Welcome to Book Readers Heaven! Find Books, Reviews, Short Stories, Authors, Publicity, a little poetry, music to complement...and other stuff including politics, about life... "Books, Cats: Life is Sweet..."
When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” (Please note that I've had to use italics to reflect Jesus' words. Color changes are no longer possible; I have notified Google)
Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?”
And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these, who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You who are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” And these will go away into eternal punishment but the righteous into eternal life.
—MATTHEW 25:31–46 This is my own conversion text; it brought me back to faith. Often referred to by biblical scholars as “the parable of the sheep and the goats,” it is the final of three parables about divine judgments. This one is about what will happen when the son of man, Jesus, returns in all of his glory. These parables are divine judgments about human life choices. And in this final and most comprehensive parable, some standing before Jesus will be rewarded for their choice to serve those who are the most vulnerable. They will “inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” And some will be punished. The text uses the Greek words for “accursed,” for “damnation.” They will be sent away from Jesus—that separation perhaps being the worst outcome—for ignoring, neglecting, and perhaps even exploiting those whom Jesus calls “the least of these.” It is still striking for me how surprised the people who heard the words Jesus spoke—both to the sheep and the goats—were about the basis for this final judgment. “When did we see you hungry, thirsty, naked, a stranger, sick, or in prison?” they all asked. “Are you really saying that you were there among the poorest and most vulnerable people—the ones in great need?” “Yes, that was also me,” Jesus says. The text is not just about individuals, but also uses the word “nations.”
Peoples of many tribes and places—alleged believers and nonbelievers alike—will be judged by Jesus’ words here. It is a very broad judgment and one of the most serious and ultimate in all of Jesus’ parables. Jesus is usually not perceived as “judgmental” in the way many religious people are; but he renders real judgment here. And the ultimate judgment in this last teaching—before he left for Jerusalem to be crucified and then resurrected—is about serving those most in need.
I believe that white Christian nationalism has failed Jesus’ final test of discipleship. White Christian nationalist leaders and their churches almost never speak of the poor, of God’s priority of a “preferential option” for the poor as Catholic social teaching calls it, or offer any “good news” to the poor as the evangelical revivalists of the nineteenth century did, or the Black churches have always done. While the least of these are central to Jesus’ final test of discipleship, calls to serve the poor and the most vulnerable are almost completely absent in white Christian nationalist circles. Occasionally, some voluntary charity is offered, but never a call to justice for the “least of these.”
~~~
Sheltered in the Arms is one of my most favorite songs, especially singing in parts...lovely, don't you think? But, the words are clear about what our God provides to us... He promises that He will be with us, that we not fear for anything we lack... Because, after all, He sent His Son, Jesus, to be with us always... Living Within Us--Guiding Us--Often providing our needs before we even are aware of what we need for that day... El Shaddai was a song I first heard from Amy Grant and I've loved it from that time... It is a prayer of praise built right into the song, providing only the tune by which we can praise the great I Am...
Jim Wallis in The False White Gospel, has a chapter entitled "Jesus' Final Test of Discipleship." (see above for short excerpt) Coming from a poor family, with a single Mom and 4 children, we had little, yet my mother would work day and night to provide for us. We saw her work ethic and followed that throughout our lives... Mom had us in church whenever the doors were open, and would invite our pastor and his wife to Sunday dinner every week... Mom was a role model that was exactly what fatherless children needed to move forward in life...
It was natural that Jesus was always part of my thoughts... Learning "Jesus Loves Me" as the first song to be sung by the children in Sunday School. And when I learned about The Holy Trinity, I knew exactly what that meant--after all, I had read a small pamphlet and saw a picture of Jesus knocking at our door...asking, waiting to be invited into our Hearts... Even later, having been baptized at the age of 13, I then received the second baptism of the spirit... Even when I broke away from that close relationship for a while in my life, I knew that He would never turn away from me...
We all always participated in the weekly collection, our tithe to the small Baptist Church where I had first began to attend church... Mom would give each of us a small coin as our donation. Giving was a part of our life, giving what we could to others...for a common good...
I first made a specific commitment to another when a young student at WVU approached me one day. He was working his way through school and was raising money through one of the on-campus Christian groups. I committed a sum that would be ongoing until he graduated...
The second time, I had attended a prayer event at a local monastery. One older woman spoke of her financial need... The next day, for some reason, I chose to walk downtown for lunch and went to a restaurant that I rarely visited and sat down and ordered. I looked up and saw that old woman sitting in a booth... I knew I had been led that day to help her. I took out enough cash to pay my bill and when finished with my meal, walked over and handed her all that I had...telling her that God knew of her need and this was to help...
The third time, turned out to be somewhat of a test. For me, that is... I was seeing a man who worked on campus. Later I learned that he was also seeing his secretary. However, she had left and planned on attending a Christian school. God had asked me to help her financially. Accept that I really wasn't too interested in helping my own competition... However, I made the contacts necessary to get her address and I wrote to her and sent money. That activity occurred for several years if my memory is correct. She had children and told me that my help was thankfully accepted to help feed her kids... I won't say we became friends, but I was helping somebody who needed what I could provide...
During my years of moving upward with promotions, I had learned that I had enough to live on. And still help those who were having problems...
Let me highlight, also, that I have helped family as needed, not because God directed me to... I think when an individual recognizes that God will provide, there is an acceptance that others may need the money I earned, more than I did... Sharing those times to family members is not the same and is not mentioned as relevant to God's directions to all of Us.
Quite recently, some of you may remember that I wrote about an online incident where I got a little bit "snarky" about somebody's post. I thought I was being funny, but realized that it had not been taken that way. By the next day, I felt bad and went hunting for the woman online, When I did a search nothing came up. But, at the same time, a friend had posted and came up in my search, that she had a Go-Fund activity going on and her friend was helping to publicize it. It was almost like His Spirit whispered "You know what is needed..."
First of all, not being able to apologize to her was very frustrating for me... I opened the Go-Fund and saw what the goal was... and I donated that amount. Then I learned that a certain amount was needed for meds, so I added an additional amount. Only to find that because of two different amounts, confusion began on that site and it seemed like the amount she needed immediately would not get to her in time... Ok, I was getting more upset thinking I had lost contact with someone with whom I had interacted often enough to know I wanted to help...
She came back online and I wrote to her and we talked logistics about how to get money to her. We finally agreed that my sending a check through the mail would be the best way... She gave me her home address and I planned to send it overnight mail...
However, what I had learned was that her rent was coming due. I was astonished at the amount she was paying! Even as His spirit covers me now, I was moved the next morning to go to the bank for access to additional funds. So I planned it out in advance, got online for a Google map to take me from my bank to the nearest post office...
And then it started...
Did you ever get the feeling that you're being pulled from two different directions...
I went to my bank and sat down with a man with whom I had worked before, explaining I wanted to take money from my CD. He had worked with me before in this type of transaction, so I knew it was possible. This time, however, he asked me why I was doing this. So, thinking it would be a chance to witness, I said, "Well, since you ask, I'm sending money to a woman who needs help." The bank officer asked if she was a relative to which I said no... Another question, "how long have you known her?" So, I said, "Well, I've never met her but I've interacted online for quite some time..." He said, "it could be a scam..." I responded. "God wants me to do it... I know I am supposed to do this--I've done it before..." He got up and walked around, frowning... I knew what he was thinking, but I knew what I was doing was exactly what I should be doing..." He proceeded to explain the mechanics of what I wanted to do... We decided a check would be the best way since the money could be placed in my account immediately and then sent, clearing by the next day...
I could tell he was unhappy with how much I wanted to send... I added that I even had a google map to get me to the nearest post office... He immediately jumped in again, thinking he was being helpful, and told me to go instead to a nearer post office because not every post office had overnight service.
By the time I got to my car, I knew things weren't going well. I was getting upset, having flashbacks to when I was in an accident in that part of town and knowing that there were a lot of one-way streets... I had already pulled out of the bank lot and turned right as instructed, over the hill, turning right at the first location and was immediately lost. I saw no post office on that road on either side (indeed it was not there)... Soon I was in the middle of roadwork... I started calling out to road workers, thankfully female, asking for directions... Both were from out-of-town, like me, but at least the second woman said, "Just wait there Sweetie, I'll let you know when you can turn...
At that time, I was thinking I might see some place I recognized--I did not...
I was in a residential area, having no clue where to go. I saw a lady coming out of a house--a Black lady--I knew she would take the time to help me... I pulled along side and called to her. She did not know where the post office was... But asked me to pulled off the road so I didn't get hit... By that time, I was crying. She asked me what I was looking for. I explained I needed to get to the post office. I don't remember how I got as far as telling her I needed to send an overnight check to a woman in great need...
She immediately said, too, it was a scam. Bawling, now, I said, God wants me to send the money. She calmly said, And God sent you right here to me to hear that it might be a scam... Doubt was setting in. Could she be right that God had brought me to her... I grew calmer and this is what I did..." Would you pray for me to receive a sign that I was to send the money. Or not..." I knew she was a praying woman and knew she would do what I asked...How did I know? My experience is that the majority of Black women are Christians... She asked me if I knew of any place in town that she might know. I could only think of the local theatre. She knew where it was, but didn't know how to direct me to it from her home...
I got in my car, continuing on forward, rather than going back into where the road work was happening. I came into some business buildings, still totally lost, took a couple roads when I was forced to turn left or right, but finally winding up having to turn into a one-way road. Taking that turn, I looked to my right and there read U.S. Post Office. God had been my GPS! Went a little further, a small sign to handicapped parking!
When I went in, I commented about the parking lot. The woman said they didn't have one, only parking on the street (where no space was available). I mentioned the sign and she remembered that was for another company... Anyway, I started talking to her about different mail and times to get there... I started filling out the check right there, asking if I needed to move away from her station, she then started to help me, getting the envelope, taking the address and putting it on for me... In the meantime, another employee came up and started talking about Walter... Discovered that my near neighbor had worked in that post office until retirement...They told me I lived by a good man...
I felt like God was sending me sign after sign after sign that I was to follow through with mailing the check that I already knew I was supposed to send... Doubt was erased!
Just so you understand, this is not about ME... yet it is, isn't it? Simply because I have heard the words of Jesus and have acted upon His words, His Spirit's direction... The thing is that, apparently, few "choose" to listen rather use their God-given Free Will to do anything they want... To them, I say, "Been There; Done That" for a short period in my life... And, guess what, When I turned around, He was right there--Waiting!
You know folks, when people try to help, no matter what it is about, there is a certain energy exploding all over the place... This time was about money, but I just wrote about a young woman who came to my aid to get a new upgraded phone... When we, as a nation, work together to move forward, God will be with us...
Loving your neighbor falls well beyond those in your immediate community... I review books... I do it to support writers, especially those self-publishing. Each of us has been given a set of skills, talents, all of which could be used for the Glory of God...
THE UPSIDE-DOWN KINGDOM
In seminary, I read Donald Kraybill’s The Upside- Down Kingdom, which is still, for me, one of the clearest descriptions of the new order that Jesus brought.3
Kraybill points out how Jesus’ kingdom of God turns the world’s values of selfishness, consumerism, individualism, militarism, power, and domination upside down.
Therefore, one of the saddest and most dangerous things about white Christian nationalism, and the churches that willingly or unwittingly support it, is how white Christian nationalism literally turns Jesus’ kingdom of God wrong side up. White Christian nationalism has nothing good to say about the poor, and poverty is often described as a character flaw. In fact, Christians are responsible for some of the cruelest things being said in America about “those immigrants” or those “on welfare.” And their individualistic, nationalistic, and racial interpretation of religion—leading to the prosperity gospel, the embracing of military power, the white ethnocentricity, and pride of nation—all directly conflict with Jesus’ teachings about the kingdom of God.
In Matthew 25, Jesus speaks of what we do, or don’t do, for the poorest and most vulnerable; is what we do, or don’t do—for Him. This was divine poetry for me when I first encountered this text because it fundamentally changes our relationship to millions of people in the world.
And Jesus put himself, his life, at the center of their lives. He was the “stranger,” a Greek word that translates quite literally to “immigrant or refugee,” at the center of our polarized political battles today.
Jesus says that those who have welcomed the stranger, fed the hungry, given the thirsty something to drink, clothed the naked, visited prisoners in jail, or cared for the health of the sick were his true followers. He was with them, and if you wanted to be with Jesus, you had to be with them too.
He told his would-be disciples: I will know how much you love me by how you treat them. And those who had offered the gift of their presence and care to the least of these would inherit the kingdom of God. Jesus made very plain what he was saying to all those gathered around him; all of who apparently believed themselves to be his followers.
I was always very struck by that reality in the text. The people he was addressing all thought they believed in him. They had followed the rules as they understood them, and thought they had done what was necessary to earn their salvation. And they obviously were confused: Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, naked, a stranger, sick, and imprisoned? We didn’t know that was you, Lord! Had we known it was you, we would have done something—like maybe formed a church social action committee.
But, in Matthew 25, Jesus shows white Christian nationalism adherents the fault in their ways. He explains, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least, who are members of my family, you did it to me.” It was when they cared for the poor, the disenfranchised and the marginalized, that they cared for him. “It was me,” Jesus showed us. I often refer to Matthew 25 as the “It was me text.” How you treated those who had nothing to offer in return, that was how you treated me, he says.
As a student, this was the most radical thing I’d ever read—more radical than the revolutionaries we young activists were all reading at the time to guide us.
Jesus was calling for a complete reversal of the current world order. I began to see how the kingdom of God confronted the materialistic, militaristic, and racial values of American culture. In his transforming Sermon on the Mount, the ones whom Jesus calls “blessed” were both the poor and poor in spirit, those with the capacity to weep and mourn over human suffering, those who are meek and humble, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (justice), those who are merciful (compassionate), those who are pure in heart (integrity), and those who are the peacemakers (who resolve conflicts rather than start them). Jesus’ words cut to the heart of economics and politics.
This was a different value system than the one I had grown up with in my white American church. One day, many years later, when I was fortunate to climb that hillside overlooking the beautiful Sea of Galilee, it seemed so small.
I sat there quietly for a long time, pondering how Jesus’ sermon was intended to change the world, to turn our lives right side up.
And Matthew 25 became Jesus’ final test of discipleship: how we treat the poor is literally how we treat him. In his commentary on Matthew 25, Tom Wright speaks of its overriding theme of justice. He says, Justice is one of the most profound longings of the human race. If there is no justice, then deep within ourselves we know that something is out of joint. Justice is hard to define and harder still to put into practice; but it has never stopped human beings and societies seeking it, praying for it, and working to find ways of doing it better. And “justice” doesn’t simply mean “punishing wickedness,” though that is regularly involved. It means bringing the world back into balance.4 The world “balance” is important. All the imbalances I saw as a young activist were deeply motivating me to change things.
Wright goes on to say, “Part of the biblical image of the coming of the son of man is the announcement that justice will at last be done.” This is how the rule of Christ in the kingdom of God would be exercised—through justice. Wright goes on: Should we not say, then, that this scene of judgment, though in this picture it is spoken of as a one-off future and final event, may actually refer to what is happening throughout human history from the time of Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to the present.… Jesus is portrayed as launching his followers on their dangerous and vulnerable mission.5 This new order is both now and coming.
When is the last time you heard a white Christian nationalist MAGA pastor talk about justice from the pulpit—justice for the poor, for the immigrants, for those being discriminated against? The only words that relate to “justice” are predictions of punishment for all those who oppose their political agenda. In the Bible, as many scholars have pointed out, the word for “justice” and “righteousness” is often the same. But white Christian nationalist preachers translate righteousness into only personal piety, and ignore the biblical language of justice altogether when it comes to the people who are other than them.
In Donald Trump's Trial, we learned that a deal was made between David Pecker and Donald Trump to have the National Enquirer support his campaign through lying...not only to cover up Trump's own actions during his wife's pregnancy, but to create false stories against his opponent... I was shocked when I found the documentation of what that one News agency had done...
I have never read the Enquirer...but apparently many routinely read this type of news that may or may not be true or even have a semblance of truth... However, when I saw the extent of damage promoted against Trump's opponent, together with how Trump treated her and other women--convicted of rape and defamation--and the Civil Fraud conviction... as well as the latest Criminal Case unanimous verdict, I just haven't a clue how so many people could have accepted Trump as their leader (and still do).
Over 2000 years have gone by and yet the needs of God's children continue not to be addressed, based upon, apparently, the republican party for quite some time... Again, I need to point out that my own knowledge began in 2015, so have only seen the radical differences, right now, between the republican and democratic parties... I've said earlier that I was not paying attention, just like many Americans, as to what was happening, until I heard the Infamous Tape Voicing Trump's routine of "grabbing them..." How did we get where we are? It seems to me, finally, that religion itself has led to much of the problem... But that's for another page...
Consider this, as can be seen by the conviction and the proof of the defamation of Hillary Clinton during the campaign, as well as the proven report that Russian had participated in the 2016 presidential campaign, we must be prepared to work to stop this happening again! What has helped me is reading books, written both historically and in the present.
For, you see, my hope that the Nation which we all know has been split apart, will, more and more realize that the Christian faith has also been torn apart! But not as planned by Jesus! He spoke of how to instigate a world that would be upside down! May we start, finally, in following His directions...
LIES THAT DEMAND OUR LOYALTY Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” —JOHN 8:32 The truth—how to find it, trust it, and live by it—is core to both faith and democracy. And the truth problem we now confront may be the single biggest threat to our democracy. Disinformation.
Fake news. Alternative facts. Telling lies in the public forum has become so commonplace that it has spurred its own lexicon. Of course, bending the facts and using rhetorical smoke and mirrors to highlight the positive and gloss over the negative is not a new phenomenon, especially among politicians and other powerful individuals, corporations, and institutions big and small.
Still, the idea of “truth” has become murkier than ever. Today, more than any time in my seventy-five years, separating the truth from lies has never been harder for people. Even worse, some people are concluding that there is no truth anymore, or that it doesn’t matter anyway, so let’s all just pick our favorite lies. And powerful interests and ideologies have developed sophisticated messaging, media skills, and the technology of algorithms, to go after people who are open to the falsehoods that serve their interests, perspectives, or power. Lies have become a hallmark of both political discourse and the way the news is delivered and consumed. There are countless spins or even downright contradictory reports on the same pieces of news, each carefully crafted to take hold of the target audience’s attention by serving up just what they want to hear and what will justify their existing beliefs, prejudices, and judgments. Cable news networks focus on the stories and the angles that will draw the best ratings based on viewer biases. And talk radio shows daily appeal to our worst extremes and impulses. “Fair” and “balanced” are now antiquated words long out of date to many of our media platforms. The 1949 Fairness Doctrine of the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) required those who held broadcast licenses to offer differing viewpoints on controversial matters and important issues; it was abolished during the Reagan administration. The demise of the FCC rule helped lead to the increase in media polarization.1 And that polarization is no accident. Both the practice and publicizing of politics today play on the well-established human tendency to favor the attractive lie over the difficult truth.
JESUS’ WORDS
Given this state of affairs, Jesus’ message in John 8 is more critical than ever. What did he mean by “the truth”? His words went beyond, and much deeper than just saying, “Don’t lie.” He wasn’t merely moralizing about right or wrong when he proclaimed, “You will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” He was urging his followers to recognize that truth and freedom are indivisible, that you can’t have one without the other. At the same time, he was exhorting us to recognize that the opposite was equally true. Without truth, we are slaves to our own delusions. Jesus makes clear that the opposite of truth is captivity—the loss of freedom. No truth, no freedom. Even when we believe or endorse lies unwittingly, we are ensnared in a web of dishonesty, one that gradually kills our souls.
We are trapped, and this is the very reason Satan is known as “the Father of Lies” (John 8:44). In John 8, Jesus urges the people gathered around him, his disciples, to seek truth, no matter how inconvenient and painful it may seem. The only way to break our captivity is to learn anew how to know, love, and speak the truth that Jesus promised would set us free. How do we do that? The freedom Jesus promises is not just life after death but freedom for our lives in this world—here and now. New Testament scholar Tom Wright remembers singing freedom songs as a young man in the 1960s, and so do I! Wright says this about John 8:32: Verse 32 rings like a bell through much of Christian language: free from sin, free from slavery, free from the law, free from death, free from injustice, free from debt, free from tyranny.… The way to freedom is through the truth, and what matters is to know the truth. Tyranny and slavery of every sort thrive on lies, half-truths, evasions, and cover-ups. Freedom and truth go hand in hand.2 Many commentaries on John focus on freedom from the slavery of sin. Wright says, “It is the slavery that grips not only individuals but also groups, nations, and families of nations. It is the slavery we know as sin.” He and I both grew up in religious worlds with a “small minded” view of sin, often relegated to mostly sexual sins. He says, and I agree, that “sexual sins matter” and can destroy lives, marriages, families, and communities. “But there is more to sin than sex,” Wright says, “and sin as a whole is more than the sum of its parts. When people rebel against God in whatever ways, new fields of force are called into being, a cumulative effect builds up, and individuals and societies alike become enslaved just as surely as if every single one of them wore chains and was hounded to work every day by a strong man with a whip.”3 “Fields of force” is a powerful phrase that can illuminate the spiritual nature of America’s sin of historic racism. This passage, and the many commentaries on John 8:32 and following, have got me thinking how sin is slavery and slavery is sin, and how the two are so deeply connected in America. The brutal physical chains that enslaved African Americans wore led to the destructive moral chains on the sinners who held them and denied their humanity. We have described how America’s original sin of white supremacy still endures and evolves, and those chains in the nation still continue for both Black and white lives. Lies sustained those chains—and still do. And only the truth can set us free.
Therefore, we all ask: What is the truth, and how can it set all of us free? Throughout John’s gospel, as many commentators also point out, it is Jesus himself who is the “truth, the way, and the life” (John 14:6) and he can set us free. And the way to do that, says Jesus, is to continue in “my words.” Tom Wright says to be “infected with the disease of sin” puts us in “darkness” but, by hearing and receiving Jesus’ words, we can be set free. The text goes on to show that even those who say they believe in Jesus can still be stuck in the darkness of sin unknowingly. “The same is true today,” says Wright, “that even those who are members of churches are not automatically in God’s favor. What if the people called to carry Jesus’ light into the world are themselves infected with the darkness?”4 These are questions for us all as readers, leaders, and pastors. And it is critically important that a new generation learns how to find the truth.
THE NEWS, THEN AND NOW
Let’s apply the gospel truth principles practically. When I was growing up, we all got our news from a few anchors on the “big three” major broadcast networks—ABC, NBC, and CBS. News then was like a town meeting, where we all received the same information and considered the same arguments, trusting that the only agenda was to present the facts, what was happening in our country and world. Sure, they made mistakes, sometimes showed their biases—especially mostly white reporters with racial biases and the Black news that was seldom reported; but we basically trusted them to present the general news as it had occurred and without a deliberate attempt to mislead us. My family gathered each night for a half hour after dinner to tune into the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. Cronkite famously signed off each evening: “And that’s the way it is.” And America believed him. A poll taken in 1972, ten years after he assumed his role as a CBS news anchor, declared Cronkite “the most trusted man in America.”5 We didn’t always agree with everything that he said and we weren’t always happy with all the news he reported, but mostly we believed that what he said was, in fact, the way it was. The trust in shared media that we once took for granted has gradually, and now completely, eroded over the years. In fact, television news is now the second-least-trusted institution in the country, according to a recent Gallup poll.6
Alarmingly, Congress earned the top spot. In both cases, powerful interests have caused a distrust of truth. The news, once a means of getting the populace onto the same page, has been replaced by media outlets split along ideological and political lines. With some admirable exceptions, too many so-called news sources play to the darkest fears and most deep-seated prejudices of the consumer, each spewing venom in the direction of “the other.” Many have grown tired and distrustful of “the media” and have begun seeking out other news sources. Unfortunately, this disavowal of mainstream media has turned many toward extremely partisan news sources with even less oversight and accountability.7 “The left” and “the right” seem to be living in parallel universes.
There is a real difference between deliberate lies and regular bias. But we do see each claiming their own set of truths and facts irreconcilable with the other. Kellyanne Conway, former senior counselor to Donald Trump, all but owned this phenomenon when she referred to “alternative facts.” Each side’s audience is rarely exposed to the perspective of the other and too often reject it outright when they are. Of course, there is only one alternative to truth, and that is a lie.
THE VOCATION OF TRUTH TELLING
The vocation of journalists is to tell the truth. This is a mission of the church as well. There are vocational parallels here. And there are still many courageous journalists who work hard to fulfill that mission of truth telling. In some countries that costs journalists their lives; and even in America they are increasingly becoming the targets of those powerful people who want to deny or cover up the truth. There have also always been great truth tellers who are pastors and preachers. But now, truth telling from pulpits is far too rare and, when some pastors do tell the truth about current events and offer a biblical response, even they can become targets of congregants who don’t like their “politics.” And in the pulpits of white Christian nationalism, congregants who don’t agree with the political right’s agenda being preached can be targeted or even asked to leave. I’ve had conversations with pastors whose congregations are increasingly divided along political lines, using different media sources, resulting in battles erupting on church listservs and in newsletters. When I ask what one side does when hearing about big stories and events from the other side, they say, “They never even hear those stories; don’t know those events and circumstances ever existed; and wouldn’t believe it if they heard.” Other pastors tell me how they work mightily to correct rumors and fears on their church listservs. Feeling a need to pastorally intervene, they ask parishioners to please not spread unverified information. Recovering the vocation of truth telling is one of the most important missions for pastors now. For that, we will need both Scripture and important research to help make our vocation of truth telling more possible.
!!!
Folks, what I am finding in reading The False White Gospel, is that it is so completely attuned to what is happening in America these days, and, in the past, that it would be impossible to actually provide an overview of content. Immediately, I must say that this book just might be one of the most important books you read this year...
And why is that important? Well, take a look at the headline for this article! Essentially, we now know (I certainly didn't) under the Republican Party, The FCC abolished the Fairness Doctrine! What that means was that prior to removing the limitation of "Fairness," all news agencies were required to present basic facts of what occurred, no matter how that news might result in prejudice, bias, or just a belief in lies by readers or listeners.
Consider the basic facts presented when President Kennedy was assassinated... It came in quickly, factual, and then returned to the programming planned. In 2024, we have several total news stations, which includes hours of discussion, based upon a basic fact... However, because the Fairness Doctrine no longer "forces" stations to be fair, we have learned that those who wish to gain control, power, or money, have begun to "spin" the facts sometimes to the extent that the entire story about an event is wrong!
Consider the January 6th insurrection. In many ways, this event was based purely on LIES. And those lies which were provided by some media, such as Fox, has moved for the most part into a disinformation station, even being sued for the false information they announced during the 2020 election!
It seems clear to me that when the republican party led the move to abolish a Fairness Doctrine to ensure equal and factual coverage of news in response to the 1st Amendment, that it was the beginning of a longer range plan that was just beginning... How far back it began may still be unknown, even if we can refer to the discrimination against the indigenous natives and the Black slaves, that history had been glossed over for decades and is only now being questioned more extensively.
As many of you know, my emphasis on the Trump/ Evangelical Christian connection was what most bothered me... But little by little it is coming forth. This book makes a major forward advancement. Just prior to getting into the issues of Truth in Media, Wallis went deeply into the manipulation and other actions taken by the republican party on the basis of their White Nationalist Doctrine. Obviously we all know that white supremacy is key to Trump's MAGA movement, sponsored by some Evangelicals.
Wallis moves quickly into the decision to be made, citing from Genesis 1:26, where we learn that man was made in His Image--all humans, not just white people--all of us. And Wallis then challenges. Do you believe and accept this? And then, he moves further in that these words were also repeated within the Constitution! So, then, what could have led to a white supremacy/nationalist type of transition?
THE MORAL CRISIS WE FACE We are facing a political and even violent clash of opposite beliefs in either rejecting or accepting a multiracial democracy in America. January 6, 2021, signaled the failure of politics to find a peaceful resolution for our deep cultural polarization around the central conflict of whether human beings from different races, nations, classes, and gender backgrounds can live together peaceably and share equal power in a democratic American future. The answer is either yes or no, and each of us must make a choice. That is true for every American and every Christian. This crisis is historical, in place since the country’s founding—even before—but it now comes to a crescendo as we move from a white majority nation to a country where multiple minorities will soon be the majority—the elephant in the room for almost every political discussion in America today.
This crisis is also a moral and spiritual one with many church communities having been co-opted by, and actively participating in, America’s growing polarization. Instead of seeking to build bridges to help navigate a new nation as racially diverse as the global body of Christ, some increasingly vocal Christian leaders are propping up the very segregation that the apostle Paul called on the church to reject. Every pastor can see those critical decisions being lived out among their congregations and parishes, and every preacher with integrity must make these choices clear on the basis of the gospel.
Some national figures, scholars, church leaders, culture watchers, and journalists have been urging us to confront a rising ideology that is rooted in America’s original sin: the sin of white supremacy. The armed groups and individuals who are motivated by white supremacy are now judged to be the greatest domestic terrorist threat to our country’s security today by many law enforcement authorities. That old ideology of white supremacy is now religiously undergirded by an old heresy—with a new name: white Christian nationalism.
I believe that white Christian nationalism is the single greatest threat to democracy in America and to the integrity of the Christian witness. These choices that we all must make will have concrete moments and milestones. Election day 2024 will show and perhaps even determine whether democracy will survive or collapse in America due to legal, extra-legal, corrupt, and even violent action amidst racial and social conflict. This is now our clearest and most present danger. When politics fail, faith communities can offer a way forward because they are founded on the very equality that makes any diverse human community possible—because all human beings are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). Do we believe that or not? That is the moral question of our day. Will we practice a politics of the image of God?
WHITE CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM IS A FAKE CHRISTIANITY
As noted earlier, the strategy of white Christian nationalism is to prevent our changing demography from changing our democracy. And to distort and manipulate religion for those false ends. American demographic changes cannot be halted. But too many white people and their political leaders want to prevent those changes from affecting the outcomes of elections and public policy decisions. And too many of those white power holders consistently fan the flames of white grievances and fears in their constituents in order to hold on to their political power. To put it even more bluntly: the strategy is to ensure white minority rule. I believe that white Christian nationalism has now become the principal obstruction to achieving multiracial democracy.
But it cannot just be defeated politically. It must be addressed at a deeper level, theologically and spiritually. We need a theology of democracy. University of Oklahoma sociology professor Samuel Perry, the coauthor of two books on Christian nationalism, writes: The fact is, Christian nationalist ideology—particularly when it is held by white Americans—is fundamentally anti-democratic because its goal isn’t “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.” Its goal is power. Specifically, power for “true Americans like us”—Christians in an almost ethnic sense—who are deemed worthy to belong and govern this country. Stemming from the prior history of “Dominionist” theology, the most salient threat white Christian nationalism poses to democracy is that it seeks to undermine the very foundation of democracy itself: voting.1
How did we get here?
HISTORICAL PRECEDENTS White Christian nationalism is not new. It has been with us since before the founding of the United States, from the first landings of European explorers and settlers to the American continents—the homelands of Indigenous peoples. What is now called the Doctrine of Discovery carried the evil seeds of conquest and slavery, with the violence they required. To not know, or to deny that history, will substantially prevent a new, more just future for America. In America, Christian nationalism was always white and meant to be, so we will always attach “white” to the term “Christian nationalism” in this book. In European nations today now also experiencing an influx of refugees and immigrants of color, religion has culturally faded. But though the new European nationalism may not be so “Christian” in name, it is still “white” nationalism. “White” is coming back in Europe, uniting different European ethnicities against the arrival of “others” including Africans and Middle Easterners, even in places like Scandinavia, which have prided themselves on being very progressive. That makes this book relevant to European and other English-speaking nations, whose readers are experiencing some of the same right-wing nationalist and autocratic movements as we are here.
From the beginnings of this nation, white nationalism co-opted religion and its preachers. Listen to Cotton Mather, one of the earliest and most celebrated New England Puritan preachers in the late 1600s and early 1700s: “The New Englanders are a people of God settled in those, which were once the devil’s territories. And it may easily be supposed that the devil was exceedingly disturbed when he perceived such a people here accomplishing the promise of old made unto our Blessed Jesu—that He should have the utmost parts of the earth for His possession.”2 Early Protestant settlers believed that America was a land ordained by God for his white people. They sought to justify their possession of the land and the expulsion of its native inhabitants just as the Israelites of the Old Testament had laid claim to the land promised by God that, at the same time, was occupied by the Amalekites and other nomadic tribes. Labeling those who must be eradicated, defeated, and destroyed as “satanic” was central to the theology/ideology of conquest.
Mather was also involved, not surprisingly, in the Salem witch trials. We will never know exactly what happened at the first “Thanksgiving,” but the Indigenous people in America initially showed a willingness to help the new arrivals in their territories and even to share their land with the new immigrants and strangers. Their generosity was repaid with brutal violence that was meant to remove and even extinguish them, their children, and their culture. The theology of conquest laid the groundwork for another narrative that would become central to white Christian nationalist ideology: the “end times” eschatology, meaning the foretelling of the future—still popular with fundamentalist Christians today.
Yes, we all have our experience with seeing or reading about exactly what many of our immigrant ancestors had done upon reaching America. I have found it ironic that they then began to do to the indigenous natives, and later, to African slaves, exactly what they had claimed to have happened to them overseas... Was it not freedom--yes, freedom of religion. Yet, in all ways, those people turned against God's children, mostly because of greed, it seems to me... Perhaps only later, did they develop a prejudice against those of a different race... even claiming, for slaves that they could not even represent a full person when issues of governance began to be developed.
How did it become more and more racial prejudice so much so that the claim that now only white people are entitled to rule the land that once was totally available to the native tribes, and then worked and built by our Black brothers and sisters? And why did we cling to the old testament, even while claiming to be Christians who Loved Jesus... Who only asked one thing...that we love our neighbors--all neighbors!
I am one of the individuals, like the author, Jim Wallis, of this book and the many others that are available, that are diving into the past to pinpoint what is happening now and what must be done for the future of America. What we do know is that some part of those who claim to be christian are now a sect called Christians Nationalists... As an aside, did you know that there are over 200 different sects of the protestant faith? Consider that, when you have differences based upon issues not able to be covered by the two commands from Jesus... Love the God of All and Love all that He created (neighbors), then I, like Wallis, suggest you begin to question the doctrine you follow.
I wanted to provide a couple of others who were/are evangelical christians who have since rejectd what is happening...
This book in no way provides all the answers but I believe it certainly will hit many of the points of issues that are tantamount to reclaiming America as it was constitutionally established: By the People, For the People... This is a must-read recommendation for me if you, too, are searching for answers as to just how a group of Christians selected to join with the republican party, white supremacists, the KKK, and other fanatical groups to become an internal terrorist group that is aimed to make America a dictatorship rather than a democracy... I hope you give it your highest consideration... God Bless Us in Our Journey Forward...
Marie came into my life yesterday... She came strolling up to me and politely asked if I needed help...
Immediately I said Yes (and I'd follow here anywhere to have her provide it, LOL).
Who was she, you might wonder and rightly so... All I can say is that God sent her to me just when I needed her...
I had gone to Target where I hoped to find a representative for Consumer Cellular. There was none. My niece suggested that I could at least look at their phones... My reasoning for this company was that, since Verizon was out of service for at least 50% of the time at my location, then I could at least pay a cheaper cost for the same service... I had learned that, even though Verizon forced us to "upgrade" (whatever that meant), the company really had not yet accomplished this...
I asked the young woman if she was a rep for them. She said no, but she was for AT&T. OK, That was a company that I would at least listen to... Walking with her to her work station, I began to learn so much! She pointed out that my phone was Generation 4; while AT&T had already gone to Generation 5. Immediately I had HOPE... Maybe I would have phone service from just my cell and not have to have a landline! She explained that she too lived on a farm away from town and got good service there... Hope grew...
Before going further, I had two issues of concern. Did AT&T have a phone that could also provide emergency calling... She quickly pointed out how her phone was able to accomplish that...and she added that all AT&T phones provided that service! I shared about another company that had bit the dust--Medical Alert!-- that was one + for AT&T for me... The next was related to my need to have larger print...that I could no longer read many of the messages that were coming in, from Verizon and more... She quickly said that as soon as I had received the selected phone, she would personally increase the size! Wow... I was loving this angel! And started flowering her with compliments...
She reminded me of Abby in NCIS, who was not only bright, but was constantly joyful, working to help me, seeming to delight in the tasks that would lead to my complete satisfaction. That was Marie!
Marie even dressed in her own personal style, like Abby, and soon I knew this young lady was trustworthy... As some of you know, I had found so many large corporations with questionable levels of trust for more years than I wanted to count... Isn't it sad that it has gotten so bad for customers, that when you meet a totally competent, efficient, and personable sales rep that you want to gush and thank her--for just doing her job!?
But I'm not done yet, just as Jesus did with the Samaritan woman, Marie began to help me through the confusion and frustration of my not understanding how to deal with constant changes from every company who no longer cares for their customers... Marie spoke clearly and strongly--We can do this for you! We will meet your every need! And we will not act as if I was taking up their precious time, even though there were, that day, no other individuals waiting for her quiet, competently given words of guidance. She began to explain about a discount from AARP (in which I had never taken the time to participate) which would result in a discount... and then proceeded to sign me up! And told me each step that I would later do...
And before I knew it, she was talking to Verizon (yes, I discovered that there really are people working there, but by that time, I was no longer interested in talking to them). With one call she requested and received authorization for me to continue to use the same number for my new phone with AT&T...
This wonderful young lady, Marie, will be going places... She is a person who knows all that she needs to know, but, more, goes beyond her job to meet the needs of a tired woman who had just come from the doctor where I talked about a new operation to change a part of my body that was no longer meeting routine needs... Again... She told me the little things I needed to know that Verizon nor anybody else had thought to share... that all the calls which just recently started coming on my cell were robocalls and there was nobody there to actually read the messages I had been responding to! I just looked at her, even sharing one of the messages I had responded to (Verizon) robocall! But I didn't feel embarrassed! This is ALL very wrong...How dare, my telephone number be used for political purposes without my permission, for instance...Yet they come...daily... And, how dare Verizon force a change phones even though they were still in Generation 4...and still be charging more than I would be paying for AT&T, with Gen 5 already functioning!
When companies are supposedly doing all these changes according to their notices (to which you can never respond back to) for security's sake, yet, I and so many others are being inundated by dozens of spam calls!!! or emails? Surely they don't think we are stupid enough to think that they are really concerned about securing our lives--because they aren't! But, sadly, many large corporations have gone beyond... beyond ensuring that their motto was "The Customer Is Always Right" and gone to those places as men such as our former president, that does everything for their own greed or power (both) never realizing that there is indeed payback ahead... AT&T is well beyond meeting my preferred issues being addressed... And, at a lower cost...
I couldn't help but think about the comparison, such as Verizon, (and many others) that no longer allow an email response to their mail... thus ensuring that we rarely raised questions or sought support... This goes for most online sites as well... It is illogical that the customer is no longer a part of the trial and error and need for correction immediately if at all possible...
I applaud Marie from White Oak Strategies Networking Firm... and AT&T for providing staff who works with those of us in need, in understanding all the changes being made in technology! Hopefully, I won't need to have a landline; but I'm now prepared to get what will work in my location!
Note that this is not yet a review of the phone itself... It's just to remind us that there really are people, like Marie, who works to "help her neighbors..."
.jpg)
.jpg)
