Religious leaders face political powder keg in addressing race

Religious leaders are divided about whether or not to embrace discussions about systemic racism as protests following the death of George Floyd bring the issue into churches.

The idea of systemic racism, that many public and private institutions are inherently and historically racist, is typically rejected by orthodox Christian churches, which instead condemn individual instances of racism. But the Floyd protests, which have drawn outcry in all quarters of society, have challenged that belief for many Christians.

The growing disagreements often arise as leaders grapple with the best way to...