We live in a world in which materialism has become increasingly ascendant and corrosive. Through overt and subtle social cues, we are taught that a person’s wealth is an indication of his or her worth, that one’s physical appearance is of primary importance, that acquisition and consumption is a way of life, and that the measure of a society lies in the degree of its material development and the growth of its economy. These views and values are conveyed in a myriad spoken and unspoken ways, and they operate on us in a complex and insidious manner, affecting our mental and emotional health, our interpersonal relationships, our community dynamics, our laws and policies, and our culture and values. Materialistic conceptions of human existence and human society have also contributed to a rise in instrumentalist thought, as individual and collective activities are judged and valued not on the basis of their intrinsic goodness or rightness, but rather according to their ability to promote economic gain, in some cases benefiting only a few.

These materialistic currents in our society have interacted with racial prejudice in profound and destructive ways, particularly in the United States. Violence against and domination of native peoples, the enslavement of people of African descent and its legacies, and the repression of Asians, Latinos, Middle Easterners, and others were driven in no small part by the desire to control land, natural resources, agriculture, and the means of material production, with an ultimate view toward attaining capital and wealth. And while there has been nominal legal equality since the end of the civil rights movement, material disparities persist. To take but a few examples, there are significant differences among racialized groups in income and wealth, home ownership and equity, and retirement savings.

In short, materialism and racism have reinforced each other for centuries: Materialistic values have encouraged the exercise of power over others to gain economic advantage, while racist ideas and attitudes have served to justify and perpetuate systems designed to promote economic success for a narrow elite. Fifty years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King spoke of the intertwined evils of racism and materialism, the injustice of extremes of wealth and poverty, and the need for a revolution of values, which entailed a shift from a “thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society.” Yet today, racialized minorities continue to face economic marginalization, as well as stereotypes and judgments associated with lack of material prosperity.

The fundamental premise of materialism — that the physical and material dimensions of human existence have greater value than all other dimensions — has powerfully influenced conceptions of race, often in imperceptible ways. This is perhaps unsurprising, as modern notions of race, secularism, and capitalism arose at roughly the same historical moment and have interacted with each other in extremely damaging ways in the centuries since — including through racialized conceptions of certain human beings as material goods. Racism is, of course, incredibly complex and multifaceted, but the materialistic dimension of racism is one that is often overlooked and may be ripe for further examination.

In his letter from a Birmingham jail, Dr. King warned against drawing a “strange, un-Biblical distinction between body and soul, between the sacred and the secular.” Yet, certain strands of thought, which have gained prominence of late, tend to conceptualize and discuss racial prejudice in terms of the physical, that is, the effects of racism on one’s body. While one’s bodily integrity, liberty, and safety are undoubtedly of paramount importance, these considerations are often emphasized to the exclusion of the spiritual and emotional dimensions of racial prejudice, which are no less important.

Indeed, the intangible effects of racism on one’s spirit and one’s psyche — which, in some cases, result from harm to the body — may ultimately be more injurious and longer lasting, particularly as they reverberate through the family and the community. What is more, ignoring the non-material dimensions of racism can prevent us from perceiving the harmful spiritual effects on individuals who harbor racial prejudice, as well as the ways in which our society suffers as a whole when our social institutions and structures do not reflect the spiritual reality of the oneness of humanity.

As people of faith, we understand that humans are not just physical beings who have spiritual experiences; rather, we are fundamentally spiritual beings who pass through a period of physical existence on this earthly plane. We are also aware that we are created in the image and likeness of God, a truth that speaks to our essential spiritual nature and our ability to mirror forth godly attributes, such as love, patience, forgiveness, sacrifice, and resilience.

A spiritually informed view of human existence allows us to understand material wealth as a means for promoting human development and flourishing — both physical and spiritual — not as an end in and of itself. In this view, material means are not inherently bad or evil; rather, if accumulated and used in ways that are just and that promote the prosperity and progress of all, they are both good and necessary. As we are able to move beyond attachment to material things, to measure worth and value in non-material terms and to use the material in service to the moral and the ethical, both materialism and racism will progressively weaken as societal forces.

A spiritual view of the human experience enables us to perceive a dynamic coherence between body and soul, in which the body can be understood as the temple of the soul in this earthly realm. Both body and soul reflect the nobility of their divine creator and are worthy of dignity and respect. In this view, the soul not only feels the effects of what occurs on the material plane, but it can also enable one to transcend the limitations of materialistic conceptions of self and identity. In this way, perpetrators of racism may, over time, come to understand themselves and their fellow human beings in a new light, perceiving the inherent spiritual equality and brotherhood of all people as children of God, and — through the practice of spiritual qualities, including love, humility, truthfulness, and selflessness — learn to translate this truth into reality in the physical world. Likewise, victims of racism may respond with spiritual qualities, including love, forbearance, patience, and grace, which, when actively applied, enable them to overcome hardship and to effect transformation both in themselves and in others. And all of us, regardless of our background or experience, have a role to play in the process and can engage each other in ways that honor and empower our whole selves, so that we can effect truly deep-seated and lasting change in our society.