September 27, 2024
In my sermon last week, I mentioned some parallels between the way the disciples behaved when acting from a place of fear after they learned Jesus would be killed by the Roman Empire, and the resurgence of white Christian nationalism today. I said that when we boil it down, white Christian nationalism, which is the belief that the United States should be a Christian-only nation and twists passages from Scripture to justify malevolence toward people of color, is also a result of people acting from a place of fear. Fear of "the other", fear of things they don't understand, fear that they might lose some power or prestige they feel they have now.
In the disciples case, arguing about who among them was the greatest meant that someone else must be the least. Maybe they thought the greatest among them would be protected from the dangers they worried about, and Rome would focus on "the least" as an easier target. The disciples’ response to fear was to create division between one another. To create an “us” and “them”. This is the way white Christian nationalism behaves as well, and it is once again on the rise in our communities.
There’s a reason Jesus tells us throughout the Gospels not to go down the path of fear. When we act from a place of fear, whether that fear is valid or not, it very often causes harm to God’s people. When we grow spiritually mature enough to recognize fear, but learn not to act from that place and instead act from a place of love and connection, we are living into the Kingdom of God.
What we, as followers of Jesus, can to do stand against white Christian nationalism a long and involved conversation. It's one I hope we might have carefully and with grace over the next few months. For now, many of you asked where you might learn more. I've gathered up a few sources that may be helpful from a Christian lens and you can find them here and here and here . Here is the article shared by Doug Rude, that I referenced in my sermon. Here is a video of Presiding Bishop Michael Currydiscussing what the Episcopal Church has to say about this issue.
My prayer for us this week, and always, is to learn to recognize our own fears and come to understand that if it's about fear, it's not about God. My prayer is that we - in our families, local communities, and nationally - might come to learn to speak and act from a God-shaped place. From a place of love, as Jesus taught. God's people are counting on us.