Monthly Archives: January 2021

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Calling out white Christian nationalism

I, like most of you, have been deeply shaken this week. I have spent the past couple days processing what my role is right now – first as a Christian, second as an American.

For today, I believe it’s necessary to speak out against the growing influence of white Christian nationalism. We saw the devastating consequences of that influence on Wednesday. I can’t get out of my mind the images of a mob carrying crosses and Christian banners alongside Confederate and Trump flags, as others in the crowd erected a gallows and stormed the Capitol.  

Many Christians are being led down an increasingly radical path by blind political loyalties. White Christian nationalism is influencing so many who have no idea what they’re dabbling in. It is dangerous, and it is antithetical to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I can’t say it any clearer than that.

Christian friends, I beg you: Recognize what is happening. Do not allow yourself to be led any further down this path. This isn’t about liberals versus conservatives. So much of what we’re now hearing on the right is in direct contrast to traditionally conservative political values. We are called to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves. What I have seen growing amongst friends and neighbors – people I truly care about – is neither.  

Misinformation has been weaponized. For many, the basic understanding of reality itself is threatened. This is how radicalization works. It convinces you not to trust objective sources and leads you to rely on partisan information to the exclusion of all else. Social media algorithms steer you toward increasingly more extreme ideas, and in turn influence others in your circles. More and more people are unmoored from a factual foundation. Confidence in institutions and expertise is at an all-time low, so we distrust official information. We “do our own research,” which often means we believe whatever validates our preferences. Unprincipled leaders are free to take full advantage, and spineless ones go along. In response, social media platforms and other organizations scramble to address rampant misinformation in ways that raise serious questions about free speech.

I don’t believe it’s an exaggeration to say that (not for the first time) our republic is teetering on a precipice. We are each responsible for our role in what happens now.

But even more importantly, Christians are responsible for what happens to our witness. We are not each other’s enemies. We are fellow followers of God. A faithful walk with Him will result in unity through a higher calling. Who are we really following: Christ, or others using His name?

I’ll keep wrestling on my knees with what my role is in these very strange days. Perhaps this is the time we’ve been waiting for. May we each be found faithful.

P.S. If your first instinct is to comment “but Black Lives Matter” or “but election fraud,” please don’t. I value respectful dialog, but constructive conversation does not appear to be possible around that kind of false equivalency or misinformation. If you’re not willing to reevaluate your positions and loyalties in light of this week’s events, we’re probably not going to get anywhere here.

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About Yesterday

There is a lot that could be said right now. There is a lot being said. I am hesitant to jump into the fray, because our first reactions are rarely our best. I process through writing, so it’s with humility that I share what’s on my mind right now.

My heart aches for my country. I think most of us feel that way. Political divisions have deepened into a chasm. Political extremism, now propagated from the highest office in the land, has pushed us to the brink.

How do we move forward? Sure, we have a change in national leadership coming in two weeks, but we all know that doesn’t magically fix what’s clearly broken. Is there even common ground to be found any more?

I believe there is. I see a common thread that weaves its way through so much anger and fear.

We are all feeling, deep in our guts, that our government institutions are no longer serving the interests of the people.

That’s it. That’s the common thread.

We know it’s true. We sense with mounting and sometimes explosive frustration the ways in which our systems are failing us. We see those failures costing lives and livelihoods. Some of us have experienced this through generations of oppression. Others of us have felt it more in recent years. But instead of recognizing this common experience and working together to build better, fairer institutions that will more directly serve all our interests, we have allowed ourselves to be misinformed and manipulated. We have turned our anger on our fellow citizens. We have put our faith – and I use that word intentionally, as much of what has developed is cultish idolatry – in political figures. We have forgotten that it is we the people who bear the responsibility and the power to steer this enormous, complicated, unwieldy ship.

Taking back that responsibility doesn’t look like a deadly hissy fit that attempts to derail democracy when your guy loses. It looks like rolling up our sleeves and doing the hard work of learning and understanding. (Why does it feel like citizen voices are not heard by those in power? What’s actually driving policy right now? What would it take to make real change?) We must make a deliberate decision to reject divisive messaging that turns us against each other. We must choose to hear stories that make us uncomfortable, to listen to experiences that don’t mirror our own.

I’m going to repeat something I’ve said often: sources of information matter. SOURCES OF INFORMATION MATTER.

We saw yesterday the terrifying consequences of misinformation. Pulling our republic back from the brink will take a conscious decision to trust sources of information with a professional obligation to objectivity and nonpartisan understanding.  The alternative is to allow the self-interest of those in power to manipulate not just our opinions but our understanding of reality itself.

Democracy has always rested on access to factual information. The American Revolution developed when a people had the ability to collectively follow events as they unfolded and openly discuss and debate ideas. It was this free flow of information that enabled self-governance. Our founders understood this when they enshrined both free speech and a free press in the first amendment to our Constitution.

I have heard friends suggest that dictators start by disarming citizens. Disarming may happen, but another step always comes first. Every tyrant who has ever successfully suppressed a people has used the control of information as a first and primary weapon. That often looks like shutting down or discrediting objective sources of information, convincing the public they can only trust sources that validate a certain perspective. It also looks like flooding information channels to sow confusion. (“In all this noise, who knows what’s true? I’ll just trust people I like to tell me what to believe.”) Unprincipled leaders weaponize information to whip up rage and resentment and direct it at political rivals and other groups of citizens.

Misinformation otherizes. It dehumanizes. It divides. It weakens. It manipulates. It benefits only those with the power to control it.

We must choose better. Knowing the truth and understanding the underlying challenges that threaten our nation takes real work. It takes discomfort. It takes a willingness to set aside our anger, however justified, and to admit our mistakes and learn. It takes empathy and patience. It takes a determination to participate in the democratic process. It takes a will to act with thoughtful purpose, not just for ourselves but for all those around us. It’s slow and unglamorous work.

I don’t know whether our collective society has the capacity for that work. I think that remains to be seen in the coming weeks and months. Will we see yesterday for the dire warning it is and correct course, or will we continue down the path that led us here? The answer lies with each of us, and the choices we make today and every day after.