Date

7-21-2026

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Michael Murphy

Keywords

racism, systemic and structural racism Christianity, church, spiritual maturity

Disciplines

Psychology

Abstract

Racism within the Christian church is a persistent concern that may influence interpersonal relationships and spiritual development. Although research has examined this broadly, there has been limited research on the relationship between perceived racism and spiritual maturity in a Christian church setting. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between racism and spiritual growth amongst Christians, assess the perceived prevalence of racism in the church, and explore perceptions of responsibility for addressing racism in the church. It was hypothesized that a negative relationship would be found between racism and spiritual maturity. Data was collected from 51 participants using a survey instrument measuring perceptions of racism, spiritual maturity, and responsibility for addressing racism. Findings from a point-biserial correlations analysis revealed a negative non-statistically significant relationship between relationship between racism and spiritual maturity. Descriptive findings indicated that 42% of the participants perceived racism in a church setting, while 58% did not. Additionally, participants determined that responsibility should be shared among church leaders and congregants in confronting racism. These findings suggest that while perceptions of racism exist within a church context, these perceptions may not be related to levels of spiritual maturity. Further research is required to examined how churches might address systemic racism and how spiritual maturity may interact with perceptions of racism.

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