There is a saying in Lutheran circles that we are meant to “call a thing a thing” or “name the thing what it is.” Martin Luther in his Heidelberg Disputation stated, “A theology of glory calls evil good and good evil. A theology of the cross calls the thing what it actually is.” Or as Cameron B.R. Howard, a professor of the Old Testament, has put it, “theologians of the cross cannot equivocate when faced with good and evil; they must call a thing what it is.”
It originated during a time when conflicting theologies were being debated. Many were argued to be in alignment with one set of values, but were later proven to fall outside of those values. (But if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, we should see through the false claim and refute the argument that it wasn’t anything but.) It seems we are in need of a reminder of this charge, given the religious current events happening in our country.
We have a newly renamed White House Faith Office to support faith-based entities. We see a new Department of Justice task force for “anti-Christian bias” to protect discrimination against Christians in the federal government. And we also see renewed effort and support to place the Ten Commandments in public schools.
Then we have the honored and respected Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde being labeled a mean preacher, and currently there is a resolution going through the House of Representatives to condemn her recent sermon at a prayer service for promoting mercy. Gen. Michael Flynn, a friend of the current executive branch, stated, and the Department of Government Efficiency special employee Elon Musk affirmed, that Lutherans (the denomination in which I am a rostered leader, clergy) are a “money laundering operation” through their many government-approved social service organizations. We also have orders to strip houses of worship of their sensitive-area status for Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
It’s time to call a thing a thing. The thing is Christian nationalism, an ideology that assumes Christian supremacy within our pluralistic country. The thing is the bold hypocrisy of leaders claiming persecution while they conduct widespread persecution. The thing is political stunts undermining impactful social works for the good of the American people, especially those in most need. The thing is attacking and scapegoating marginalized people for the sake of supremacy. It is not Christian and sounds awfully like the rise of fascism and nationalism of the early 20th century.
How can one promote upholding religious freedoms and yet question another group’s legitimacy? How can one say they follow Christ and not care for the prisoner, the foreigner, the hungry, and those in need of medical care? How can you claim Christianity and not find value in your fellow humans’ dignity and rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? You would need to call something good when it is not. It is something this pastor needs to condemn. Christian nationalism is heresy, unpatriotic, and evil.
I implore you to train your eye to recognize hypocrisy and get comfortable calling it out, leveraging whatever platform you have, whether that is the dinner table, the newsroom, the boardroom, etc. Difficult and uncomfortable conversations are needed, don’t fear them. Reflect on your own political thoughts to see if they add to the discord regarding how the government should work, or if they add to the ongoing racism and bigotry already out there. Learn to find facts outside your normal information-giving feeds. We have amazing libraries. Ask the question, does this support my neighbors or only benefit a few?
The truth is, there are people in our community who are increasingly unsafe with the rise of Christian nationalism, for as the organization Christians Against Christian Nationalism says, “the ‘Christian’ in Christian nationalism is more about identity than religion. It carries with it assumptions about nativism, white supremacy, authoritarianism, patriarchy, and militarism.”
Let’s work together to ensure all feel safe in our community to practice — or not practice — a faith tradition of their choosing. Let’s work together to ensure all feel safe in our community to love who they love, express their gender authentically, practice their cultural customs, and live here whether their family recently immigrated or has resided here for generations.
There is more to say and do to combat the rise of Christian nationalism in our country, but it starts with calling this thing for what it is, evil.
The Rev. George W. Dietrich is pastor of the Hamptons Lutheran Parish — Incarnation Lutheran in Water Mill and St. Michael’s in Amagansett.