For years, Black churches have worked tirelessly to advance the cause of racial justice in America. In many ways, their white counterparts have done the opposite.

White Christians are not simply complicit in racism and white supremacy, argues scholar Robert P. Jones. They’re actually culpable. Without their deliberate consent, white supremacy in America could never have been built.

That’s a shocking assertion. But citing historical evidence and contemporary survey data, Jones, in conversation with assistant editor Regina Munch, maps the long road white Christians must travel if they hope to ever atone for their sins.