Writing Grants for Anti-terrorism Upgrades Because Our 200-Year-Old Church Is on the “Woke” List

Please don't shoot the organist

Here it is, folks — a community church. There’s one on every Main Street in New England. Like many, it supports Pride and Black Lives Matter.

A community church in New England. Photo by author.

It doesn’t look like it leads an exciting life, but it does

I'm assisting the pastor in drafting a grant proposal of up to $150,000. The funds will be utilized to bring an 1827 church, built by New England Puritan descendants, up to modern standards of financial, physical, and online protection required by public spaces in 2024.

The needs of religious institutions are a bit more specialized, however. The Department of Justice warns that mosques, synagogues, and all places of worship face increased threats in the U.S. Targeting progressive churches such as ours is a particular delight of right-wing demagogues and hate groups, who convince literalist Christians our LGBTQ+ flag and Black Lives Matter banner are a threat against them. To these folks, we look like an agency of evil.

The “woke” list

To wit — we’re on a list targeting progressive churches in the state of New Hampshire. According to the list, we’re considered a “very woke” group of radicals. It’s amusing to think about, especially when I look around the sanctuary and see mostly middle-aged folks wearing flannel, fleece, and light hikers.

The website half-heartedly claims its goal is to help Libertarians avoid certain churches, but come on. Real Libertarians don’t give a shit what kind of church you attend — or what you believe — as long as you leave them the hell alone. And what are the Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, Shinto, Sikh, and all other types of Libertarians supposed to think of this?

Those who want to target others for intimidation, or worse, create these websites. People who need a target to blame for their unhappiness — or are looking for an easy victim — use them.

1827 versus 2024

As the pastor and I consider what upgrades we need, I’m taking tips from my stepson. He is a law enforcement officer in Tennessee’s first anti-active-shooter squad, and moonlights at an ultra-modern, glass-and-steel church in Nashville.

He says we need floor-to-ceiling bullet-proof glass, armed guards, steel drop-down emergency doors, and other things that our historic church cannot implement. Ours is a creaking structure of wood and stained glass on a fieldstone foundation. We consider ourselves lucky when no one sets the place on fire.

That’s not good enough in an environment in which houses of worship are increasingly targeted for violence.

Touch points and threat factors

CNN’s article One of the most dangerous hours in America is now 11 o’clock on Sunday morning gives a quick primer on violence at houses of worship. Our church shares a number of the threats mentioned above, with a few that are specific to our community.

• Upcoming elections — remember January 6, then imagine what might happen if 47% of the voters are dissatisfied with election results in 2024. With a stunning 23% of the American populace saying political violence is not out of the question for them (up from 15% in 2021), we might be in for a bumpy ride. So, who is most likely to be setting things on fire? Here’s what the National Academy of Sciences has to say:

  In comparison to left-wing supporters, right-wing individuals are more often characterized by closed-mindedness and dogmatism and a heightened need for order, structure, and cognitive closure. Because such characteristics have been found to increase in-group bias and lead to greater out-group hostility, violence for a cause may be more likely among proponents of right-wing ideologies.

• Disgruntled visitors — we run a community food pantry that feeds nearly 500 people in our small community each week — a number that is roughly nine times the number of people who show up for services on any given Sunday. We also host open support groups such as Shared Grief, A.A., N.A., Al-Anon, and others. From working in nonprofits, I’ve seen how people struggling with multiple challenges can sometimes turn their anger on those trying to help.

• Our progressive theology — some find it provocative. Online haters accuse us of destroying traditional values and targeting conservative Christian faith. If you run a Google search on “threats to progressive churches,” what you’ll find is not what you’re looking for — ironically, it’s mostly other Christians shouting about how progressive churches pose a threat to them. I’m struggling to understand where this supposed threat comes from. We don’t enforce conformity, unlike some whose, “aggressive tendencies constitute an inherent component of this construct, with people high in right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) being more hostile toward others who violate norms than those low in RWA.” — National Academy of Science. Some of our congregation is theologically and socially conservative, whereas others are like me. Cue up “With So Many Hells in the Afterlife, It's Hard to Choose,” and “Jesus Didn’t Die for Your (or My) Sins.”

• The third rail: guns — only a day after the mass shooting at Uvalde Elementary School, some community members boycotted our prayer vigil for the victims. They accused us of making a statement about guns. In fact, we try to stay away from the overtly political, allowing people to make up their own minds. Our prayer vigil for Uvalde was just that — in memory of the nineteen students and two teachers who died, and in support of their grieving families. New Hampshire is one of only three states to not enforce federal mental health checks before gun sales. Sig Sauer is a ten-minute drive from our front steps and a major employer in the area. In this environment, any perceived threat to guns would quickly turn into a threat to us.

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Some thoughts at the end

I hope I haven’t added to the left-right divide in the spiritual community. If I have offended anyone by laying blame too heavily on their shoulders, or by minimizing their problems, I’m sorry.

In terms of threat indicators, our congregation has already experienced vandalism. The worst incident seems to have been behavioral health-related and cost tens of thousands of dollars to repair. It’s just one of the costs of being available to all, especially those in need — which is the mission statement of any church.

Regarding the prayer vigil for Uvalde, we hold prayer services for the victims of violence everywhere — in Ukraine, the Middle East, and elsewhere. It’s what we do. Then we follow up with a collection, 100% of which goes to relief organizations on the ground — often World Central Kitchen — because prayer followed by cash is a powerful one-two punch.

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