Work + Witness
The Raceless Gospel is a proclamation of somebodiness for souls weary of white supremacist notions of human being and belonging and calls us back to the interior self by way of water.
Through the praxis of womanist and liberation theologies and the future- casting of the African American spirituals, its framework of semantic and somatic sovereignty is sustained by resistance through self- emancipation as embodied by Harriet Tubman, self- actualization as formulated by Howard Thurman, truth- telling as named by James Baldwin, self- care as defined by Audre Lorde and rest as devised by Tricia Hersey.
The way of freedom is stuck in between our teeth. From tongue lashing to tongue loosing, we are words away from self- emancipation from systems that threaten and call into question our somatic sovereignty. First step and first word are linked. We must begin by speaking our new way of being into existence. Talk to ourselves and then talk back to the world’s systems of dehumanization, marginalization and oppression, interrupting this soul- crushing machinery.
It will require resilience as the climb is steep, long and winding. But if we will ever be free of “relationships of ruling,” then we must work to reach those words that affirm our dignity and our destiny to be free. And you are closer than you think. Liberation is just past your lips and on the very tip of your tongue.
The Raceless Gospel is the embodiment of what Stephen J. Patterson refers to as “the forgotten creed,” which says:
“For you are all children (sons) of God in the Spirit.
There is no Jew or Greek,
there is no slave or free,
there is no male and female;
For you are all one in the Spirit.”
These dyads, these binaries, either/or, oppositional ways of being and belonging are submerged in the water of baptism. The creed removes the categories of us and them and is in opposition to an ancient cliché that said something along the lines of: “I thank God every day that I was born a native, not a foreigner; free and not a slave; a man and not a woman.” The creed goes against who the society supported and endorsed as worthy of belonging.
Consequently, Starlette Thomas, the director of The Raceless Gospel Initiative, said, “I had to go and prepare a place for me—free from white supremacy. It is a place where I can rest from laboring to prove my worth as a human being. I liked it so much that I changed my address and now invite others to meet me here through the proclamation of the raceless gospel. But, to awaken to your sense of somebodiness, you must first take your rest.”
Podcast + Book
“The Raceless Gospel is taking listeners to church and to the water.”
Starlette Thomas is your podcast pastor and the host of “The Raceless Gospel.”
In this ongoing conversation, Thomas and guests talk about that taboo trinity— race, religion and politics.
Click Here for Listener Guides
- In Season 5, “A Love Offering,” Rev. Thomas examines the North American church’s questionable relationship with money and excoriates flock-fleecing shepherds and modern-day money changers who turn a dollar into health and wealth and call it ministry.
- Season 4, “Body/ Building,” invites listeners to take a fresh look at what it means to follow Jesus— to the ends of the earth or into a building.
- “Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3”, a special limited Lenten 2023 series, provides listeners with a seven-episode Lenten series focused on the testing of Jesus.
- Season 3, “Body Language,” looks at the North American church’s body language, examining how we have mishandled and marginalized some of our members.
- “Jesus is coming!”, a special limited Advent 2021 series, reflects on faith, peace, joy and love, and considers the significance of Jesus’ birth for Mary then and for us today.
- “Bodywork,” the theme of Season 2, address the damage that the church in North America has done to itself.
- In Season 1, “Word Meets Flesh,” Thomas and her guests flesh out that taboo trinity — race, religion and politics and everything in between and all that gets in between Christians.
Take Me to the Water
by Starlette Thomas
“Take Me to the Water”: The Raceless Gospel as Baptismal Pedagogy for a Desegregated Church introduces the North American church to the raceless gospel, which doubles as a teaching instrument and an emerging ecclesiology that is egalitarian, non- binary and non- dualistic.
The raceless gospel is an announcement, preparing the way for an undivided “kin-dom” that is coming. The segregation of the North American church was not by happenstance but began the moment European Protestants positioned themselves as the go- between God and other nationalities for relationship.
The first sign of segregation was down by the riverside. Thus, the raceless gospel argues that the North American church needs to be taken to the water to submerge all competing identities so that all members can live freely and more fully into their baptismal identity as expressed by the first creed: “For you are children of God in the Spirit. There is no Jew or Greek; there is no slave or free; there is no male and female. For you are all on one in the Spirit.”
This living epistle is for baptized believers and would be achievers of a reconciled church.
Embodiment
Education
Do you want to embody this work?
Starlette Thomas, the director of The Raceless Gospel Initiative, wants to lead houses of faith and other organizations into a fuller understanding and practice of human being and belonging.
To begin a conversation with Starlette, please complete the form below.
Reviews
The work to deconstruct a worldwide off-base socio-political construct, such as race, is not for the faint of heart. The work of TRGI seeks to deconstruct, displace, and dislocate a long misguided belief that race has anything to do with the sacredness and worthiness of each individual. This is a groundbreaking work that will dismantle generational deep hurt and build up the Kingdom as forgiven and grace-full children of God.
The Raceless Gospel by Rev. Starlette Thomas is mind-blowing, riveting and educational. When Rev. Thomas started her sermon with a song, ‘Jesus Loves the Little Children,’ a song I had song from my youth and passed to younger generations, I realized the tragedy of this song. Jesus loves us regardless of race. This song, like many other things, has been indoctrinated into our spiritual lessons. The Raceless Gospel is a must have continual experience. You will thank me later.
This is the most important book I have seen in DECADES for Christians, on the fallacy of race. This preacher is a prophet – I have admired her for years. This workbook should be in every adult church curriculum in this country, until we get to that Raceless Gospel. Race IS another gospel. Why have we followed it so long? The framing of how we “turn the tables,” is a visual we can understand and imitate. The blank page at the end should intimidate but inspire all of us.
What I admire most about Reverend Thomas is her unapologetic fierceness in her mission to dismantle race. Her mission is not merely a career and even transcends a calling. Dismantling race and all its associated evils are her passion. Reverend Thomas is a genuine and fully equipped warrior who has not only seen and lived the horrific pains of racism, but she is strategically on the battlefield as she fights this societal ill with grace, fortitude, and power.
Articles
Thanksgiving and Other Lies
“I’m not upset that you lied to me; I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you,” Friedrich Nietzsche explained. No truer words said, I aim to tell the truth and shame the devil on America’s shoulder. Where are those “better angels”?
Writing Until We All Get on the Same Page
“I’m writing until we all get on the same page.” I said this during my introduction to a writing session for Good Faith Media’s Writers’ and Readers’ Retreat at St. Francis Springs Prayer Center in Rockingham, North Carolina. An unplanned mission statement, I immediately knew I had successfully articulated my reason for writing.
“Down by the Riverside”: The Raceless Gospel for a Desegregated Church
I am calling for a come-to-Jesus- meeting. You could say it’s an intervention. The North American church needs help desegregating, as there remain black and white churches.
Theology as Technology: Advancing the Idea of the Supernatural Self
“Don’t be so heavenly-minded that you’re no earthly good.” Head in the clouds or feet on the ground, the statement implies that one is better than the other. But what if one is done in service to the other?
A Love Offering: When Writing Requires That You Pay Through the Nose
As the fifth season of The Raceless Gospel podcast ends, I look at my hands and wonder how it came to this. How did it end up costing so much?
For the Fellowship of All Peoples: Honoring Howard Thurman’s Strivings for ‘Radical Inclusion’
October 8th marks the 80th anniversary of The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples. Co-founded by Howard Thurman and Alfred Fisk, their intentional work at inclusion across multiple divisions remains worthy of celebration.