The Forgotten Creed

Abstract

This book examines the history and legacy of a forgotten early Christian creed embedded in Galatians 3:26–28, remarkable for its declaration of solidarity across race, class, and gender lines. It claims that distinctions based on race, class, and gender are a human conceit; race, class, and gender simply do not exist. The book describes how ancients used these categories to create “otherness” and to structure society to the advantage of native, free males, and how, and why, certain early followers of Jesus, including Paul, came to reject these “othering” categories and instead embrace their unity and solidarity as children of God. It also traces the failure of nerve that eventually led the church to abandon this ideal and once again leverage race, class, and gender to the advantage of native, free males: let women be subordinate, slaves be obedient, and foreigners beware. This discussion is set in the context of the contemporary debate about race, class, and gender and demonstrates that these are not late-arriving modern concerns deriving from the current culture wars. Race, class, and gender have always been used to divide the human community into “us” and “them.” This forgotten creed is an early strike against the age-old problem of racism, classism, and sexism.