Is Christianity Really Just a

White Man’s Religion?

Sometimes people say,

“Christianity is a white man’s religion.”

Let’s unpack that.

First, Christianity didn’t start in Europe—it started in the Middle East among Jewish people. Jesus Himself was a Jewish man of color, and the first followers of Jesus were too.

Even in the early centuries, the Church was global. Some of the earliest and most influential Church Fathers were African—think Augustine of Hippo in modern-day Algeria or Origen in Egypt.

So why do so many people picture Christianity as “white”? A lot of it comes from Renaissance and medieval European art, where Jesus and His followers were often painted with European features.

Those images shaped perceptions, but they’re not historically accurate.