A senior at the University of North Georgia discovered her assigned textbook described Christianity as “a U.S.-based white supremacist group,” sparking outrage and debate.
Kelbie Murphy told reporters she paid nearly $100 for the text used in her International Public Relations course. In the chapter passage she flagged, authors listed identity modifiers—“corporate, sexual, digital, racial, national, brand”—and then appended “Christian” with the label “a U.S.-based white supremacist group.”
University officials later responded, saying the reference was meant to describe extremist groups that misuse Christian symbolism for hate, not Christians broadly. Meanwhile, Murphy says her professor and a school administrator apologized for how the text offended her.
Murphy, who only recently embraced Christianity, says she feels the label mischaracterizes her faith and worries others unfamiliar with the religion will take it at face value. She believes the incident highlights the need for deeper review of how faith and identity are presented in academic materials.