From Christian Ethics Today A Special Statement: Moving Forward
In the aftermath of the 2024 Presidential election campaign, I see three major realities that Christian Ethics Today, along with all like-minded publications and organizations, must continue to address.
First, White Christian Nationalism (WCN) did not begin with Donald Trump; he did not create a White Christian Nationalism phenomenon in America. We have contended with the ideology of WCN throughout our history. At each juncture in our nation’s history, theological (Christian) arguments have been offered to support policies and actions that run counter to the way of Jesus. Our Founding Fathers debated it and finally adopted the First Amendment to the US Constitution expressly rejecting a state religion and forbidding any infringement on the freedom of religious expression. Our struggle over slavery was dominated by White Christian arguments. Westward expansion and manifest destiny, both stemming from the “Christian” Doctrine of Discovery, were justified and encouraged by white Christian theology. The Jim Crow legacy of the 20th century was dominated by ideas of white supremacy, based in large part on faulty biblical interpretations regarding racial segregation and inequality. The Nazism and authoritarianism leading up to World War II, although widely supported by many American Christians while also leading to a full World War, is experiencing a disturbing reemergence in this century. The desire for a strongman leader, and Christian domination, has plagued our country continuously. Trump exposed and empowered the WCN ideology, but it had existed long before his arrival on our political scene.
Second, we must recognize the fact that when Trump is no longer around, the ideology of WCN will persist. He has lighted a fire of bigotry and disassociation from the teachings of Jesus among a large number of Americans. This is especially obvious in the Republican Party. We must educate, equip, challenge, refute, and resist that ideology.
Third, every social and moral issue we face is affected by WCN, from workers’ rights, reproductive rights, voting rights, LGBTQ+ rights, gender-affirming and trans-inclusive healthcare, religious freedom, international leadership, health care, poverty, war, racial justice, affordable housing, immigration and economic justice, foreign policy, gender inequality–every aspect of personal morality and public righteousness. Indeed, the interconnectedness of social/moral issues, advanced by the faulty reliance on misinterpreted concepts of Christianity and unfettered capitalism, undergird fascist’s core domineering ideology.
For the White Christian Nationalist, the use of the word, Christian, does not advance reverence for the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, but rather defines a political aspiration which espouses a distorted, authoritarian expression of Christianity.
Christian Ethics Today is committed to engage fully in the coming days, as we have from our beginning, to fulfill our mission statement which has consistently stated: to provide laypersons, educators, and ministers with a resource for understanding and responding in a faithful Christian manner to moral and ethical issues that are of concern to contemporary Christians, to the church, and to society.
We will fervently continue to interpret and apply Christian experience, biblical truth, theological insights, historical understanding and current research to contemporary moral issues.
—Patrick Anderson, editor Christian Ethics Today.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
