Shameless Theology S2:05 Christian Perpetrators of Violence: Documenting Religious Racism w/Dr. Danielle Boaz & Dr. Gustavo Melo Cerqueira Pt. 1

Summary

Spiritual Terrorism does not require intention to do harm when social, political, and cultural structures are established to facilitate harm. Today, Rev. Alba Onofrio introduces two scholars who have worked together for almost a decade to expose these structures and document incidents of Religious Racism in Brazil. Dr. Danielle Boaz and Dr. Gustavo Melo Cerquiera have built a bilingual database of 500+ documented incidents of religious intolerance against Afro-Brazilian faiths.

In cases where perpetrators were identified, every single one was Christian—most often Neo‑Pentecostal—revealing a pattern of organized hostility that shapes daily life and public safety.

In part one of this two part conversation, we learn how Danielle and Gustavo came to this work, and how the project started as a cry for help and a fight for survival. We’ll consider how their lived experience and research into the prohibition & persecution of African diaspora religions across the Americas relates to the concepts presented in Soulforce’s new book Spiritual Violence: Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith and discuss the ways religion colludes with power to produce harm. 

Dr. Danielle N. Boaz is Professor of Africana Studies and Interim Director of Legal Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her research focuses on discrimination and violence against African diaspora religious communities from the nineteenth to the present. Dr. Boaz is the author of Banning Black Gods: Law and Religions of the African Diaspora (Penn State University Press 2021) and Voodoo: The History of a Racial Slur (Oxford University Press 2023);she is co-author of Silencing the Drum:Religious Racism and Afro-Brazilian Sacred Music (Amherst College Press 2024). 

Dr. Gustavo Melo Cerqueira: Dr. Gustavo Melo Cerqueira is the Babalorixá of Ilê Axé Omi Ogun siwajú and an artist of performance and presence working as an actor, director, and playwright. He serves as Vice President of the International Commission to Combat Religious Racism (ICCRR), a global initiative dedicated to studying and confronting religious racism through research, advocacy, and international collaboration. His work bridges scholarship and activism, addressing discrimination against African and African diaspora religions worldwide. Dr. Melo Cerqueira holds a Ph.D. in African and African Diaspora Studies and an M.A. in Arts from the University of Texas at Austin and is an Adjunct Professor of Theater Education at UNIRIO. He has published widely in theater, performance, and religious studies, and is co-founder of Pele Negra – Escola de Teatro(s) Preto(s).

Find more about their work at www.religiousracism.org

Americans’ Double Standard on Religious Violence - PRRI 

Hosted by Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio - Executive Director of Soulforce), this podcast channel offers connection, reflection, and community for anyone feeling spiritually marginalized or exiled but still resiliently faithful, while centering dialogue on Queer, Trans, and feminist theology.

Shameless Theology seeks to decolonize faith, mixing theological education with real-life experiences to support human rights and life abundant for all of Creation. Initially launched in Spanish as Teología Sin Vergüenza, this show addresses the monopolization of religious discourse by the extreme Right. Here, we gather people of diverse faith backgrounds and Christian denominations--pastors, activists, and scholars--to discuss gender identity, the erotic, and real life in the context of a radically inclusive faith, aiming to heal the wounds of colonizing religion and create a welcoming space for topics often considered taboo in religious spaces.

This season forefronts our new book: Spiritual Violence: Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith. This timely resource identifies and examines the consequences of white Christian Supremacy through historical context and case studies, centering lived experiences of marginalized people, and offers critical analysis and practical tools for healing and resistance. Each week, we’ll share engaging conversations with brilliant guests familiar with the work, as we explore the concepts and lived experiences of Spiritual Violence. The podcast is not a repetition of the book but an expansion of conversation adding new voices: experts in their fields who share their experience with our community. Even if you haven’t read the book yet, these are engaging conversations relevant to the here and how, and we invite you to join us and continue the conversation in your own communities. 

FREE PREVIEW: Spiritual Violence and Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith: soulforce.org/download/spiritual-violence/    

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