John. Brilliant and right on target as usual. You and James Talarico should team up and lead the charge against the blasphemy that is Christian Nationalism.
Great insights, always, but with this one you also bring in the sensitivity to the constant assault against non-white, non-Christian members of society. We are indeed all in this together, and your writing keeps this truth in the forefront. Thank you.
Good luck, my friends. This Greek-Jew atheist humanist academic genderqueer female would love to see white Christians (those who are not UCC or UUA or Quaker or a few of the Methodist or Episcopalian congregations) actually do some soul searching for once. But they are sitting fat and happy in their complacency. As always. Because the statement that Jesus supposedly made that there are only two real commandments, "Love god and love your neighbor but the most important is to LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR," is one of the ones the various churches since the 1st century CE have ignored the most.
If my Danish parents were still alive they would tell everyone that Hitler was able to dismantle democracy in 53 days! They were only 20 & 17 when the Nazis invaded Denmark: Dad joined the army & they both became part of the resistance that helped Danish Jews escape to Sweden. At 73, I still hope to see America rise up & also resist. Peace & Shalom
Christian Nationalism is a false shield. The people in this cult of Christianity are not true followers of Christ. They go against everything He espoused. They are just a political action group for the MAGA group of followers. That’s all they believe in.
Well, Mark, DJT, et al, chose the King James Version (public domain, no royalties required) and since he’s making a political statement, he added our historical documents so he can wrap it and himself with our Flag. Most misleading.
They believe they are going to overpower you dear! Is that true? Will you let this seething power grabbing low class group of liars overpower you and us? They believe in nothing but blathering hate. Oh, poor poor people who are so sadly uneducated in every way follow this like poor hungry abused dogs on the side of the road. Jesus is sobbing in his distress.
A daunting task but something we must accomplish. I just don't know my family is maga some of us don't even talk anymore because of him but I will not fold. I tolerate them but I condemn their choice. Did you happen to see the movie Bad Faith, kind of tells it all.
I agree. So many who claim to be religious are anything but. Anyone who believes in a kind, inclusive Jesus is reading the Bible correctly. I am shocked by the hypocrisy of the angry 'Christians ' .
All you need to do to find out who is causing the problem is to look at the crime demographics, especially when it comes to the breakdown by gender, sexual orientation, and religious affiliation. In the United States, a Jewish person is 25 times more likely to be a victim of a religious hate crime than a Catholic or any other Christian. A Muslim person - more than 3 times as likely.
Meanwhile, only 7% of Americans identify as non-Christians, and that includes Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist groups, while 66% identify as Christians. The remaining population is distributed between non-religiously affiliated (27%) and smaller groups (Hinduists, wiccans, etc.) So, the number of religious hate crimes directed against non-Christians of faith is disproportionate to the population.
I wonder what Bible are they reading and what Jesus are they following. Mind boggling that people continue to cherry-pick verses to explain their craziness.
Thank you for today’s post. I always appreciate your honest take but today resonated. As an AA female Christian I am anguished over white Christian’s not standing up more forcefully to push back against what is so blatantly non Jesus like, racist, sexist, etc behavior. White supremacy has taken hold of many in the Christian right. Was it always there in plain site? Either way, thank you for not putting it on the rest of us to call this out.
One way I'm going to fight back is simply by resisting.
I know people who are here "illegally", and I have no intention of ratting those people out. If push comes to shove, I'll give the names of some Republicans whom I'd really like to see transported to eastern Europe, preferably near the Ukraine/Russian battle lines!
I have absolutely NO intention of following the silly and vicious laws Republicans in our Indiana State Assembly are devising and enacting against people of color, trans people, LGBTs, etc.
I'm organizing a banned books library through my parish. Since we're not a school, and we don't have paid librarians, state laws on banned books don't apply to us.
I am not going to follow unjust and hateful laws and/or executive orders. If that causes some MAGA or some Christian Nationalist to break a nail or have a bad hair day -- tough s.!
Yes- and in particular we need Christian white straight men who are in evangelical/Pentecostal churches to stand up-
How do we convert a few of them? Let’s get real
Progressive mainline white church ministers are largely preaching to the choir. We have proclamations and provide actions to resist/reject White Nationalism-
We are also old- remnants from Civil Rights, anti-Vietnam, pro-ERA and abortion rights, AIDS response, domestic violence and rape responses, trans-friendly, etc…
Our mainstream churches are also old- crumbling buildings, shrinking budgets, under resourced leadership (clergy and lay etc
Formidable challenges demanding creativity and great-hearted approaches
Let’s not do as the Brits have done- prioritize keeping our buildings functional in the face of diminished congregants
Rather- let buildings thrive as community centers
How do we convert white Christians who are engaged w White Nationalism? Attend their churches and seminaries etc?
Let’s celebrate the conversation of the recently deceased Biblical scholar, Richard Hays, who recanted his antiLGBT stance before he died.
I was recently told by one of those evangelicals that my Lutheran peace living church was evil because it was led by a woman pastor. I was stunned. Our church h is always doing food drives amd clothing drives and helping the less fortunate but I guess that is now evil and ungodly
This says it all, doesn’t it? I do not consider myself a religious person, but rather, a spiritual one. My mother, however, was a very devout Catholic. She was selfless and compassionate and loving and kind. She attended church every Sunday, sent all 5 kids to catechism and always paid her tithe even when there was barely enough money for groceries. She also marched with the farmworkers in our community who were not given a living wage. I remember 2 priests who counseled her on her actions. One told her that, after having 5 children and burying a 6th, if she went on birth control she could no longer receive communion. Another, younger priest, marched with her on behalf of the farm workers.
My takeaway from these experiences is that religious leaders can support you when you want to do the right thing, or they can try to manipulate you to do the “correct” thing based on dogma, even if it is not the right thing for you. I think that evangelicals turned their backs on Christian values because they did, indeed, make a deal with the devil—they supported the rapist so he would pack the courts. Then, like Trump, they doubled down every time he did something criminal, immoral, or cruel. Apparently they forgot about forgiveness and redemption. They forgot how to be humble. They became the mob that screamed to free Barabas. Maybe emptying the pews and firing the leaders is the only way to set things right. Because when our leaders fail us, we need to find new ones. And until we find better ones, we need to walk without them.
Mom marched for civil rights, had friends of many races and faiths, and went to church every Sunday until she was too sick to go. And yeah, she used birth control, because she decided that keeping her family together was more important than displeasing her priest. She also received communion, because father Sullivan would not refuse her when she walked up to the altar and looked him in the eye. Standing up to Father Sullivan was the right thing to do. We need to demand more of our leaders, or stand up to them, like my mom did. Otherwise, we aren’t acting like sentient beings. We’re cattle. And we don’t deserve the blessings we have been given.
John. Brilliant and right on target as usual. You and James Talarico should team up and lead the charge against the blasphemy that is Christian Nationalism.
Great insights, always, but with this one you also bring in the sensitivity to the constant assault against non-white, non-Christian members of society. We are indeed all in this together, and your writing keeps this truth in the forefront. Thank you.
Good luck, my friends. This Greek-Jew atheist humanist academic genderqueer female would love to see white Christians (those who are not UCC or UUA or Quaker or a few of the Methodist or Episcopalian congregations) actually do some soul searching for once. But they are sitting fat and happy in their complacency. As always. Because the statement that Jesus supposedly made that there are only two real commandments, "Love god and love your neighbor but the most important is to LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR," is one of the ones the various churches since the 1st century CE have ignored the most.
If my Danish parents were still alive they would tell everyone that Hitler was able to dismantle democracy in 53 days! They were only 20 & 17 when the Nazis invaded Denmark: Dad joined the army & they both became part of the resistance that helped Danish Jews escape to Sweden. At 73, I still hope to see America rise up & also resist. Peace & Shalom
Thank you, John for putting into words what most people miss. You hit the proverbial nail on the head.
Christian Nationalism is a false shield. The people in this cult of Christianity are not true followers of Christ. They go against everything He espoused. They are just a political action group for the MAGA group of followers. That’s all they believe in.
Christian Nationalism is an out-and-out HERESY. It's a syncretism of God and country, and the two simply DO NOT MIX.
A "Trump Bible" containing the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution? WTF???
Well, Mark, DJT, et al, chose the King James Version (public domain, no royalties required) and since he’s making a political statement, he added our historical documents so he can wrap it and himself with our Flag. Most misleading.
Truly Mark, get ready for the grifter convention given right here in your own Congress!
They believe they are going to overpower you dear! Is that true? Will you let this seething power grabbing low class group of liars overpower you and us? They believe in nothing but blathering hate. Oh, poor poor people who are so sadly uneducated in every way follow this like poor hungry abused dogs on the side of the road. Jesus is sobbing in his distress.
A daunting task but something we must accomplish. I just don't know my family is maga some of us don't even talk anymore because of him but I will not fold. I tolerate them but I condemn their choice. Did you happen to see the movie Bad Faith, kind of tells it all.
I saw the movie Bad Faith. It's informative and worth watching, IMHO.
I agree. So many who claim to be religious are anything but. Anyone who believes in a kind, inclusive Jesus is reading the Bible correctly. I am shocked by the hypocrisy of the angry 'Christians ' .
Powerful call to repentance.
All you need to do to find out who is causing the problem is to look at the crime demographics, especially when it comes to the breakdown by gender, sexual orientation, and religious affiliation. In the United States, a Jewish person is 25 times more likely to be a victim of a religious hate crime than a Catholic or any other Christian. A Muslim person - more than 3 times as likely.
Meanwhile, only 7% of Americans identify as non-Christians, and that includes Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist groups, while 66% identify as Christians. The remaining population is distributed between non-religiously affiliated (27%) and smaller groups (Hinduists, wiccans, etc.) So, the number of religious hate crimes directed against non-Christians of faith is disproportionate to the population.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/737665/number-of-religious-hate-crime-victims-in-the-us-by-religion/
I wonder what Bible are they reading and what Jesus are they following. Mind boggling that people continue to cherry-pick verses to explain their craziness.
Thank you for today’s post. I always appreciate your honest take but today resonated. As an AA female Christian I am anguished over white Christian’s not standing up more forcefully to push back against what is so blatantly non Jesus like, racist, sexist, etc behavior. White supremacy has taken hold of many in the Christian right. Was it always there in plain site? Either way, thank you for not putting it on the rest of us to call this out.
One way I'm going to fight back is simply by resisting.
I know people who are here "illegally", and I have no intention of ratting those people out. If push comes to shove, I'll give the names of some Republicans whom I'd really like to see transported to eastern Europe, preferably near the Ukraine/Russian battle lines!
I have absolutely NO intention of following the silly and vicious laws Republicans in our Indiana State Assembly are devising and enacting against people of color, trans people, LGBTs, etc.
I'm organizing a banned books library through my parish. Since we're not a school, and we don't have paid librarians, state laws on banned books don't apply to us.
I am not going to follow unjust and hateful laws and/or executive orders. If that causes some MAGA or some Christian Nationalist to break a nail or have a bad hair day -- tough s.!
Yes- and in particular we need Christian white straight men who are in evangelical/Pentecostal churches to stand up-
How do we convert a few of them? Let’s get real
Progressive mainline white church ministers are largely preaching to the choir. We have proclamations and provide actions to resist/reject White Nationalism-
We are also old- remnants from Civil Rights, anti-Vietnam, pro-ERA and abortion rights, AIDS response, domestic violence and rape responses, trans-friendly, etc…
Our mainstream churches are also old- crumbling buildings, shrinking budgets, under resourced leadership (clergy and lay etc
Formidable challenges demanding creativity and great-hearted approaches
Let’s not do as the Brits have done- prioritize keeping our buildings functional in the face of diminished congregants
Rather- let buildings thrive as community centers
How do we convert white Christians who are engaged w White Nationalism? Attend their churches and seminaries etc?
Let’s celebrate the conversation of the recently deceased Biblical scholar, Richard Hays, who recanted his antiLGBT stance before he died.
Other strategies welcome
I was recently told by one of those evangelicals that my Lutheran peace living church was evil because it was led by a woman pastor. I was stunned. Our church h is always doing food drives amd clothing drives and helping the less fortunate but I guess that is now evil and ungodly
Ignore them. Godliness of people or groups is never determined by the mob. Follow Him and don’t worry about the opinions of mudslingers.
This says it all, doesn’t it? I do not consider myself a religious person, but rather, a spiritual one. My mother, however, was a very devout Catholic. She was selfless and compassionate and loving and kind. She attended church every Sunday, sent all 5 kids to catechism and always paid her tithe even when there was barely enough money for groceries. She also marched with the farmworkers in our community who were not given a living wage. I remember 2 priests who counseled her on her actions. One told her that, after having 5 children and burying a 6th, if she went on birth control she could no longer receive communion. Another, younger priest, marched with her on behalf of the farm workers.
My takeaway from these experiences is that religious leaders can support you when you want to do the right thing, or they can try to manipulate you to do the “correct” thing based on dogma, even if it is not the right thing for you. I think that evangelicals turned their backs on Christian values because they did, indeed, make a deal with the devil—they supported the rapist so he would pack the courts. Then, like Trump, they doubled down every time he did something criminal, immoral, or cruel. Apparently they forgot about forgiveness and redemption. They forgot how to be humble. They became the mob that screamed to free Barabas. Maybe emptying the pews and firing the leaders is the only way to set things right. Because when our leaders fail us, we need to find new ones. And until we find better ones, we need to walk without them.
Mom marched for civil rights, had friends of many races and faiths, and went to church every Sunday until she was too sick to go. And yeah, she used birth control, because she decided that keeping her family together was more important than displeasing her priest. She also received communion, because father Sullivan would not refuse her when she walked up to the altar and looked him in the eye. Standing up to Father Sullivan was the right thing to do. We need to demand more of our leaders, or stand up to them, like my mom did. Otherwise, we aren’t acting like sentient beings. We’re cattle. And we don’t deserve the blessings we have been given.
Now, when anyone asks me, “Are you a Christian?” I response, “l am a follower of Jesus.” Nationalism goes out the window.