Is Our Gospel Big Enough to Handle RACE? Dr. Karen Johnson on "Ordinary Heroes of Racial Justice"

Is our gospel big enough to handle race? In this episode of the Culture, Faith, and Politics podcast, Pat Kahnke sits down with Dr. Karen Johnson, historian and professor at Wheaton College, to talk about her new book, Ordinary Heroes of Racial Justice.

Dr. Johnson’s scholarship explores how Christians have both shaped and resisted racial injustice in America. Together, we unpack stories of ordinary believers who stood against systemic racism, examine how evangelicals often struggle to see structures and systems, and wrestle with the question of whether personal salvation alone can carry the weight of Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom.

Along the way, we explore topics like:

• Why many white evangelicals reduce racism to individual prejudice while Black evangelicals emphasize systems.

• How redlining and housing policies continue to shape American life.

• The fractured history of the “social gospel” vs. “personal salvation” — and why the Bible won’t let us separate justice from righteousness.

• What it means to “do history” with love, humility, and awe.

This is a conversation for anyone wondering how faith intersects with race, justice, and American history — and for those tired of being told that seeking justice means you’ve sacrificed the gospel.