Well, if we can openly endorse, then we can criticize. Of course, that will be the real test. DJT and enablers like to dish it out, but can they take it?
As a pastor, I will continue to encourage Christ followers to be doers of the Word:
"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." (Ephesians 5:11)
As my grandfather used to preach "You got what you wanted but lost what you had."
Some of us are going to continue to call out all that Christian nationalism nonsense and idolatry.
Thank you Jemar . This ruling saddens me. I remember Jerry Falwell saying he was going to ware down the IRS at the beginning of the moral majority ( white Christian nationalist movement)
Thank you Jemar. A brilliant analysis. And important for believers and pastors to know who are concerned with our nation’s trajectory on religious freedom and so many fronts.
Our school board has been taken over by one church espousing an ideology from the pulpit electing two seats and proud of it. They claim to be saving the soul of our wayward city. We now are dealing with policies that they claim are neutral, but in reality silence the voices and rights of students of color and LGBTQIA+ students (book bans, no flags, forced outing, etc.). I am part of a group of pastors in my community that spoke up writing an open letter to the School Board and representatives met with the Superintendent and Board President to offer an alternative view of "Christianity" where all students deserve a safe and open learning environment for we are to be known by our inclusive and generous love. Tragic what is happening just as our national suicide hotline has been eliminated. Thankful for a community that is speaking up and out. "When ever you did it to the least of these, you did it to me."
I will always remember when I experienced the opposite of an endorsement. The "Moral Majority" was rising, and people were giving out "voter's guides" in the church parking lot after services. The pastor said one Sunday, that the only thing he would or could say from the pulpit was for the people to pray and remember "God is not necessarily a Republican".
This new IRS policy will be damaging to the Church and will push even MORE young people away from God. The Church — capital C — needs to refrain from endorsing candidates. If newspaper editorial departments like the Washington Post aren’t endorsing candidates any more, why should the Church? Sadly, the Church appears to have lost its way and TRUE purpose. I don’t recall Jesus’ teaching on endorsing candidates. As Dr. Tisby said, the Church has a choice — to adopt this new policy or not. Make the RIGHT choice for the future of the Church. The relevancy of the Church is on the line.
So I asked ChatGPT to rewrite The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus (1883) by looking at the immigration policies of the current administration and giving the poem a darker tone and opposite meaning. Here’s what it gave me after a few prompts and tweaks.
Well, if we can openly endorse, then we can criticize. Of course, that will be the real test. DJT and enablers like to dish it out, but can they take it?
As a pastor, I will continue to encourage Christ followers to be doers of the Word:
"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." (Ephesians 5:11)
As my grandfather used to preach "You got what you wanted but lost what you had."
Some of us are going to continue to call out all that Christian nationalism nonsense and idolatry.
I think that’s a faithful and wise stance. Thanks for sharing that Bible passage. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
As a follower of Jesus Christ, I cannot express this in a big enough font.
no. NO. NO!!!!!!
Same.
Thank you Jemar . This ruling saddens me. I remember Jerry Falwell saying he was going to ware down the IRS at the beginning of the moral majority ( white Christian nationalist movement)
That’s a great historical reference. A reminder this ruling has been decades in the making.
Thank you Jemar. A brilliant analysis. And important for believers and pastors to know who are concerned with our nation’s trajectory on religious freedom and so many fronts.
Appreciate it. Pass it along to a pastor or church leader!
Our school board has been taken over by one church espousing an ideology from the pulpit electing two seats and proud of it. They claim to be saving the soul of our wayward city. We now are dealing with policies that they claim are neutral, but in reality silence the voices and rights of students of color and LGBTQIA+ students (book bans, no flags, forced outing, etc.). I am part of a group of pastors in my community that spoke up writing an open letter to the School Board and representatives met with the Superintendent and Board President to offer an alternative view of "Christianity" where all students deserve a safe and open learning environment for we are to be known by our inclusive and generous love. Tragic what is happening just as our national suicide hotline has been eliminated. Thankful for a community that is speaking up and out. "When ever you did it to the least of these, you did it to me."
Thank you, as always, for this analysis.
I will always remember when I experienced the opposite of an endorsement. The "Moral Majority" was rising, and people were giving out "voter's guides" in the church parking lot after services. The pastor said one Sunday, that the only thing he would or could say from the pulpit was for the people to pray and remember "God is not necessarily a Republican".
Interesting….that’s a potentially bold statement (self-evident as it may be).
Your last line.
So powerful.
Thanks for your clarity.
Thanks for reading! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
This new IRS policy will be damaging to the Church and will push even MORE young people away from God. The Church — capital C — needs to refrain from endorsing candidates. If newspaper editorial departments like the Washington Post aren’t endorsing candidates any more, why should the Church? Sadly, the Church appears to have lost its way and TRUE purpose. I don’t recall Jesus’ teaching on endorsing candidates. As Dr. Tisby said, the Church has a choice — to adopt this new policy or not. Make the RIGHT choice for the future of the Church. The relevancy of the Church is on the line.
Absolutely. That quote from MLK nails it, too.
So I asked ChatGPT to rewrite The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus (1883) by looking at the immigration policies of the current administration and giving the poem a darker tone and opposite meaning. Here’s what it gave me after a few prompts and tweaks.
The New Fortress
“Keep out your tired, your poor,” I say,
“Your huddled masses — turn the other way.”
The teeming refuse of your teetering shore,
We seize, detain, deport — and bar once more.
Send not the homeless, tempest-tossed to me—
I raise a fist beside the iron sea.”
“Keep out your tired, your poor,” I say,
“Your huddled masses — turn away.
No room for wretches at my shore,
We built this land, we close the door.”
Send not the homeless, tempest-tossed to me—
I raise a gun beside the iron sea.”
“Keep out your tired, your poor,” I snarl,
“Let hunger hush them, let deserts char.
Let vultures circle where they fall—
This land is mine, it owes none at all.
Send not the homeless, tempest-tossed to me—
I build their graves beside the iron sea.”
“Keep out your tired, your poor,” I lied,
Then turned my gaze to those inside.
Your papers burned, your birth erased,
No flag will shield the once-embraced.
I cast you out to foreign sand—
Strangers now, in no man’s land.”
We stood and cheered, then watched it turn—
The fire we fed began to burn.
They came for others—then for me.
No trial. No warning. No mercy.
We begged, but found no listening ear—
Just silence wrapped in border gear.
Oh God—if You still walk the land,
If You recall the outcast hand,
If You were ever what we swore—
A shelter, not a slamming door—
Then hear us now, beneath this sky—
We have no country. We only cry.
But still—if one hand lights a flame,
If one voice dares to speak a name,
Then let that spark defy the dark,
Let mercy be the rebel mark.
We build again—not walls, but trust—
From ash, from loss, from scorched earth dust.
God Replies “I gave you hands to build, not bars.
A voice to lift, not curse the stars.
You raised your flag above the meek—
And called it strength to crush the weak.
But I am not the god of pride—
I’m at the border, on the other side.”
“Return,” I say, “you rebel kin.
Turn back from wrath, confess your sin.
The walls you built were never Mine—
They mock My law, they blur My line.
You seek My name with fists and flame—
But I have never blessed your shame.”
This is jarring and sickening. Thank you for such a creative and heartbreaking approach to our reality.
The pressure on pastors from congregants to endorse MAGA candidates is going to be even more intense now.