It's sadly fascinating to see reality erupt—again!—after a brief respite of love and appreciation for our siblings in the BIPOC communities. And as we've seen from history, in nearly every advance of human rights in the United States the blowback has been ferocious. After the enactment of the Civil Rights Amendments in the 1860s we saw the creation and evangelization of Jim Crow in the South reaching across America through the resurrected Ku Klux Klan. After the enormous changes of the 1950s and 1960s and the Civil Rights Acts and Voting Rights Acts we saw the blowback of the Democrats losing Congress in 1966 and the election of Nixon and then Reagan. After the historic election of our first Black president we saw the eruption of those who elected a president to destroy his every accomplishment and then in the next election started an insurrection at the nation's Capitol to destroy the process of carrying out a valid election.
And after the Black Lives Matter movement and the Me Too movement we have again the blowback of the Christian white nationalists who are affronted by the idea—and the theological truths—that we are all equal and worthy of dignity, grace, acceptance and love in a leveled playing field where those who have been disadvantaged are given equality *and* equity.
History doesn't repeat itself, of course. Not every advance is fully met with revanchment. And some of the changes inspired by the masses protesting their unequal treatment have made a foothold in business, law, and even the church.
But what we have to grapple with in our push for changes is the reality that people as people are very difficult to teach, inspire, lead, or grow. Those who are our leaders in politics and religion and law and education must have that grounded belief that their efforts, while good, can't be assumed to "work" until there is a moment of crisis that reveals character.
I feel bad for the pastors who thought that their churches and their Bible studies and their small groups were changing their attendees. The election of 2020 showed that the in-depth Greek word studies and the six week sermon series and the music and the genial agreement of their congregations was a commitment to discipleship and love that was as deep as a stripe of paint.
Sometimes I lie awake at night with troubling questions about what I believe. Is it true? Does God really exist? Do we who believe in Jesus simply follow a made-up religion? My questions stem not from "errors in the Bible" or issues of the contradiction between certain Biblical stories and scientific observations.
My questions stem from the understanding of church history throughout the ages, focusing on the United States, that has had such a rich tradition of teaching and cultural influence from the Christian churches and yet has been the birthplace of near-uneradicable racism towards the BIPOC communities.
How is it that this Gospel of Truth and Liberation is so powerless against the American sin of racism? The words I was taught in my earliest years about the gospel being the power of God to salvation seem nearly impossible to believe when I see the people who have shared this gospel with me descend into the madness of Christian nationalism. That "gospel" seems to have had but one end in mind: the creation of a white ethnostate where only "one true religion" is allowed.
Where did we lose our way, and what do we need to do to gain our way back to a religion that is both true *and* lovely, grace-filled *and* transformative, comforting *and* demanding in the ways that Jesus not only showed us but told us were the marks of a gospel encounter with him?
I still believe in the power of God to salvation through the words of Jesus and the works of Holy Spirit under the grace of the Creator. And I'm still going to believe that change is gonna come. Yes it will.
We must simply continue to sow and water seeds in hope of harvest, giving to God the work to grow the true crop of love and grace.
Thanks for a very thoughtful essay. You always spark both my imagination about and my willingness to continue in the work.
Dear Jemar, Christian Nationalism is dangerous. I thank you for being on the front lines of it. I would love to be. I am a white woman 74 years old. I have been writing about looking back on my life. In my reflections I see how I knew I should speak against the debauchery that was so cleverly subtle in deceiving as it happened. But since I did not, I would love to be able to speak up with a clear voice now. If I may be so bold as to ask you if I could share a few lines of what I wrote to be an encouragement to you. In doing so, I would feel that my voice can at least speak out against this diabolic heresy of Christian Nationalism. Sandra Taylor, Huntsville, AL
Jemar, thank you for your work in this space. I'm a 1994 graduate of the Roberston School of Government and have been in communications with some of my former professors and Dean Bachmann about the school's embrace of Christian nationalism. You can only imagine the level of dis-truth I've gotten.
Just watched this -- I learned so much that will help me be a better communicator about the issue. I just ordered the four books mentioned and look forward to reading them.
This post gives some light to the timing of another by Diana Butler Bass on The Cottage. I appreciate the mentioning of Reawaken America here. Many of those events happened earlier this spring (Easter) and I had tried (unsuccessfully) to get tickets to the one in my area that was attended by 3-4 thousand people just to hear and see for myself. Thank you Rev. Butler for your input on this. May you all walk in beauty.
It's sadly fascinating to see reality erupt—again!—after a brief respite of love and appreciation for our siblings in the BIPOC communities. And as we've seen from history, in nearly every advance of human rights in the United States the blowback has been ferocious. After the enactment of the Civil Rights Amendments in the 1860s we saw the creation and evangelization of Jim Crow in the South reaching across America through the resurrected Ku Klux Klan. After the enormous changes of the 1950s and 1960s and the Civil Rights Acts and Voting Rights Acts we saw the blowback of the Democrats losing Congress in 1966 and the election of Nixon and then Reagan. After the historic election of our first Black president we saw the eruption of those who elected a president to destroy his every accomplishment and then in the next election started an insurrection at the nation's Capitol to destroy the process of carrying out a valid election.
And after the Black Lives Matter movement and the Me Too movement we have again the blowback of the Christian white nationalists who are affronted by the idea—and the theological truths—that we are all equal and worthy of dignity, grace, acceptance and love in a leveled playing field where those who have been disadvantaged are given equality *and* equity.
History doesn't repeat itself, of course. Not every advance is fully met with revanchment. And some of the changes inspired by the masses protesting their unequal treatment have made a foothold in business, law, and even the church.
But what we have to grapple with in our push for changes is the reality that people as people are very difficult to teach, inspire, lead, or grow. Those who are our leaders in politics and religion and law and education must have that grounded belief that their efforts, while good, can't be assumed to "work" until there is a moment of crisis that reveals character.
I feel bad for the pastors who thought that their churches and their Bible studies and their small groups were changing their attendees. The election of 2020 showed that the in-depth Greek word studies and the six week sermon series and the music and the genial agreement of their congregations was a commitment to discipleship and love that was as deep as a stripe of paint.
Sometimes I lie awake at night with troubling questions about what I believe. Is it true? Does God really exist? Do we who believe in Jesus simply follow a made-up religion? My questions stem not from "errors in the Bible" or issues of the contradiction between certain Biblical stories and scientific observations.
My questions stem from the understanding of church history throughout the ages, focusing on the United States, that has had such a rich tradition of teaching and cultural influence from the Christian churches and yet has been the birthplace of near-uneradicable racism towards the BIPOC communities.
How is it that this Gospel of Truth and Liberation is so powerless against the American sin of racism? The words I was taught in my earliest years about the gospel being the power of God to salvation seem nearly impossible to believe when I see the people who have shared this gospel with me descend into the madness of Christian nationalism. That "gospel" seems to have had but one end in mind: the creation of a white ethnostate where only "one true religion" is allowed.
Where did we lose our way, and what do we need to do to gain our way back to a religion that is both true *and* lovely, grace-filled *and* transformative, comforting *and* demanding in the ways that Jesus not only showed us but told us were the marks of a gospel encounter with him?
I still believe in the power of God to salvation through the words of Jesus and the works of Holy Spirit under the grace of the Creator. And I'm still going to believe that change is gonna come. Yes it will.
We must simply continue to sow and water seeds in hope of harvest, giving to God the work to grow the true crop of love and grace.
Thanks for a very thoughtful essay. You always spark both my imagination about and my willingness to continue in the work.
Dear Jemar, Christian Nationalism is dangerous. I thank you for being on the front lines of it. I would love to be. I am a white woman 74 years old. I have been writing about looking back on my life. In my reflections I see how I knew I should speak against the debauchery that was so cleverly subtle in deceiving as it happened. But since I did not, I would love to be able to speak up with a clear voice now. If I may be so bold as to ask you if I could share a few lines of what I wrote to be an encouragement to you. In doing so, I would feel that my voice can at least speak out against this diabolic heresy of Christian Nationalism. Sandra Taylor, Huntsville, AL
5 or 6 generations of networks!
May it be God's Will that this perversion dissolves. Thank you Dr. Jemar.
Jemar, thank you for your work in this space. I'm a 1994 graduate of the Roberston School of Government and have been in communications with some of my former professors and Dean Bachmann about the school's embrace of Christian nationalism. You can only imagine the level of dis-truth I've gotten.
Just watched this -- I learned so much that will help me be a better communicator about the issue. I just ordered the four books mentioned and look forward to reading them.
This post gives some light to the timing of another by Diana Butler Bass on The Cottage. I appreciate the mentioning of Reawaken America here. Many of those events happened earlier this spring (Easter) and I had tried (unsuccessfully) to get tickets to the one in my area that was attended by 3-4 thousand people just to hear and see for myself. Thank you Rev. Butler for your input on this. May you all walk in beauty.