Politics: God, Guns, and Gullibility: The Dangers of White Christian Nationalism

[NationalTitles18]

Disinformation Fuels A White Evangelical Movement. It Led 1 Virginia Pastor To Quit

Some evangelical circles have incubated and spread conspiracy theories for years. It's part of a movement called Christian nationalism that researchers call a threat to American democracy.

www.npr.org

A bad combination that imperils both the nation and Christianity.

 

[TexasBama]

Disinformation Fuels A White Evangelical Movement. It Led 1 Virginia Pastor To Quit

Some evangelical circles have incubated and spread conspiracy theories for years. It's part of a movement called Christian nationalism that researchers call a threat to American democracy.

www.npr.org

A bad combination that imperils both the nation and Christianity.

The phrase evangelical christian appears to be an oxymoron

 

[92tide]

Disinformation Fuels A White Evangelical Movement. It Led 1 Virginia Pastor To Quit

Some evangelical circles have incubated and spread conspiracy theories for years. It's part of a movement called Christian nationalism that researchers call a threat to American democracy.

www.npr.org

A bad combination that imperils both the nation and Christianity.

The Real Origins of the Religious Right

They’ll tell you it was abortion. Sorry, the historical record’s clear: It was segregation.

www.politico.com

 

[Padreruf]

I could have used this thread title for a sermon...most Protestant churches have a US flag in their sanctuary...and don't even realize what that says. Yes, segregation led to the start of the SBC...the record is clear. My personal opinion is that the dramatic rise in the SBC and like churches was their ability to be "local" in their focus. The denominational link was tenuous at best, as all control was local...every Baptist church is autonomous. This meant that if they wanted to be nationalistic and racist, no authority could tell them they could not. This is one reason I no longer consider myself a Baptist...at least not with a capital "B."

 

[TexasBama]

I could have used this thread title for a sermon...most Protestant churches have a US flag in their sanctuary...and don't even realize what that says. Yes, segregation led to the start of the SBC...the record is clear. My personal opinion is that the dramatic rise in the SBC and like churches was their ability to be "local" in their focus. The denominational link was tenuous at best, as all control was local...every Baptist church is autonomous. This meant that if they wanted to be nationalistic and racist, no authority could tell them they could not. This is one reason I no longer consider myself a Baptist...at least not with a capital "B."

Local autonomy never seemed to send the churches of Christ off the deep end.

ETA. I would assume you’ve read Bonhoeffer

 

[GrayTide]

The evangelical Christians will tell you one thing, the ultra conservative Republicans will tell you another thing, but the real truth to what binds them altogether is racism. It has always been that way and I know I will never live long enough see it change.

 

[crimsonaudio]

most Protestant churches have a US flag in their sanctuary

Is this true? I've literally never seen this in my whole life.

 

[crimsonaudio]

The evangelical Christians will tell you one thing, the ultra conservative Republicans will tell you another thing, but the real truth to what binds them altogether is authoritarianism. It has always been that way and I know I will never live long enough see it change.

FIFY

Easy to play the race card, but dictating what others can or cannot do is THE hallmark of the 'moral majority'.

 

[NationalTitles18]

Is this true? I've literally never seen this in my whole life.

I grew up in a Pentecostal church and we had the US flag plus one of our own. Definitely not Baptist, but definitely fundamentalist evangelical.

 

[Padreruf]

Is this true? I've literally never seen this in my whole life.

I went through several "discussions" over this in churches I served...usually after I preached a "civil religion" sermon around July 4th of my first year. I managed to convince the Diaconates of the churches to remove the flag...without too much personal injury, I might add.

 

[crimsonaudio]

I went through several "discussions" over this in churches I served...usually after I preached a "civil religion" sermon around July 4th of my first year. I managed to convince the Diaconates of the churches to remove the flag...without too much personal injury, I might add.

Thank you, I guess I shouldn't be surprised but had no idea. Never seen such.

 

[rolltide_21]

Is this true? I've literally never seen this in my whole life.

Our fellowship does not do this. But is common in others. I grew up going to the SBC and FWB with my dad and there was one alongside the Christian flag (another thing we dont have) If we had an American flag in our auditorium we might have a riot, haha.

This has always bothered me as another form of idolatry, tbh. Might be an unpopular take but how I feel about it. I would not support one being brought in- even the lobby. And yes, you could probably find where Im inconsistent in other areas. But the church (the people) is not bound by any nationality.

 

[Crimson1967]

The flag being there doesn’t really bother me but I wouldn’t object to its removal. Not a big fan of the concept of the Christian flag. Just strikes me as a little exclusionary. I have even been where they said a pledge to the Christian flag.

There is a church near where I live that flies the Christian flag above the American flag on its flagpole outside.

 

[dtgreg]

Thank you, I guess I shouldn't be surprised but had no idea. Never seen such.

You obviously don't attend my Mother's and the late Billy Neighbor's church.

 

[crimsonaudio]

You obviously don't attend my Mother's and the late Billy Neighbor's church.

Guess I've been lucky with those I've chosen to worship with, but I literally cannot recall politics ever being any part of any church I've been a member of.

 

[NationalTitles18]

I am a member of the SBC. I have never been in a church that had a U.S. flag in the sanctuary and would immediately walk out if it did. As to the point that a church can be racist, that will not be the case as of June this year. There is a constitutional amendment for the SBC that will remove any church that engages in discrimination that will be approved. The problem is that it takes several years and multiple votes to change the SBC constitution. This June will be the final vote. The SBC leadership has made it VERY clear that racism will not be tolerated. Yes it is a problem that it took this long to get this amendment, but don't pretend that we aren't trying to purge the racist churches. It takes a very long time to change things in the SBC. That is intentional, but sometimes it makes needed change more time consuming and difficult than it should be. We have made mistakes in the past, and very few people in the convention don't want to fix them as much as we can. Please don't let the sensational media coverage make you think that every church is full of crazy racists who worship America as much as God.

Brother, I wish it was the media that made me think that sometimes but it isn't - it is my friends and neighbors that make me think that sometimes. It's the people who I know who talk about God and Jesus out of one side and denigrate people of color and their cries against injustice from the other. Most are SBC, but not all. Their genesis was pro-slavery, but they are not alone in their White Christian nationalism, racism, xenophobia, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or other -isms. They are just the most numerous in the South, especially.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Some UMC churches have the flag and some don't. The one I'm attending now does not. Funny, but I never thought about the flag's being there being a political issue...

 

[TIDETOWN]

I contemplated whether to respond to this controversial post but decided to put my 2 cents in. I have attended the SBC all my life and have found it to be anything but racial. Our church has biracial membership with black deacons . While the SBC is historically conservative by nature which seems to be a problem on this thread, that is the prerogative of the membership. Obviously we don"t all agree or think alike on everything. I personally prefer to limit nationalism inside the church but honoring veterans, 4th of July celebrations I have no problems with. Personally again I feel the bible is the inerrant word of God and for the most part addresses most if not all of these issues. Possible age gap here.

 

[JDCrimson]

Im a Gen Xer, I didn't experience segregation first hand. When I was a kid we were taught to see other children regardless of race or stature as worthy of respect and potential friendship. This is the core of who I am now and I learned those values at home and Public school and church to lesser degree. Flipping people off using the N word were worse than taboo growing up for me.

Somewhere along the way this changed. Truthfully it changed when Obama was elected. I heard people, friends talk in ways I never heard them talk before. So long as they had a white male President they were comfortable. When the Democrats delivered the first minority president it set all the gears in motion for where we are now. Since that happened talk to anyone about voting for a democratic candidate it's not under consideration for any reason. You just don't vote.

Trumpism is taking the conservatives to the brink showing the world what has been hidden for 50 years or more. The conservatives moving to Independents just don't want to be outed for their views. Even as Independent, they still can't accept that a democratic freedom for all philosophy is the best course for America.

 

[81usaf92]

Is this true? I've literally never seen this in my whole life.

Ive seen it in many churches growing up. Usually the US flag is in one corner and the Baptist flag is in the other.