This August marks 400 years since African slaves were brought to the United States and traded to European settlers in exchange for money and food. Many historians note the summer of 1619 as the beginning of slavery in America, and as our country nears the anniversary of this horrific event, many are taking time to reflect on the history of racial injustice in America and their responsibility in healing the wounds of inequality that have been inflicted on black Americans over the last four centuries.

For a recent study on race and equality in America, conducted in partnership with The Reimagine Group, Barna set out to contribute to a broader understanding of race relations in our present moment and equip church leaders with context for challenging conversations. This new report, titled Where Do We Go from Here?, represents the first of several new Barna efforts to study race and the Church and assesses perceptions of the nation’s reputation and what practicing Christians—across racial, denominational and political fault lines—feel should be done to repair the damage.

In a previous article, we reported on data presented in Where Do We Go from Here? that explored practicing Christians’ responses to the history of slavery and how it’s currently affecting the U.S. While not all practicing Christians agree that the ripple effects of slavery can still be felt by black Americans today, those who do have some ideas of next steps for addressing this injustice, specifically where the Church is involved.

Christians Disagree on the Problem & the SolutionA previous Barna study showed a gap between ethnic groups on whether racism is a problem of the past; 59 percent of black U.S. adults and 39 percent of white adults strongly disagreed. There was also confusion on whether the Church specifically contributed to that problem. Overall, six in 10 U.S. adults somewhat or strongly disagreed (62%)—black Americans, however, were more likely than white Americans to view Christian churches as complicit (17% vs. 9%).

The current study for went a step further, asking respondents how the Church should respond in light of our nation’s 400-year history of injustices against black people. Though responses were fairly distributed, and multiple responses were allowed, 28 percent say “there’s nothing the Church should do.” A full third of white practicing Christians (33%) selects this option, double the percentage of black practicing Christians who feel this way (15%). Instead, the plurality of black respondents (33%) has a clear next step in mind: repairing the damage.