The theology of white supremacy: From the Curse of Ham to contemporary Christian reckoning

White supremacy is a historical and theological construction, not a natural phenomenon, shaped through biblical misinterpretations, racial ideologies, colonial expansion, legal systems, and church authority. This article examines how the Myth and Curse of Ham traditions, along with the Hamitic hypothesis, were used to justify African enslavement, racial hierarchy, and the denial of African achievements, despite lacking support in the biblical text. The study traces how these ideas became embedded in concepts of whiteness and were reinforced through colonial laws, the Doctrine of Discovery, Manifest Destiny, and pro-slavery and segregationist forms of American Christianity. Drawing on Critical Race Theory, postcolonial biblical criticism, Black theology, and African American interpretation, the article concludes that dismantling white supremacy requires theological reflection, historical honesty, institutional accountability, and a renewed commitment to justice, reconciliation, and human equality.