Christianity and Oppression Theme Analysis

Blues for Mister Charlie represents the Black Christian church as a locus for nonviolent resistance against racism, yet it also suggests that Christian teachings encourage Black Christians to endure without retaliation more oppression than they should have while bolstering racist attitudes among white people. Thus, the play portrays Christianity as a double-edged sword, both helping and hurting the cause for racial justice. The play suggests throughout that Black churches play an important role in anti-racist protesting: in the unnamed U.S. Southern town where the play’s action occurs, a Black Christian minister named Meridian Henry organizes protests out of his church, and various pieces of dialogue imply that Christian prayer is often integrated into the protests. Yet at the same time, Meridian openly wonders whether the Christian teachings of nonviolence and “turn[ing] the other cheek” has led Black Christians to patiently endure racist oppression when they ought to have been protecting themselves—with violence if necessary. Meanwhile, the town’s Christian white minister, Reverend Phelps, uses his religious authority to preach racism, claiming that Black people who protest for social equality have “turned away from God.” In this way, the play gives a nuanced perspective on the intersection of Christianity and equality, in which Christianity is neither a wholly positive nor a wholly negative force in the fight for racial justice.