Progressives: Do Christian Nationalists Make It Harder for You to Have Faith?
I have to admit, It's impacting my spiritual life
I’m a member of a groovy, hippy, progressive church, but lately…I swear. The rise of violent, #theocracy-supporting faux-christians really is poisoning the well. The #ChristianNationalists are making remaining in any church feel like sitting in an acid bath. I know it’s a knee-jerk reaction on my part, but damn.
Like this morning,
posted a photo of a roadside billboard from East Tennessee. It’s been taken down now, but I can describe it — full 48 x 14 foot invitation to attend Rod of Iron Ministries — a church-in-name-only whose display features an arm raised, grasping an assault rifle, and a banner proclaiming “Make America Christian Again!”This prompted me to go to the website. Shit! I didn’t even get beyond the landing page. let me save you the trouble — it’s all guns, Trump banners, pickups, motorcycles, and camouflage. “Enjoy the company of your fellow Christian patriots at the Rod of Iron Freedom Festival and Sanctuary Church.”
Offerings for gun-toting fun include—
Rallies: “Attend events such as rallies, speeches, and other political and religious events with like-minded people.”
Gatherings: “Enjoy the company of your fellow Christian Patriots at the Rod of Iron Freedom Festival and Sanctuary Church. Read opinion articles and news updates from fellow Christian Patriots.”
Training: “Get instructions from experienced, knowledgeable teachers of subjects such as shooting and prepping.”
Those who know me know I’m a sworn enemy of theocracy (Want to Bring Theocracy to America? Cotton Mather Seekest Thee), Christian nationalism (Christian Nationalists--That Shit Will Get You Killed in the Theocracy You Crave), and one who proposes uniting church and state (If MTG Gets Her Way, Your Taxes Will Support Her Church).
So you can imagine what I thought of Rod of Iron.
Here’s the screenshot I took of this pernicious site, seconds before it decided to go black until I handed over my email address—which was a big NOPE.
I’m really struggling. “Christianity is poisoned,” I said on Bluesky the other day. I watched myself type this out, and realized I couldn’t erase it, now matter how much it stung.
On Substack Notes, Grace Grossman said, “Awh man, this is sad to hear. How do you cope with it?”
How am I coping? Aside from skipping church the past four Sundays, that is.
I’m pretty syncretic/eclectic, so I’m just leaning into other traditions at the moment. As a progressive, I’ve always drawn a lot from other religions, and right now that’s helping keep my spiritual life afloat.
That said, I adore my fellow parishioners and our love-consumed pastor.
Plus, the church acts as a social safety net in our small town — feeding many times over the number of folks in the congregation, provides emergency funds, clothes, & whatever people need. The cops and town hall send those in need to the church for care & help. I want to be there to support this as much as possible.
This congregation is doing good work in the world, and in a quiet, un-hyped way. Not only is it refreshing, but an anomaly in our venal ‘look-at-me-I’m-awesome” world.
Meanwhile, because we’re open and affirming of LGBTQ+ members and support Black Lives Matter, we get targeted by conservative groups who’ve labeled us “woke.” I wrote about our need for counter-terrorism upgrades here.
If I keep focusing on how our people and mission is different from the literalists, the megachurches, and the Christian nationalists, I can probably get past this rough patch.
When one path up the mountain is unexpectedly muddy, we can slide sideways to another trail and continue the ascent.
Hearts to Thomas Merton for the mountain metaphor.
Hearts as well to Grace Grossman, and thank you for asking.
Typing this out helped.
Hello, Enthusiasts! I’m a writer specializing in world religions. With M.Div. in hand, I’ve spent the past couple of decades exploring Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, and Shinto, as well as traditional Incan practice.
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Strongly agree. The so-called Christian Nationalists are way off the teachings of Jesus, and closer to the Jewish Zealots.
Jesus refused to be drawn into politics, rejected violence, condemned religious intolerance and said his kingdom was 'not of this world.'
Your church sounds like it's on the right path, as is mine. Stay with it.
Agreed agreed agreed... but have to say, your church sounds pretty amazing! I'm looking for one myself after decades of running. Sounds like a real place of what it's supposed to be...
That said, I understand. Oh, I so understand...