08-10-23

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 10, 2023
Among the many things we discussed at the General Assembly was Christian Nationalism, sometimes referred to as White Christian Nationalism. Now, none of those words are necessarily bad by themselves, but Christian Nationalism is a very specific ideology that really has nothing to do with religion in general or Christianity specifically. It is a fear-based response to change. We’ve seen this same storyline play itself out many many times throughout human history, and because the underlying hatefulness is so pronounced, religious rhetoric is used in hopes of providing cover and making those who feel insecure a bit more comfortable joining a bigoted movement. Sadly, Christian Nationalism has filtered into a high percentage of churches in the United States. This is why we, inside the church, need to be very clear about who we are and what we are not. Some people are dismissing Christian Nationalism, suggesting that only a few fringe people buy into the nonsense. I wish it were so, but it is not. I would suggest the capacity of such an outlandish ideology to filter into the church happens because a majority of Christians do not have the necessary tools to speak against it. They know the basics of Christianity, but when someone takes the Bible completely out of context while making it sound very holy and high-minded, I hear quite often, "I didn’t know how to respond. I don’t know the Bible well enough." I’m not suggesting we all need to be PhD Bible Scholars, but we should all be striving to have a sound Christian theology (not all needing to agree) rooted in scripture, tradition, and our own experiences of the faith.

Wherever I can better equip myself with the Good News of your unconditional and limitless love, O God, I pray for diligence in this endeavor. There will always be more to learn and discover, yet we need to be able to offer a strong witness to our most core convictions. Amen.