Abstract
In the book of Exodus, God delivered the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt and into the Promised Land. For enslaved people in the United States in the 19th century, the beginning of this story felt familiar, and the end felt hopeful. By resonating with the Israelites, African Americans in the United States formed a distinct identity and theology that leaned on the hope of God’s justice and deliverance. Scholarship on Christianity among enslaved people has largely presented Exodus as a tool in forming identity and a sense of hope that God will deliver them in the same way He delivered the Israelites. In this paper, I examine the ways that slavery restricted enslaved peoples’ ability to practice Christianity and present Exodus as a gospel of resistance against slavery and pro-slavery Christianity in two main ways. First, Exodus provided inspiration for African Americans to develop their own theology informed by their personal experiences and interpretations. Second, the Exodus narrative was employed as a strategy to challenge slavery by both abolitionists and enslaved people. Acknowledging Exodus as a gospel of resistance recognizes the agency of African Americans in forming their own theology in order to pursue Christianity freely.
Recommended Citation
Reilly, Lauren
(2026)
"The Gospel of Resistance: How the Exodus Narrative Undermined Pro-Slavery Christianity,"
Proceedings of GREAT Day: Vol. 17, Article 6.
Available at:
https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/proceedings-of-great-day/vol17/iss1/6