It's spewing hate in 'the name of Jesus'

[aubiefifty 16,778]

Ahrens: Christian nationalism isn't Christianity. It's spewing hate in 'the name of Jesus'

Tim Ahrens

5-7 minutes

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Tim Ahrens is the senior minister at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Downtown Columbus.

 

Supporters of then-President Donald Trump pray outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, DC.

 

A growing number of people have lost track of Christian faith and values and replaced them with a devastatingly corrupt and disturbed idea: Christian nationalism.

Let’s look more closely.

In the name of patriotism, a frightening movement of Christian nationalists has gained strength and now big money is behind them. Michael Flynn, Franklin Graham, Tony Perkins and others have taken their show on the road with right-wing politicians claiming their view of Christian faith combined with their views of American politics are the right and only view.

Keeping the faith: Without truly representative democracy, all communities are less safe

Let’s be clear. Patriotism is the love of country.

Patriotism is good because all of God’s creation is good and patriotism helps us appreciate our particular place in it.

Our affection and loyalty to a specific part of God’s creation helps us do the good work of cultivating and improving the part we happen to live in. As people of faith, we can and should love the United States — which also means working to improve our country by holding it up for critique and fighting for justice when it errs.

More:Marjorie Taylor Greene, other conservatives lean into Christian nationalism. What is it?

More:Opinion: 'Religious freedom' should not justify intolerance

Nationalism is not patriotism.

Nationalism is very different. Nationalism is an argument about how to define our country. In an article in the evangelical magazine, Christianity Today, Paul Miller defines nationalism as grounded in the belief that humanity "is divisible into mutually distinct, internally coherent cultural groups which are defined by shared traits like language, religion, ethnicity, or culture.”

Nationalists believe that these groups should each have their own governments; that governments should promote and protect their nation’s cultural identity and that sovereign national groups provide meaning and purpose for human beings.

More:How to submit guest opinion columns to the Columbus Dispatch

Christian nationalism assert that America is and must always remain a “Christian nation.” This is not merely their observation about American history. They present this as a prescriptive program for what America must continue to be in the future.

Scholars like Samuel Huntington have argued that America is defined by its “Anglo Protestant” past and that we will lose our identity and our freedom if we do not preserve our cultural inheritance.

More:Michael Flynn is wrong. Christians shouldn't mandate one religion for everyone in America.

Christian nationalists falsely teach that there is no separation of church and state — and that conservative Christians should seize complete power by any means necessary.

 

"I am being attacked by the godless left because I said I’m a proud Christian Nationalist," Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wrote on Twitter on July 25. "The left has shown us exactly who they are. They hate America, they hate God, and they hate us."

 

Let’s be clear, Christian nationalism is not Christianity.

Recently, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry said, "If you look at the complex of white Christian nationalism as an ideology and you lay it alongside Jesus of Nazareth, we are not even talking about the same thing."

Christianity is grounded in Christian scriptures where Jesus teaches love, peace, unity and truth. Christian nationalism preaches hatred, violence, separation, and disinformation.

Christian nationalism is the single biggest threat to both democracy and the Christian faith.

With hundreds of far-right political candidates using Christ's name to deny election results, demonize their opponents, and spread dangerous conspiracy theories, all with the blessing of pastors and televangelists, the name of Jesus is disparaged and mockery is made of true Christians.

Here is a truly pressing concern.

Christian nationalists don’t call themselves this. They call themselves “true Christians.” They are not. They are nationalists who wrap themselves in pseudo-Christian language.

 

A man holds a Bible as Trump supporters gather outside the Capitol in Washington. The Christian imagery and rhetoric on view during the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection are sparking renewed debate about the societal effects of melding Christian faith with an exclusionary breed of nationalism.

 

More:Christian nationalism is a threat, and not just from Capitol attackers invoking Jesus

Like wolves in sheep skins, they hide behind their true purpose, which is bigotry, racism, separation of people and our nation — all in the name of Jesus.  

Jesus would never approve of this. He would call them what they are — false prophets and blasphemers of our faith. More clearly, as in Matthew 23:17, Jesus would call them “Blind fools!”

Let’s join with Jesus and call Christian nationalists what they are — destroyers of a great faith and a great nation. And that has nothing to do with either democracy or Jesus Christ.

Tim Ahrens is the senior minister at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Downtown Columbus.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Tim Ahrens: Democracy, Christianity threatened by Christian nationalism

[aubiefifty 16,778]

Let’s join with Jesus and call Christian nationalists what they are — destroyers of a great faith and a great nation. And that has nothing to do with either democracy or Jesus Christ.

[homersapien 11,371]

Amen! 

[autigeremt 6,609]

Christianity is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through faith and salvation. Everything else is hijacked in one form or another. 

[pensacolatiger 313]

Where do you find crap like this🤣

 

I get it man, you hate Christians.  I’m sorry you have to be a coward about it and call us Christian nationalists.  No, we’re Christians and you hate us.  There, do you feel better now?

[aubiefifty 16,778]

9 minutes ago, pensacolatiger said:

Where do you find crap like this🤣

 

I get it man, you hate Christians.  I’m sorry you have to be a coward about it and call us Christian nationalists.  No, we’re Christians and you hate us.  There, do you feel better now?

no i do not hate christians. the article was written by a pastor. what i hate is how the right has hijacked christianity. try harder pen. i would hate to start caling you scooter as well..................

[PUB78 1,358]

On 11/7/2022 at 11:34 AM, homersapien said:

Amen! 

Wash your mouth out with soap , you Heathen!!

[aubiefifty 16,778]

1 minute ago, PUB78 said:

Wash your mouth out with soap , you Heathen!!

dude i am the heathen. well part heathen and part christian or as i say i try to be a follower of christ.

[pensacolatiger 313]

Yeah, I saw he’s a pastor in Columbus.  I’m thinking he’s more of a leftist than a pastor. MSM is fanning the ole embers against Christian’s right now, don’t get caught up in the hype

[PUB78 1,358]

His denomination has gone over to the liberal and woke side long ago. This denomination, along with the USA Presbyterians and mainline Episcopalians, have been losing members for 40+ years due their abandonment of the faith.

I put no stock in his comments at all. 

[arein0 952]

Do you guys hear what you are saying? Some of you are proving the article's point. 

[homersapien 11,371]

1 hour ago, PUB78 said:

His denomination has gone over to the liberal and woke side long ago. This denomination, along with the USA Presbyterians and mainline Episcopalians, have been losing members for 40+ years due their abandonment of the faith.

I put no stock in his comments at all. 

That's pretty funny considering you just validated them.

[icanthearyou 4,462]

You cannot be disingenuous with Jesus.  

[homersapien 11,371]

1 hour ago, PUB78 said:

Wash your mouth out with soap , you Heathen!!

Better my mouth than my brain.

[aubiefifty 16,778]

15 hours ago, PUB78 said:

His denomination has gone over to the liberal and woke side long ago. This denomination, along with the USA Presbyterians and mainline Episcopalians, have been losing members for 40+ years due their abandonment of the faith.

I put no stock in his comments at all. 

you guys are complete tools and idiots if you think jesus sees a left side and a right side. just keep trashing jesus because that is exactly what you guys are doing.

[icanthearyou 4,462]

Follow Jesus, not a church, not a preacher, not a politician.

[homersapien 11,371]

19 hours ago, icanthearyou said:

You cannot be disingenuous with Jesus.  

That's great!  You need to copywrite it.