploration of this content.

The other reason the anecdotes rang so true to me is because I, as a non-white, non-Christian immigrant, have been subjected to the thoughtless actions of white Christians. In 2017, I went to a baseball game with friends. During the singing of the national anthem, one of them, a white, devout Catholic, thought it would be hilarious to yell, "Build the wall!" at the end of the song. When I confronted him, I was told I was being humorless and that he was only play-acting as a "jingoistic American". I did finally get an apology, but it was grudging and not at all genuine. The fact that this person thought this was fine shows how far the deck is stacked in his favor.

I think people who want to begin to understand the challenges faced by people like me should read this book. Without this level of dialogue, it'll be impossible to begin changing society for the better. I hope to read more from Joshi and others like her in the future.

Thank you to NYU Press and NetGalley for providing my copy of this book!

"Denial is a common reaction to having one's privilege pointed out, but it is not a productive one."

This notion is buried in Part 4 of Khyati Y. Joshi’s White Christian Privilege, but it would be best served blazened in the first couple of pages.

Make no mistake - this book deserves a spot amongst essential reading. This is not an opt-in, but a critical examination of American society. This book belongs on AP US History required reading lists, explored in social studies courses, and digested as widely as a kitschy New York Times article. It is not welcome to the performative, nor the sand-laden book bag of a beach-read activist. This book is not easy: it takes effort to work through and digest. As an aspiring academic, it was a wakeup call for the complicit nature of “elite” universities in the continued oppression of those who frayed from a White Christian paradigm (another crucial note for academics in the book is that the division between ethnic studies and religious studies in many institutions is destructive, which, though not my field particularly, is certainly worth sharing amongst my peers).

I’m unsure if that is or is not the author’s intention - this work is exceedingly academic in tone. It feels like a textbook, in a sense, with a few notes of less formalized reprieve: some of the most powerful parts are when Professor Joshi maintains her objectivity yet delves into personal circumstance, such as the search for a wedding venue that would allow her a havan. Despite my personal preference for these musings, there is a distinct advantage to a near painfully scholarly tone: concepts that can be hot-button emotional topics for my generation, such as the inappropriate romanticization, commodification, and appropriation of culture is treated with an academic dignity that can be hard to find for such a topic.

Do not take this as the book being solely a contemporary exploration: the history Joshi explores, including the oft-ignored court cases for “Whiteness,” is crucial, as is the discussion of social justice concepts such as intersectionality of identity. We see the mistakes of the past through a lens of the present, a vision that can hopefully allow us to guide our future.

The discussions in the book are broad - it addresses issues from the “minority-majority” panic, fears of Sharia law, American mythos and the lie of the “secular,” and the simultaneity of oppression of religion and prescribed race.

The world is changing, and this book may have come out at the perfect time. My only hope is that it finds itself widely read, and Joshi’s message adequately spread.

I enjoyed reading the author's perspective of American Christians and the privilege they receive. Although I'm sure that a lot of privileged Christians won't like the book, a lot of what was written is true. It is a book that you will need to take your time with. You won't be able to speed through it. I really enjoyed reading the book.

Over this 4th of July weekend, amid the patriotism and what fireworks were allowed to be shot (OK, not many allowed, but plenty illegally shot), the media was sure full of a lot of anti-American, anti-patriotic chatter. Racism, white privilege, inequality, etc., etc., as if we didn't live in the freest, most prosperous, most religiously diverse nation in the world. White privilege has become a buzz phrase for the left, and Khyati Y. Joshi, a college professor and writer, is happy to be a part of the merry bandwagon. In White Christian Privilege: The Illusion of Religious Equality in America, Joshi joins the mainstream left in decrying white privilege, specifically white Christian privilege. She "debunks the fallacy of American religious freedom and offers ways to acknowledge the harder truth of White Christian supremacy, in hopes of helping to create a society with institutions and cultural practices in which all can more equitably coexist."

In her mind, the alleged neutrality of the United States government and the courts toward religion is skewed heavily in favor of Christian faith and practice. She gives examples demonstrating that Christian practices are easily accepted, while non-Christian practices are either banned or are won in hard-fought court struggles. "The collective message of the Court's free exercise cases is that a burden on Christian practice offense the Constitution, while a burden on non-Christian practice does not."

My thought throughout the book was that the United States was founded by Christians who created the foundations of the nation so that its people would be free to practice their faith. As a result, there is more religious variety and freedom of worship and practice in the U.S. than any other nation in history. It is because of the faith of the founders that Hindus, Muslims, and other world religions can flourish here. She states that Christianity "permeates all facets of our society and our laws." Amen. If another world religion permeated our laws and society, religious freedom would be a dim hope--just look at how Christians are treated in Muslim countries, China, and even India.

On a side note, when a leftist author hates Trump, it's expected. But please, at least get your facts straight. She repeats the lie that "the president referred to 'very fine people on both sides,' signal[ing] the president's support of White nationalists." This lie has been debunked repeatedly. In the speech to which she refers, President Trump clearly condemned white nationalists. The "both sides" remark referred to people for and against the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee. Do your research and don't swallow the slander of the media. Further, she is critical of Trump's "Muslim Ban." Another lie; this was an effort to prevent travel from countries where he thought there was an increased threat of terrorism. This did not include every majority Muslim country. Hate Trump all you want, but in an academic work, I would expect a higher level of reflection and fact-checking.

It's undeniable that Christianity is woven inextricably into the foundations and fabric our our nation. To deny it or reduce it would not only show anti-Christian bias, but would erode the very freedoms and religious diversity that sprang from the Christian faith of the founders. As a Christian, I was deeply convicted by the message and theme of the book. The Christian church in American has failed to retain and expand the vibrancy and evangelistic fervor of the Great Awakenings, and has, as a result, seen the practices of the Christian faith decline in recent decades. For the sake of the gospel, the church needs to wake up; our nation still needs Jesus. For the sake of the nation, the church needs to wake up; the more the influence of Christianity fades from the scene, the less freedom we all will have.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

I do not envy those who feel compelled to write nonfiction of any kind, though especially titles like this that fall into categories like persuasive nonfiction. There is a seemingly impossible line to walk between sharing all the facts while also putting a human face(s) to the issues that are being discussed. On one end the writing can become unbearably dry though perfectly factual and devoid of logical fallacies. On the other end the writer may rely on anecdotal evidence and personal narrative, which while more emotionally compelling and effective may not be completely factual or logically sound. On the whole I felt the author did a superb job walking that line. The text was rich with references to cited sources while also sharing their own experiences as well as others they know to drive home points. Being so used to internet trolls, I walked into this book worrying that this would end up boiling down to a biased screed against x, y, or z, revealing in some ways my own biases and predispositions. To the contrary, I found this book to be exactly as it sets out to be per its statements in the introduction about not enforcing political correctness but rather illuminates “how Christianity in the US has served the needs of the dominant religious, ethnic, racialized majorities with historically greater access to institutional and cultural power than other groups.” I also appreciated how it was made clear that none of this is cut and dry, simple, nor easy. Again quoting the intro: “Open and honest conversations are messy and difficult, but they are necessary if we are to advance as a nation.”

Even if I'm not American it's a book that made me think and appreciated the analysis as it can be applied to a lot of countries.
As I belong to a minority religion but was brought up Catholic I know the difference between being part of a privileged majority and being a minority.
The plurality is something that can enrich us all but people have to accept it and stop feeling entitled only because you're white or Christian.
An interesting read that I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Every country and culture has its majority culture with its associated biases and prejudices, but it doesn’t hurt to remind Americans of the particular set of historical and cultural circumstances that brought us to this particular situation and special set of problems.

What an interesting book. In Khyati Y. Joshi's White Christian Privilege, she breaks down how Christianity and whiteness are both privileges in the United States, and in many cases they go hand in hand in upholding white supremacy.

As a Christian and person of color, I've often felt that Christianity in evangelical churches are very white. So often, I've felt neglected and misunderstood as a person of color. However, reading this book has been really enlightening in seeing how I hold privilege as someone who identifies as Christian. Joshi touches on many examples in America where the Christian faith is normalized, and thus an isolating experience for those of different religious backgrounds. One experience she mentions is looking for a wedding location for her Hindu-Christian wedding and being questioned on the "safety" of certain practices in her Hindu background. This is something that I would have never even thought of as being a barrier as a Christian.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who identifies as Christian. This book is in no way an attack on Christianity. In fact, she touches upon different faiths in a very delicate manner. What she is addressing in this book is the particular privilege that being a Christian in the United States (as someone in Canada, I believe this can apply to Canadians too!) holds. Being aware of this privilege and making an effort to dismantle it is really important so that we do not become complicit in upholding white supremacy and dismissiveness of other religions and those who do not align with a particular religion.

I appreciate the author's tackling this subject of white privilege amidst the Christian religion. Gives this white American Christian many thoughts to ponder. Especially gives me more empathy towards other religions and their struggles within the American culture.

This book gives a wonderful insight into the way that America centres the needs of the Christian religion in everything that the country does, and other religions are just thrown into the mix, generally tokenised or left out of all considerations. This is especially clear when it comes to holidays and other issues, and, speaking from experience, you learn to leave things out of considerations so it doesn't get awkward. I've had exams on Yom Kippur and just had to deal with it, classes when I should be lighting menorah candles. It's not easy, and I appreciate this book bringing this narrative to the forefront.

I especially appreciated the final chapter which makes note that it is important to know when to send what wish for what holidays depending on religion and just considering other people's lives and beliefs is so important. This book also gave a disturbing insight into the way that American Christians see themselves as not just the default, but the oppressed default. It makes me so sad to hear those who have not faced bigotry to the level that others have seeing their issues as equal, as it takes away from those who face those issues in a far more realistic fashion.

I also appreciated how this book covered the way that the judiciary and executive take a fundamentally Christian approach as 'one nation under G-d' and that public holidays, considerations, and laws all follow suit. This is an important conversation that needs to be had, and I appreciate this book drawing attention to these issues.

Quite interesting and definitely makes one question one's own ideologies and hidden prejudices. Reads like a thesis/dissertation which isn't necessarily a negative.