Jesus Christ Was - and Is - Political

 Christian nationalism is a dangerous lie.

The above statement holds true precisely because Jesus Christ was - and continues to be - political. 

It is tempting for those of us who say we follow Jesus to try to keep him inside the church. For many of us, much of the time, our easiest path is to try to draw a clean line between what we believe and how we behave. This sadly may mean that Sunday finds us singing hymns loudly and praying rote words dutifully, while Monday morning may start with nasty tweets (or whatever it's now called to post on X), gossip, or just plain old staying quiet when we see injustice playing out. We must do better.

More than 60 years ago, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King aired his frustration with his white colleagues who were critical of him for taking a stand against racism and other forms of hatred. They said his efforts at civil rights were "unwise and untimely." Dr. King wrote: "The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people." It seems to me that these white pastors were inclined to keep the teachings of Jesus Christ trapped inside church buildings, limited in its application only to private impact on individual hearts. This is a pathetic kind of practice, our tendency to avoid hurting feelings to the extent that bullies are empowered to hurt or kill our neighbors.

Politics comes from the ancient Greek word meaning "affairs of the cities." To be political means to be engaged in systems and practices that enable groups of people to live together. If one is involved with the distribution of resources, the practices of making and enforcing laws, the dynamics of power within and between groups of people, or anything else that shapes our relationships - then one is political. Participation is not limited to politicians, activists, pundits, lobbyists, or even voters. Everyone whose life is impacted by (i.e., is the beneficiary of - such as one who drives on roads) the systems and societies around them is political, including those who decidedly don't vote or march with signs. 

Unless the Gospels are a lie, Jesus was pointedly political. Like the prophets he would have learned about growing up as a faithful Jew, he looked around at injustice and other failed experiments at living together well and he rightly and lovingly felt holy rage and sadness. In uncommon and even miraculous expressions of love, he healed, scolded, wept, instructed, and embodied the faith that we share in ways that scandalized the powers that be. Jesus pushed against our tendency to demonize "the least" in our midst by loving them radically, striving at every turn to live as a corrective to broken systems. Jesus was so political that he was murdered by the authorities.

Christian nationalism holds that our nation was founded as Christian, and adherents promote an agenda that strives to somehow make our nation completely Christian today. In a manner not dissimilar to early "Christians" who felt justified in murdering indigenous people, it seems clear that Christian nationalists today wish to push for the exclusion or outright eradication of other Muslims and/or Jews, LGBTQI+ people, atheists, and others based on a desire for power. This warped worldview demonstrates ignorance of our history, overlooking the fact that the framers of the Constitution decided firmly against establishing any one state religion. Indeed, Christianity was only named in order to emphasize that no tests of faith would be used for public office and to ensure freedom to practice any religion or none.

On our best days, the Church is the body of Christ alive today. We are the descendants of the one who sacrificed everything to drive home the point of God's unceasing and unconditional love for all that exists. We are called to be the bearers and celebrants of a love that transcends barriers of race,  socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and every other attribute - including creed. We are called to two great loves: of the God who adores all of creation, and of neighbor. The universal nature of these loves cannot be overstated, just as the infinite nature of their divine Source cannot be capped or captured. 

Christian nationalism is a farce at least partly because our beloved Constitution says so. It is a dangerous lie because it seeks to misplace the selfless, outpouring love of God for all with a desperate and destructive attempt to grab and hoard power for only a few. This brand of nationalism is particularly insidious for trying to do so while taking Christ's name. Christ was called by the Spirit into public - yes, political - settings to defy systems of exclusion and oppression. Jesus stood clearly with and for those who were pushed to the margins by those hungry for power, and He did so in the name of extravagant grace. May we carry his legacy and stand publicly - yes, politically - against hate and in celebration of love in our day.