This is a Race War

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