Why I feel for Russell Moore: and the power of Congregation

                                                                             Image courtesy of Religion News

Though I am not a part of the same denominational group, I have been interested in the writing of Russell Moore over the last year. Moore is the executive director of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). In effect, the ERLC is the lobbying arm of the Southern Baptists, and so Moore has been a public voice of the convention’s positions on race relations and has spoken out against President-elect Trump throughout the campaign. His voice has been a minority one amongst evangelicals. Now that the election is over the outspoken “pastor’s pastor” is receiving a great deal of criticism.

There were times over the last few years where I wondered how Moore was going to keep his job. He seemed to be saying everything Southern Baptists weren’t thinking when it came to faith in the public discourse. It would be more than a stretch to say that I support Moore, but in this time where faith seems balanced on a razor’s edge with an uncertain future, observing this growing conflict within the SBC should give us all some pause. Russell Moore is running headlong into something I talked about previously on this blog.

As Baptists, we place a great deal of our worship focus on the proclamation of the spoken words from the pulpit, as goes without saying. For many, if not all, of us who prepare and proclaim what we hope are words of God each week, we hope to be as courageous in speaking frank truth that counters damaging social movements. Moore has been doing that as the director of the ERLC, and now he seems to be paying to consequences for his courage. The real power of Baptist life is coming to bear, and it could mean either the end of Moore’s job or the ERLC itself. 

As pastors and convention leaders speak of defunding the organization, it sets up another situation where we see that the power is not in those who lead organizations, but in the places where the money comes from. Pastors at the local level who have to deal with the yearly stress of making budgets know this realization all too well. Baptist life and polity present this uniquely precarious situation where the power rests not in the hands of those who are being called into ministry, but with those who are sitting in the pews. While it allows for a diversity of opinions that creates a mosaic from which we build the personalities of our congregations, it also creates the atmosphere where many leaders have to walk carefully between speaking real truth, and acquiescing to the will of those who pay their salaries.

I pray for Russell Moore because these kinds of conflicts can get ugly quickly. While he has not backed away from his statements against Trump or other issues that have raised the hackles of some of his fellow Southern Baptists, I could understand why someone would want to. While it can be absolutely maddening that issues go unaddressed in our congregations, we should look at the predicament that Moore finds himself in as an example of the forces at work all around us. Even in our local congregations, the fear of an uncertain future means that many of us are constantly reminded that we are in a conversation with everyone. Whether they agree with us all the time, or not.

The Problem Christians SHOULD Have with "America First"

                                          Photo courtesy of http://politicalpartiesush.weebly.com/america-first-party.html

Over the course of the last year, the idea that nativist/nationalist tendencies were the motivation for a large group of people was an argument that I was aware of. However, that awareness was academic in nature. Just as I am similarly aware of both General and Special Relativity, my understanding does not include any specific awareness of how relativity intersects my life; though, I am sure someone reading this could explain that to me. 

That all changed today when someone in my circle of influence began to speak of that exact sentiment. The most shocking thing was that there was no nuance or attempt to soften the language. They just specifically said, "America First! We should take care of our family before we help anyone else." Seeing as how I know this person quiet well, I was too shocked to respond. Instead I sat there, mouth agape, as their thoughts were broadcast. I felt sadness and betrayal because I thought I knew them better than that. In truth, they probably know me better than I know them.

It got me to thinking about the idea of nationalism as it has been preached by Christians throughout my lifetime. When I was much younger, I didn't give much thought to those who talked about America being a Christian nation. It was because I agreed with them, mostly because my sphere of experience was small and knowledge was small. Now, when I see it written or hear it preached from a pulpit I cringe. Not because I am angry that they are misrepresenting the faith I share with them, though they are. Instead, it is because in such statements there is very little that says they are trying to hear a voice that might be different from their own.

What do Christians from other parts of the world think when you say that America is special because of our faith?

What do those who are not Christians, but still Americans, think when you say that this nation does not see them as equal to Christians?

What do people who are neither Christian nor American feel when you say that our God has made a special, geographical place for us that they may never be able to participate in?

I know that when I hear it, I feel cheated that my faith has been boiled down to a tribalistic religion reserved for people who look a certain way, speak with a certain accent, and live in a particular place. It took years for me to reach a point where I could imagine a world beyond what I could see, and just as long to conceive that my faith could possibly be bigger than my imagination. As a stereotypical representative of white, middle-class, male, straight, cisgendered America, I know that change is not easy, nor is it quick. However, I don't believe for an instant that where we are is where we are supposed to be.

In the first chapter of the first book of the Hebrew Bible, the text says:

"Then God said, 'Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness'"

And I feel it is incredibly important that we remember this for no other reason than that the text says "humankind." It doesn't say "Americans," or "white people," or "those living in the western hemisphere's northern continent." When I hear Christians talk about "America first" right after they speak of how God has blessed our country, I feel as if I am listening to music where the orchestra is playing horribly out of tune. The dissonance of placing God with country with first are a triad of things that do not go together. 

In three days from this writing, we will be marking another celebration of the birth of our Savior. A Savior that was born in the Middle East, to Middle Eastern parents, speaking a different language, on a different continent. In just over a week from this writing, we will be kicking off a New Year where we again remember the ministry of that Savior that go from "Jerusalem, to Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Just take some time to meditate on that when you hear the preacher or political commentator talk about "America First."

Sorry Franklin Graham, God Is Not In Our Elections

                                                                           Photo courtesy of MotherJones

Just this last week, evangelist Franklin Graham told the Charlotte Observer that it wasn't Russians who intervened in our election, it was God. Taking into consideration that over 80% of those people identified as "White Evangelicals" voted for President-elect Trump, it's difficult NOT to say that people with Christian beliefs had an oversized impact on the outcome of the election. However, I have to apologize to Mr. Graham because he is mistaken. God had nothing to do with the election of Donald Trump, and I know what you're thinking. You are just some progressive who calls himself a Christian and that's where you come up with this argument. And while, "yes"....no that's not what I want to talk about this fine day.

Instead, I want to just discuss this idea that God is in our elections. Throughout the last year, as journalists reported about lewd and misogynistic things the President-elect has said, Christians who support Trump said, "I wouldn't choose him to teach Sunday school," "we're electing a President, not a pastor," or variations thereof. The intent seemed to be that though they have deep issues of faith that are driving their support for a particular candidate, they would never want to deify the man. 

This shift in rhetoric that has taken place after the election leaves me with many questions, and while I could list them, they are really snarky and unhelpful. So, let's get on to the reason I disagree with Franklin Graham.

1 John 4: 18 says, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love."

Hours after the election results were known, people started reporting violence against vulnerable groups perpetrated in the name of the new President-elect. Another website was started just for people to tell their stories directly from their own perspectives. All of this is a result, either directly or indirectly, of the outcome of the national election. The same election that Franklin Graham has said was influenced by God.

If our holiest texts tell us that God, who is described as "love" earlier in 1 John 4, casts out fear, then there is no way God is in this election. It has nothing to do with demographics, or theology, or denominations, or any other descriptor we could use. The sheer fact that after the election people are afraid is evidence enough that God had nothing to do with who was elected. I'm sorry, Mr. Graham. I disagree with you, and it's because the Bible tells me so.