According to the Bible, the events of (what we now call) Holy Week feature powerful religious and political leaders conspiring to stop Jesus and put an end to his popular religious movement. He was too disrespectful of ethnic and temple traditions, his critics said, and in danger of offending Roman authorities. Either of these, it was feared, could unleash legions of soldiers upon the small, rather helpless communities of Jewish people.
So, they plotted against Jesus. They arrested him, tried him, and crucified him. All as a way of saying, “No, we are not going to tolerate this out-of-control political and religious movement.” The triumphal entry on the first day of the week ended in the crucifixion and burial on the sixth day of the week. They said No to the Christians.
It did not work.
What did not work was their effort to say “No” to Jesus and his first century followers, later to be known as Christians. Which makes me reluctant to call for a similar effort to stop a movement of citizens who have taken the word “Christian” for their own identity.
It may not work.
To the adjective “Christian,” they add the descriptive noun “Nationalist.” By which they mean citizens determined to stamp out ideas and activities that disrupt their vision of what it means to be American. Which is, primarily, white, conservative, and Christian.
What have they done?
They have put up barriers to immigrants and refugees, stamped out lesson plans that teach the history of minority groups, and shouted down strategies that connect the United States with international organizations working for the common good.
These Christian Nationalists have presented themselves as the persecuted minority, demanding they be given all the rights and privileges they want. Among these are discriminating against real minority groups (gays, in particular), pushing their values upon the rest of the population (as related to contraception, pregnancy and privacy, for instance), and, most recently, demonizing a hither-to-fore ignored segment of people because, well, they can (and here I refer to the trans community).
These are the “Christians” to whom we must say, “No!”
On the one hand, they are pleading their woe-is-us case before the suddenly friendly Supreme Court, and, on the other hand, they are arming themselves with assault rifles, lifting all restrictions of the purchase and transportation of guns, and organizing themselves into militias preparing for the overthrow of any government entity that does not buy into their vision of Christian America.
You think I am exaggerating?
Do you recall how Donald J. Trump rode this rhetoric all the way to the White House? Do you remember the armed mob that stormed the capital building in Washington DC? Are you watching as they seek to unseat three elected representatives (two black and one female!) in the Tennessee state legislature for demonstrating publicly for gun control legislation?
Every week, every month, every year these Christian Nationalists pull off some stunning act that leaves the rest of us in disbelief. Think about the state effort in Florida to demonize and dominate Disney.
Did I mention their Dominion Theology?
They find it summarized in the first book of the Hebrew Bible, where the old King James Version reads: So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.’
They take this command to “have dominion” to mean that they—the Christian Nationalists—are to control what they call “the seven mountains of cultural influence.” Here are the seven: Family, Business, Education, Government, Media, Entertainment, and Religion.
To these Christian Nationalists, we must say No!
We must say No to Christian Nationalism and Yes to democracy. We must say No to Christian Nationalism and Yes to religious freedom. We must say No to Christian Nationalism and Yes to defending minorities (religious, cultural, sexual, and racial minorities). We must say No to Christian Nationalism and Yes to compassion, generosity, and hospitality. We must say No to Christian Nationalism and Yes to equality, inclusion, and diversity. We must say No to Christian Nationalism and Yes to kindness, courage, and truth.
We must say No to Christian Nationalism and Yes to Jesus. The Jesus that told his followers to put away their weapons and trust the purposes and power of God. The Jesus that was killed as a felon on Friday and was raised as a savior on Sunday.
It may not work, but we must try. In the name of Jesus.
According to the Bible, the events of (what we now call) Holy Week feature powerful religious and political leaders conspiring to stop Jesus and put an end to his popular religious movement. He was too disrespectful of ethnic and temple traditions, his critics said, and in danger of offending Roman authorities. Either of these, it was feared, could unleash legions of soldiers upon the small, rather helpless communities of Jewish people.
So, they plotted against Jesus. They arrested him, tried him, and crucified him. All as a way of saying, “No, we are not going to tolerate this out-of-control political and religious movement.” The triumphal entry on the first day of the week ended in the crucifixion and burial on the sixth day of the week. They said No to the Christians.
It did not work.
What did not work was their effort to say “No” to Jesus and his first century followers, later to be known as Christians. Which makes me reluctant to call for a similar effort to stop a movement of citizens who have taken the word “Christian” for their own identity.
It may not work.
To the adjective “Christian,” they add the descriptive noun “Nationalist.” By which they mean citizens determined to stamp out ideas and activities that disrupt their vision of what it means to be American. Which is, primarily, white, conservative, and Christian.
What have they done?
They have put up barriers to immigrants and refugees, stamped out lesson plans that teach the history of minority groups, and shouted down strategies that connect the United States with international organizations working for the common good.
These Christian Nationalists have presented themselves as the persecuted minority, demanding they be given all the rights and privileges they want. Among these are discriminating against real minority groups (gays, in particular), pushing their values upon the rest of the population (as related to contraception, pregnancy and privacy, for instance), and, most recently, demonizing a hither-to-fore ignored segment of people because, well, they can (and here I refer to the trans community).
These are the “Christians” to whom we must say, “No!”
On the one hand, they are pleading their woe-is-us case before the suddenly friendly Supreme Court, and, on the other hand, they are arming themselves with assault rifles, lifting all restrictions of the purchase and transportation of guns, and organizing themselves into militias preparing for the overthrow of any government entity that does not buy into their vision of Christian America.
You think I am exaggerating?
Do you recall how Donald J. Trump rode this rhetoric all the way to the White House? Do you remember the armed mob that stormed the capital building in Washington DC? Are you watching as they seek to unseat three elected representatives (two black and one female!) in the Tennessee state legislature for demonstrating publicly for gun control legislation?
Every week, every month, every year these Christian Nationalists pull off some stunning act that leaves the rest of us in disbelief. Think about the state effort in Florida to demonize and dominate Disney.
Did I mention their Dominion Theology?
They find it summarized in the first book of the Hebrew Bible, where the old King James Version reads: So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.’
They take this command to “have dominion” to mean that they—the Christian Nationalists—are to control what they call “the seven mountains of cultural influence.” Here are the seven: Family, Business, Education, Government, Media, Entertainment, and Religion.
To these Christian Nationalists, we must say No!
We must say No to Christian Nationalism and Yes to democracy. We must say No to Christian Nationalism and Yes to religious freedom. We must say No to Christian Nationalism and Yes to defending minorities (religious, cultural, sexual, and racial minorities). We must say No to Christian Nationalism and Yes to compassion, generosity, and hospitality. We must say No to Christian Nationalism and Yes to equality, inclusion, and diversity. We must say No to Christian Nationalism and Yes to kindness, courage, and truth.
We must say No to Christian Nationalism and Yes to Jesus. The Jesus that told his followers to put away their weapons and trust the purposes and power of God. The Jesus that was killed as a felon on Friday and was raised as a savior on Sunday.
It may not work, but we must try. In the name of Jesus.
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