I was taught not to be ashamed
of being a Christian.
I was taught to wave the
Christian flag with pride and to lead others to Jesus with passion.
Not anymore.
It’s hard admitting I’m a
minister. In the minds of many, I’m the worst type – a Baptist. Although I claim
affiliation as an American Baptist, people don’t understand the difference
between the people I hang with versus those waving the flag of white supremacy.
That’s the point that makes it
hard to admit I’m a Christian. It’s Donald Trump and the Christian who embrace
his version of American religion. They sing “God Bless America” with a fervor
that propagandizes superiority over everyone else. God made us and grants us
massive provision – if you’re white – to authenticate reign over the rest of
the world – they suggest. “God Bless America”, and to Hell with everyone else
This is the type of
theological hypothesis oozing from the venom of Trump supporters who showed up
in Greenville, NC last night They showed up with the oomph of a tent revival
to endorse the aspiration to send all critics of White Supremacist Christian
perspective “back to where they came from.”
Back where?
Back to wherever people who
look and think like you live.
In other words, get your
black, brown, female ass out of OUR country.
This is a mugging
of theologies affirming “Jesus loves the little
children, all the children of the world. red, and yellow, black, and white, they
are precious in Her sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.”
The
call to “send her back” repudiates the humanity of anyone who isn’t white.
The
relevant questions for folks like me are WTF and what should we say?
It’s
the absence of conversations from pastors, prophets and church folks that
disturbs me the most. What y’all got to say bout all of this? What names do you
give to confront these demons? Yes, demons. Yes, evil incarnate for the purpose
of undoing the work of Jesus. Yes, “get behind me Satan.” Yes, all of that and
more.
What
do you say? Let me help you with that. You begin by calling it what it is. Stop
pretending it is something else. Stop the maddening game of speaking language
aimed at identifying with these evil people. Call it out. Name it. Scream it.
Don’t play games with this evil.
What
is it?
This
is racism. We have a racist president who uses racist jargon to lure us into a
race war. Your president, not mine, is intentionally using racism to pit the
Americans who want to make “America Great”, I mean White, “Again” against the
people who have fought for centuries to be seen, heard and understood.
In
addition to Trump agitating a race war, this is a theological battle. This is a
clash to define what it means to be human. Trump is re-establishing a hierarchy
of power with white men on top and people of color skirmishing to climb from
the bottom
Trump
is upholding a theology that assumes white men are created, by God, with more
power than white women, black men, black women and all immigrants (and their
children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren) from shithole countries. This
is manifest destiny on reboot. This time, the expansion of America is not only
justifiable, being American is defined as white people called to deport,
criticize, attack, lock-up, rape and kill everyone else.
Trumps
agenda is the fulfillment of the eugenics movement, a set of beliefs and
practices aimed at improving the genetic quality by eliminating other races.
This is the theology of white supremacy that electrified Hitler’s Third Reich.
Trump
demands getting “woke”.
It’s
hard being a Christian when people remain on the sideline with perched lips.
Being
“woke” requires a will to fight.
Fight