They told us that Christianity came from white slave owners people to enslaved Black people.
And maybe it did.
But what they forget is—God has never belonged to any one people.
When faith crossed oceans and deserts, when it was wrapped in the tongues of empire, it did not stop being divine.
It only waited for those who could recognize the sound of home in it again.
Our ancestors did.
They took the stories that had been twisted for control—
and unwound them in song, in prayer, in moan, in shout.
They met the Bible in the fields, in secret meetings, in hush arbors, and in the steady rhythm of feet that refused to give up.
They heard the same words the enslavers read—
but they heard them differently.
When Pharaoh hardened his heart, they saw the plantation.
When Moses said “Let my people go,” they saw themselves.
When Jesus hung between two thieves, they saw every Black body hanging from a tree—and still rising on Sunday morning.
So yes, maybe it came through them.
But it stayed because we recognized freedom in it.
That is the same reason Survivors of atrocities and trauma all over the world who came to the faith by way of people who harmed them are still faithful to this day. The faith never belonged to the people who harmed them, but the freedom, love, and peace embrace the Survivor.
🕊️ Faith Reclaimed, Not Borrowed
Faith is not for anyone else to give or take.
We made it our own.
We re-wrote the melodies, changed the sermons, and raised up a theology born in struggle but radiant with joy.
We stopped waiting for Heaven to look like their heaven.
We made Heaven right here—in the laughter after the storm, in the hum of a grandmother’s prayer, in the church fan that keeps rhythm while the choir testifies.
🌻 What Others Meant for Control Became Our Liberation
Maybe someone shared a few words, but we make it saaang.
Maybe someone shared a book, but we read it with new eyes.
Maybe someone invited you to church or demanded you attend, but we fill them with dance, power, and hope.
Faith may have come carrying chains,
but we sent it home wearing light.
💬 Reflection
What has been “given” to you that you have redefined or made your own?
How do you see God through the lens of your ancestors’ resilience?
What does “freedom in faith” mean to you today?
💖 Affirmation
I am a living temple of transformation.
What was handed to my people as bondage,
we turned into a doorway to glory.
