Far from being anti-religious, faith and spirituality run deep in Black Lives Matter

Sage burning as a spiritual cleansing ritual is common at Black Lives Matter protests.
Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Hebah H. Farrag, University of Southern California — Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and Ann Gleig, University of Central Florida

Black Lives Matters (BLM) has been portrayed by its detractors as many things: Marxist, radical, anti-American. Added to this growing list of charges is that it is either irreligious or doing religion wrong.

In late July, for instance, conservative commentator Andrew Sullivan tweeted that BLM was “incompatible” with Christianity.

He isn’t alone in that belief. Despite receiving the backing of diverse faith leaders and groups, BLM has been attacked by sections of the religious right. One evangelical institution felt compelled to issue a statement warning Christians about the movement’s “Godless agenda.” Other evangelicals have gone further, accusing BLM founders of being “witches” and “operating in the demonic realm.”

Joining conservative Christians are some self-proclaimed liberals and atheists who have also denounced BLM as a social movement that functions like a
“cult” or “pseudo” religion.

As scholars of religion, we believe such views fail to acknowledge — let alone engage with — the rich spiritual and religious pluralism of Black Lives Matter. For the past few years, we have been observing the way the movement and affiliated organizations express faith and spirituality.