If America has a "Christian heritage", does that mean Christianity has historically been OK with racism?

As a Bible-believing Christian, I can only speak of what I know. Christians were, and they still are influential in American moral failings. For anyone who was watching, the Civil Rights Movement and the subsequent Civil Rights Laws making integration the law of the land were met with a "Christian" backlash, particularly in the South. Because the Democratic Party led the civil rights fight, white "Christians" in the South abandoned the Democratic Party in droves and declared themselves to be Republicans. "Republican" became a subtle synonym for "racist." To further reinforce their racism, those same white "republicans" withdrew from integrated public schools, and, suddenly, every city, town, and hamlet in the South boasted its share of "Christian" schools. Only under federal pressure did they finally admit a few -- damned few-- non-whites, and then only under the duress of seeing any federal monies disappear. But they have made certain that the numbers of non-white were small, barely meeting (and occasionally *not* meeting) the required standard. They attempted, with great success, to gut the public school system, which had consequentially become majority black. The racism is reinforced every school term, for yet more innocent children, divided and denied by their racist parents. They still (!) have segregated bars, segregated theatres, and segregated restaurants and businesses and churches (of course!), even in this 21st century. One of the most imponderable situations I ever saw in my life was when learned that there were even separate black and white gay bars in the larger cities! It makes no sense to me.The damage will take generations to undo.

The Christian whites who opposed this racist movement, who in fact had worked to usher in integration on all societal levels, have been treated badly in many instances. So, while Christians have contributed greatly to the American "heritage", not all "Christian" contributions to that heritage were/ are positive. We Christians must bear the knowledge that we have polluted our land with our prejudices and ignorance.

America hasn't been "inspired and guided" by Christian principles, as you put it. America has been "inspired and guided" by the principles that "all men were created equal", and that everyone has the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". Where slavery fits into all that, I don't know. I wasn't there. You've got to remember, though, like Joseph from the Bible, many slaves that were transported to the Colonies from Africa, were sold into slavery by their own families. No, that doesn't make it right on anyone's part, but even though the white men have to shoulder the nearly all of the blame, someone sold them into slavery, and they should have to own part of it.

"We began to stir against slavery.

Hearts grew soft, here, there, and yonder.

There was no place in the land where the seeker could not find some small budding sign of pity for the slave.

No place in all the land but one—the pulpit.

It yielded at last; it always does.

It fought a strong and stubborn fight,

and then did what it always does,

joined the procession—at the tail end.

Slavery fell.

The slavery text remained; the practice changed,

that was all."

- Mark Twain, Bible Teaching and Religious Practice, 1923

Hm. I don't think Jesus ever said that we should have a black bathroom and a white bathroom, so no. Nothing in the Christian doctrine states that another race of people should be abused. These people might have gone to church, but that doesn't make them Christians, the same as if you walk into McDonalds, that doesn't make you a hamburger.

Well, the bible does tell us explicitly that slavery is good. It goes on to tell us exactly how they should be looked after, under which conditions you can marry a slave, how many years you can own a Hebrew slave and how to get around those rules.

If the Bible is the moral repository of Christians, I can believe that Christianity has been OK with racism.

Yes. Slavery as mentioned in the bible is just as bad as the one American Christians practiced.

America doesn't really have a Christian heritage. That's another lie from the Christians. Remember, they have an agenda!!

Civil right movements are not over... there are still enemies of reason and freedom in this country; though, thankfully things have progressed... all thanks to progressive thinking (whether it was inspired by christianity or not is irrelevant)!

Race is an evolutionary concept, not a Biblical one.

Yes, all abrahamic religions fully endorsed slavery, some as few as 40 years ago.