How did we get here?

Dan Viren, January 10

The same images of the insurrection against our government on Wednesday were seen by all of us, yet they evoked several different reactions. Some saw the images of rioters holding Bibles and signs saying, “Jesus Saves,” as a signal that God was present in the darkness. Some saw those holding Bibles and signs as prophets foretelling doom. I saw misguided rioters mistakenly believing they were righteous warriors crusading in God’s holy work. As a Christian, I was heartbroken and embarrassed for the church. I believe this is a teachable moment that the church cannot allow to pass without seriously reflecting on its own culpability and how our politics affect our witness in this world.

Christian nationalism has been gaining attention as an explanation for white conservative Christian support for President Trump. Christian Nationalism in America is the belief that America was established by godly men as a Christian nation based on biblical law. Christian nationalists believe that the courts have subverted our nation’s Christian founding and have turned America into a secular nation. Their goal is to return America to their version of what the Founders intended in every aspect of society (legally, socially, culturally, academically, etc.).

Yes, many of our Founders were godly men, but it is simply not true that they established America as a Christian nation based on biblical law. This belief requires a complete rewriting of American history. Take religious liberty for example. The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” Even though this clause was ratified in 1791, Christian nationalist David Barton argued in his 1996 book Original Intent: The Courts, The Constitution, and Religion that the separation of church and state is “a relatively recent concept rather than … a long-standing constitutional principle.” No matter how much one might wish that to be true, it just isn’t. Our Founders ensured a secular government.

Unlike its predecessors, the latest version of Christian nationalism (which preceded the rise of the Moral Majority in the 1970’s and 80’s and has accelerated to this day) made the decision to use the legislative process rather than evangelism to accomplish its goal of returning America to their version of what the Founders intended. To accomplish this, they made common cause with the Republican Party and eventually turned the evangelical church into a political action committee. According to the Christian Nationalist Alliance, Christian nationalism “upholds the belief that politics is just as capable of saving souls as other forms of Evangelical outreach.” Tragically, after four decades, the general public is more likely to associate the word evangelical to republican campaign signs than they are to witnessing, preaching, and missionary work.

Perhaps the greatest tragedy in all this is the loss of truth. When political ideologies begin with lies, lies are perpetually required to sustain them. They have gotten out of control. For those of us who have not bought into it, the Christian nationalist version of reality has become incomprehensible. Clearly discredited lies are continuously repeated and attempts to correct them are disdainfully rebuffed. Not only has the church abdicated its evangelical mission it has become unappeasable – impossible to move by entreaty.

Soon after the insurrection began on Wednesday, Christian nationalist and televangelist Mark Burns posted a Tweet that read, “This is NOT a Trump supporter… This is a staged #Antifa attack.” The Tweet included a photo of Jake Angeli standing bear chested in the house chamber holding an American flag on a spear and wearing a fur hat with horns. Jake Angeli is not an Antifa activist. He is a well-known QAnon follower and vocal Trump supporter known as Q Shaman. The lie that Antifa was responsible for the insurrection spread across social media in an instant, Fox News perpetuated it all evening long, and it was even repeated on the house floor by elected politicians after it had been debunked. I know Christians that are continuing to spread it on social media even now and it is not okay.

How did we get here? The church has a responsibility to truth. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” For Christians, Jesus is truth and truth matters. There is no-excuse for pastors like Mark Burns or any Christian, to perpetuate lies. Misrepresenting truth is misrepresenting Jesus. It is a sin. Jesus also said, “the truth will set you free.” If you care about freedom, you better care about truth. When Christians lie, they place others in bondage to those lies. That’s how we got here. We did it to ourselves. One lie led to another and we chose to believe and spread them without subjecting them to the one who is truth.

Fortunately, the flip side is that truth can set us free, but we need to repent, and repentance requires more than just asking for forgiveness. For many of us, politics has become our god. We need to repent and detach ourselves from all things outside of God that compete for our ultimate affection. We have fashioned politics into an idol. We need to repent and stop shaping God according to our own fears and ideas. We need to trust and follow him instead of TV political pundits. We have borne false witness. We need to repent, walk in the truth, and avoid false assumptions about other people and situations – not only in our own minds, but in our conversations and social media as well. Then and only then, will we begin to rebuild the reputation of the church and restore it to its rightful purpose in American society.