Author: Pat Liberty

The late, great civil rights activist and preacher, the Rev. William Sloane Coffin wrote, “There are three kinds of patriots, two bad, one good. The bad are the uncritical lovers and the loveless critics. Good patriots carry on a lover’s quarrel with their country.”

Those who carry on lover’s quarrels with their country are rarely seen as patriots. Those who are uncritical lovers are held out as the example for everyone to follow.

Patriotism is a tricky thing, especially in these days of rising nationalism. “My country right or wrong” is the cry of nationalism and under it is the belief that no matter what, my country is right. As William Sloane Coffin notes, “That’s like saying my grandmother drunk or sober.” It helps no one.

Carrying on a lover’s quarrel with our country is the mark of critical thinking and deep passion. As a parent loves their children and is not afraid to call them out when they are wrong, so patriots love their country and are not afraid to call it out when it is wrong.  Of course, we risk being called communists, haters, disloyal, unfaithful, treacherous, disaffected and fickle.

For people of faith, the best patriotism is that which is informed by faith: concern for the poor, commitment to justice, love for all God’s creation and so much more. We live, however, in a time where the tables are turned and those who proclaim these things are marginalized as the unpatriotic.

It’s time we claim our patriotism again. Fly the flag and be clear about what you mean when you do it. When I fly the flag I proclaim my love for my country. It is a love that believes in the best America can be and isn’t afraid to be critical. It is a belief in the greatness of America that is being squandered by rich, greedy individuals and corporations who legally get to take far more than their share because they are protected by their cronies in government. It is a belief in the potential of the United States to be generous and a beacon of light and generosity to the world.  Instead America lives with its light under a bushel because it serves the rich and influential. Finally, my love for America is rooted in a conviction that religious pluralism, cultural diversity and an accurate understanding of our history are crucial if we are to realize part of the potential that lies within us.

It’s time we claim our patriotism. This means participating in government, not just by voting but by being a thorn in the side of our elected leaders. It means being courageous, outspoken critics of a corrupt Supreme Court. Write individual letters to them. Call them out for their corrupt and unjust rulings. And while you are at it thank Sonia Sotomayor, Ketanji Brown Jackson and Elena Kagan for their tireless work trying to do the right thing, even though it must seem like shoveling sand against the tide. 

It’s time we claim our patriotism. This means being well informed and caring deeply about things that do not directly affect us. The student loan decision of last week by SCOTUS may not affect anyone you know, but it is devastating to those who are struggling to meet their commitments and not live in poverty. This was a spiteful decision. The Paycheck Protection Program has so far forgiven $757 billion in loans to private businesses, nearly double what the Biden administrations student-loan forgiveness would have cost. There is an undercurrent of racism in this decision as those most likely to be impacted are black borrowers because they pay a disproportionate amount of student loan interest.

And this is just one issue. Affirmative action, the overturning of Roe v. Wade and other decisions make our current Supreme Court the most corrupt and politically motivated court in American history.

Patriotism requires us to think critically about who is impacted by the advantages/disadvantages of decisions that affect our social and political system. Further, it requires us to consider how the laws and decisions measure up against what our faith asks of us and willingness to SAY SOMETHING.  Patriotism asks something of us. Democracies don’t run themselves. They depend on the participation of average citizens. Nature abhors a vacuum and when we are silent, other less balanced voices come to the fore.

Here’s to being called disloyal, fickle, treacherous and unpatriotic. Happy 4^th of July.

Today is the forty-first anniversary of my ordination. On this June day, I stood in front of 300 or so people, quaked out my vows, felt the hands of my new colleagues on my head and shoulders as I took on the office of ministry. There is nothing special about forty-one years, but every year on this day I reflect on this weird and wild ride that is a life in ministry. It’s a bit like Dr. Seuss…”Oh the Places You’ll Go.” Every year different things come to the fore. Here are this year’s reflections.

I was ordained six weeks before my twenty-fifth birthday. I should have had “clueless” tattooed across my forehead. At some level I knew that I didn’t know nearly enough to launch me into this life, but I blundered forward as best I could.  That I didn’t screw up worse than I did is testimony to grace and the power of the Holy Spirit. And though I know a lot more now than I did then, I still have moments of cluelessness.

I have spent almost fifty years in service to the church. I was ordained to the ministry of word and sacrament and the office of pastor and teacher. This continues to shape my life. I believe in the power of the gospel to transform just about anything that needs to be transformed. That said; the church is a helluva disappointment in many ways. I have moments when I wonder if my service to the institution has been in vain. It is such a screwed up mess. 

I have seen churches wrenched apart by conflict that goes on for generations, an ecclesiastical version of the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s. I have seen the worst of what church people can be. I have seen clergy violate the trust of their office and leave a mile wide path of destruction in their selfish and broken wakes. I have seen churches mired in “the way we’ve always done it” to the point where they choke the life out of what’s left of their living history. Still, it’s what we have (for better or worse) for the ministry of the gospel.

Still, I believe in the life giving, life affirming radical love that is the heart of the gospel. It’s just that I am so disappointed that the church is such a miserable failure at living that out. Now the unofficial keeper of the social status quo, the church has forsaken its role as a radical agent of transformative love and justice making change. It’s enough to make this preacher wring her hands.

Yet, I still stand up every Sunday and preach from the center of my being, because it is what I am called to do. I want to believe it makes a difference but sometimes it is hard to tell. As Scripture reminds us, “God gives the increase.” It’s not about me.

Still, it’s not all gloom and doom. I have seen the church rise to the occasion of local need, global struggle and desperate pain. I have witnessed the healing power of community to reach to the heart of human brokenness and bring hope. I have felt the movement of the spirit when the word comes alive in the preaching and the listening energy is enough to blow me out the back of the chancel. I have witnessed individuals come alive in their faith and be “born again.”

Still, I believe in the ministry of word and sacrament. I believe in the value of gathering at the table to be nourished by the gifts of grape and grain and standing at the baptismal font to bear witness to the promises made with water.

Still, I believe the church has the potential to be transformed, if it can just get out of its own way. If the church can worship God more than it worships its building, it may have a chance. If the church can be the radical life giving community that Jesus intended and intends it to be, there may be hope for the institution. If the church can grow enough in grace and faith to embody a PART of what is called for as the new community in Christ, there may be hope. I have no vested interest in whether the church in its current incarnation survives. Sometimes I think the church should be like a phoenix and rise up out of the ashes of the past into something new and exciting. But the fire has to come first.

I’ll get the matches.

A good reason to celebrate Pride Month is that it makes the religious fundamentalists and social conservatives uncomfortable. Spewing their hatred and judgment, they try to out-shout the out and proud people who march in parades…and they fail. It’s a beautiful thing.

The best reason to celebrate Pride Month is because it is all about hope. It is a witness to LGBTQ persons, especially youth who are fed hatred and bigotry instead of love and acceptance. Consider these chilling facts:

• Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people aged 10-24 (Hedegaard, Curtin, and Warner, 2018)—and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth are at significantly increased risk.
• LGBTQ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers (Johns et al., 2019; Johns et al. 2020).
• The Trevor Project estimates that more than 1.8 million LGBTQ youth (13-24) seriously consider suicide each year in the US—and at least one attempts suicide every 45 seconds.
• The Trevor Project’s 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ youth Mental Health found that 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth.
• Data show that bisexual youth report higher rates of depressed mood, bullying, sexual assault and physical harm.
• LGBTQ youth of color reported higher rates of attempting suicide than their white peers in the last year (12% white youth, 21% of Native/Indigenous youth, 20% of Middle Eastern/Northern African youth, 19% of black youth, 17% of multiracial youth, 16% of Latinx youth, and 12% of Asian/Pacific Islander youth).
• Black transgender and nonbinary youth report disproportionate rates of suicide risk—with 59% seriously considering suicide and more than 1 in 4 (26) attempting suicide in the last year.

These statistics are from the Trevor Project website. The Trevor Project provides crisis services, advocacy, research public education, and TrevorSpace (a safe international community)

If this has not captured your attention, consider this. Much of what is represented in these statistics is wrapped up in a distorted theology of who God is and what God is about. LGBTQ youth and adults are barraged by the media with messages that God hates them, they are condemned to hell, they must repent, and the like. Every day children are cast out of their homes because their parents have internalized a message of hate about LGBTQ individuals. Research shows that LGBTQ are 120% more likely to experience homelessness and that up to 40% of homeless youth are LGBTQ.

To all the Open and Affirming, Welcoming and Affirming, Reconciling Congregations and faithful allies of the LGBTQ community…it takes more than a rainbow flag flying over the front door to get the message of God’s love across to those who have been beaten over the head with a bible by people trying to pray the gay away.

Being a gay friendly community asks something of us. It requires risk. The vast majority of Open and Affirming congregations I encounter in the UCC proudly fly their rainbow flags and proclaim that all are welcome. Their hearts are in the right place, and I celebrate the steps they have taken to be an inclusive community. More, however, is needed.

It takes a tremendous amount of courage for someone who has been traumatized by religion to walk in the door of a church. I don’t care how many rainbow flags festoon the building. I have heard too many stories of members of the LGBTQ community visiting an “open” church only to have no one talk to them, give them anything but a perfunctory welcome, and perhaps stare at their non-conforming attire. Of course we do that with straight people too, so it’s nothing new. But the damage done to someone who has mustered all their courage to walk in the door  is devastating.

What is most tragic, though, is that the heart of the message is never delivered or received. That message is the radical, inclusive, all embracing, joyous love of God who celebrates each and every person just as they are. What is never communicated is that they are truly welcome because this God we worship throws the door open wide to all who hunger and seek, and to all who need healing. The very heart of God is opened with the front door of the church to embrace everyone who walks in the door. The God we worship is a place where one can “unlearn” the hateful, distorted theology they learned that judged and rejected them.

We need Pride Month and we need people of faith to march in gay parades with signs that advertise their church. Straight people need to show they are allies to the gay community. Newspaper editorials and articles are needed to show a loving Christianity that is trying to drown out the voices of hate that are thinly veiled in a distorted view of what faith.

If you’re going to hang a rainbow flag, be prepared to live a rainbow life. Otherwise, don’t bother. The damage you reinforce will be even harder to unlearn.     

Yesterday, Florida’s Republican Governor and soon to be presidential candidate signed SB 1580 into law. This allows health care providers to deny medical care on the basis of moral, ethical or religious belief. The law also allows insurance companies to refuse coverage for procedures if they go against their stated moral or religious guidelines. Further, the bill grants full immunity from liability for any negative consequences resulting from their denial of care.

There are so many things wrong with this law it is hard to know where to start. That it ever got far enough to be signed into law is difficult to believe. This amounts to state sanctioned discrimination in the delivery of health care services.

The bill has a broad definition of healthcare payors. It includes any employer, health insurer, health plan, HMO, “or any other entity that pays for or arranges for payment of any health care service.” The law also has a broad definition of health care providers. According to the ACLU of Florida, “This bill is so overly broad that it includes not just doctors, but any health care provider or facility licensed under a dozen different statutes, including doctors, nurses, pharmacies, hospitals, mental health providers, medical transport services, clinical lab personnel, and more. It applies to both public and private schools, colleges and universities.”

I have questions. For example, a woman is in a motor vehicle crash and goes to the hospital for emergency medical care. This woman happens to have very short hair, several tattoos and multiple body piercings. On the SUSPICION that she MIGHT be gay, hospital personnel can deny her the care she needs AND be protected from any liability for doing so.

How does one determine if someone is gay? Is it by looks alone? Is there an interrogation? Is there some state ID that is issued? It sounds like we are heading down the road to yellow stars on sleeves.

And Ron DeSantis is running for president. One of his slogans is “Make America Like Florida.” If elected, his broad reaching powers have a more than average chance of making national laws that protect segregation and privilege, whitewash our history, undermine civil rights and push us further down the road to fascism.

Broadly defined, fascism is an extreme political movement that emphasizes nationalism, militarism and the supremacy of both the nation and a, powerful leader over the individual citizen. It opposes socialism, pluralism, individual rights and equality and democratic government.

I didn’t think America could survive a repeat of #45. I’m not sure our country can survive a DeSantis presidency either. The gerrymandering of voting districts will make it almost impossible for any democrat to win in any election. I am not an alarmist, but there is more than a little reason to be very nervous.

And here’s another disconnect. About 444,500 people moved to Florida between July 2021 and July 2022. Florida has a robust economy, with an unemployment rate of 2.6%, compared to 3.4% nationally. The median household income is $57,703, compared to $31,133 nationally. On the surface it looks pretty good. But the non-monetary costs of exclusion, bigotry, erosion of civil rights and systemic racism make it hard to see Florida as a desirable place to live.

Personally, I think it’s time to boycott Florida. I cannot in good conscience give them my tourist dollars. If I get sick in Florida, as a gay woman I might not be able to get the health care I need. I might be denied visitation privileges with my spouse. The scenarios that play out are terrifying.

It’s easy to think that my little boycott will have no impact on Florida, and it is probably true. But living my conscience is part of what it means to be faithful and to have integrity. And “two and two and fifty make a million”, as the old song goes. I know many of you, dear readers, have property in Florida and vacation in Florida. I vacationed in Florida this past year–but not next year. We have to put our money where our mouths are. It is part of loving our neighbor as ourselves–our gay neighbor, our black neighbor, our trans neighbor, our immigrant neighbor, our Muslim neighbor. If we have not love, we are noisy gongs and clanging cymbals as 1 Corinthians 13 reminds us. And love is not mushy-feel-good-warm-fuzzy-schmaltz. It is clench fisted denial, protest, making our voices heard and not backing down from what we know is right, true and just.

We forget that as consumers, we are the most powerful group. By choosing where we put our tourist dollars, how we spend our disposable income and where we put our civic and national efforts, we have the power to change things. And things need to be changed.

Since my blog last week many have written to share their stories with pets that have touched their lives. I love hearing from you. Thank you for writing.

One comment reminded me that organized religion is not everyone’s cup of tea. Yet, the desire for connection remains. Enter “The Nearness.” According to a story from the Religious News Service, “The Nearness is an online community where people of all religious and non-religious backgrounds can nurture and define what spirituality looks like for them outside of traditional religious institutions.” You can learn more about The Nearness here.

Casper ter Kuile and Alec Gerwitz founded The Nearness last fall. Their vision for this online community came from a desire to have different religious experiences than those provided in their childhood.

The Nearness provides courses on various topics and engages leaders from various traditions and philosophies. The courses provide guidance as well as “prompts for reflecting, asking questions, finding connection and experimenting with new practices and rituals.”

The Nearness is a community that has appeal to the ever growing population of the spiritual but not religious. This online community is a place where everyone is welcomed and affirmed, a place where people can be honest, as well as give and receive compassion. As an aside, it is a pathetic commentary on the church in general that so often it is NOT. It is interesting to note that many people who participate in this community are still affiliated, but not connected to a congregation.

For years research has shown that the single largest factor in member retention in religious communities is making significant friendships with other members. Ter Kuile notes that the data show that fewer people are making significant relationships within the church. Their  feelings of disconnection and isolation cause them to cease participation.

This does not bode well for the church. That said; I have no investment one way or the other in whether the institutional church survives. In fact, in its current incarnation I think it needs to die.  How such a radical, countercultural community of ordinary people, misfits and outcasts became the symbol of the status quo in a capitalist, success oriented, consumer culture is mind boggling. Perhaps in place of the thousands of churches that are closing every year, new vital communities that offer what people need and a vision for how to serve others might spring up. It’s pretty clear that the current model isn’t working.

In addition to groups for learning and growing The Nearness is experimenting with different kinds of rituals to ground significant life experiences. One thing that remains with people who may participate in religious life at no other time is that they often want to be married in a church, have their children baptized and have a minister preside over their funeral. Creating rituals apart from traditional religious ceremonies, allows significant life cycle events to be grounded in community and in ceremony.

I think The Nearness is on to something here. Maybe the church can learn a few lessons. Online opportunities for group participation, more small group interaction and a true spirit of hospitality are a good place to begin. Then, if the church could lose its self-righteous piety it might have a fighting chance.

Robert Fulghum may have learned what he needed to know in kindergarten. Much of I what I need to know I have learned from my dog.  Here are a few lessons from dogdom that have taught me something about the kin-dom, faithfulness and discipleship. 

Bark with your buddies.  Barking is an act of community.  When a dog barks, dogs in the distance answer.  Barking says we’re all in this together. “Improved communication” through electronics may make us more connected, but it fails to provide human contact. Being in community is, however, important.   

There’s a reason worship is central to a life of faithfulness. We are created to live in community.  Yes, we can pray on our own, connect with God on the mountains, water or golf course; but there is no substitute for corporate worship. Singing praise together, praying for one another and greeting one another in the spirit and love of Christ are an essential part of spiritual wellbeing.  Part of being a follower of Jesus Christ means gathering regularly for the encouragement of fellowship.

Greet loved ones with a wagging tail.  Nothing is more important than feeling loved, and there’s not a creature on the planet that does it better than a dog. One of the things I miss the most about my dog, Pearl, is that no matter how big a jerk I may have been on any given day, Pearl was happy to see me and ready to give me a slurp.  She reminded me that unconditional love is a beautiful thing and that I have a long way to go before I am even close to embodying it in my own life. 

Dogs remind us that loyalty is a good thing. Loyalty has fallen on hard times in our fickle culture as we are sometimes quick to trade in our friends, jobs, churches and spouses when the going gets tough; but loyalty it is a critical element of discipleship.  In Christ we are invited to a new relationship for a lifetime, not for a season, not for a time, but for all time.  And like all relationships, ours with God knows seasons. As the disciples anticipated tough times, Jesus reminds them and us that we continue to belong to God.

Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.  You know how dogs eat, slobber flying everywhere, chasing the dish across the floor to get every last morsel.   Twice a day Pearl would jump around and bark and couldn’t wait to dive into her food bowl. Watching a dog at mealtime is a great reminder that eating is a celebration of life. 

Breaking bread together is holy.  To nourish the body is not a chore, but a sacrament.  Eating together is deeply intimate. Barriers are broken down, relationships are renewed and nourished, and friendships are born and strengthened.  Eat with gusto; enjoy all the flavors and spices of creation.

We are also reminded of the basic need that all have for nourishment.  In this troubled world economy it is frightening to think that a basic commodity like rice, a staple for millions of the poorest of the poor, is becoming more and more expensive.  Riots in around the world and the increased numbers at meal sites and food pantries are not just social tragedies, but defining moments for God’s people.  Each week the local food pantry is all that stands between people and growing hunger right here in our own communities.

Run, romp and play daily. Physical exercise is as important for the soul as it is for the body. Pearl was absolutely unabashed in her demand for daily exercise and attention.  She would sit at the door and bark until one of us went outside to throw the disgusting tennis ball that was her constant companion. Or she would look at the leash and bark.  Through the years I’ve had a lot of pets–dogs, horses, cats, goats, chickens, you name it. Caring for them was always a welcome discipline and a reminder of how important it is to tend to physical needs. 

When you’re happy, dance around and wag your tail. Thankfulness and celebration are powerful dynamics for healthy living. Gratitude is a spiritual discipline that helps us affirm the essential goodness of life.

Even when adversity strikes, gratitude helps us maintain our perspective and carry us through the low moments. And when I speak of gratitude, I don’t mean some schmaltzy, shallow, put on a happy face crap. Pearl reminded me to cultivate gratitude through simple things.  In the grand scheme of things she didn’t ask for much–a few minutes of my undivided attention, a short walk a couple times a day, decent food, a safe dry place to sleep– and she was happy. 

Learn to be present.  At the Nursing Home, Pearl would visit with other residents and she was different with each of them.  If a person was playful she would be too, if they were withdrawn she would quietly sit down beside them.  

Watching Pearl reminded me of the value of sitting close by and being present.  I may have said this before, but one of the most valuable things I learned from my mentor is that, “when you don’t know what to say, for God’s sake, shut up.” 

This is a challenging and complicated life we all lead and there is no doubt that we are in need of comfort and encouragement.  I’m not suggesting that everyone run out and get a dog. I am suggesting that looking for simple places to find comfort and encouragement is a balance to what can be a difficult time in life.

Finally, when you choose to surround yourself with lives even more fragile than your own, you learn that time is fleeting and life is precious. Pearl passed from our keeping to God’s a bit ago, taking her place with the canine, equine and other critter companions who have graced my life through the years.

The truth is that each day is filled with opportunities and invitations that make the difference between merely existing and truly living. May you find the simple things that bring comfort, encouragement and glimpses of peace and joy.

Via the door is the logical answer. But when it comes to church, going in the door is not the same as getting in. Anyone can walk through the door of a church. After that, they have the daunting task of finding a way into the community. And it isn’t always easy, especially if you are an introvert.

It’s hard to walk up to someone you don’t know and introduce yourself. It’s even harder when a dozen people descend on you like flies on a hot apple pie. You may hear the unfortunate phrase, “You are sitting in my seat.” The congregation stands and sits at odd times. Everyone seems to know a couple of the ditties they sing–“Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow” and “Glory Be to the Father”– but there are no page numbers and no words. When they say the Lord’s Prayer, you say trespasses and they say debts. You don’t know when you are supposed to do what. And then, when worship is over there is this awful thing called “Coffee Hour” where people talk to each other, but because you don’t know anyone you stand there all by yourself sipping really bad coffee and looking for the nearest exit.

And we wonder why people never come back.

But that’s not even the worst of the problem. People show up to church because they are looking for something. In my experience very few people show up to church the first time because their lives are going swimmingly. They come because they are in crisis (and not just a spiritual one) or more often, because they are lonely. People often come to church because they are looking for a place where they can belong.  According to the Roots of Loneliness Project, “52% of Americans report feeling lonely, while 47% report their relationships with others are not meaningful. Only 59% of Americans say they have a best friend.”

Often when they come to church, they find there is no way “in.” And if that is the case, chances are good they will not come back through time. If they join, they will become inactive within six to nine months. Studies have shown again and again that new member retention depends on opportunities to connect with small groups of people for study, fellowship, mission opportunity and more.

In the “olden days” when I was growing up, the Ladies Aid Society was the group that bound the women together. They were the backbone of the church. These women’s groups are shriveling on the vine as their members grow older and newer women are not interested in the format or content of the group. Bible study was always an option and lots of people got to know each other through the six to eight week sessions that ran throughout the year. The choir was a pretty tight group, meeting once a week for rehearsal and singing together on Sunday morning. Church clean up days in the spring and fall provided another opportunity for people to get to know each other. Pot Luck suppers and opportunities to eat were always popular, too.

Times, however, have changed. The church has been slow to follow.  In many churches getting someone on a board or committee is considered getting a new member to be active. I think it’s dumb. A person joins an organization, has no idea how it works, gets put on a committee and is expected to make decisions and participate in processes they know nothing about. Has anyone really thought this through as a membership retention strategy?

The point is that people are yearning for community. The cure for loneliness is connection. People don’t need more jobs or tasks of content. They need more connection. The two churches with which I have relationship have such opportunities to be together. My home church has a monthly meal that is not only a fundraiser for the church, but provides opportunity for people to come together as a team. They also have a weekly bible study. The other church I connect with that is closer to my home just started a free community meal. Inviting people from the community afforded us opportunity to meet people who live in the same neighborhood as the church. It also gave me an opportunity to meet and work with people I did not know. It was a blast!

Churches that provide invitation and opportunity for people to participate in small groups help to quell the epidemic of loneliness that plagues our society. How is your church, synagogue or mosque doing at providing opportunities for people to be together? My guess is there is room for improvement. Leave a comment and let me know your experience with groups in your church. If you don’t have a church or religious community, leave a comment on what would encourage you to participate.

While it is coming to the fore in strong and frightening ways, the idea of Christian nationalism is nothing new. There are, according to John D. Wilsey in The Many Faces of Christian Nationalism, several distinct periods when Christian national identity was strengthened in American history. These periods are American Puritanism and Puritan Millennialism, Christian Republicanism, Manifest Destiny, Lincolnian Unionism, Wilsonian Idealism and Christian America.

Christian America is the period in which we find ourselves today. It first gained ground in 1977 when Peter Marshall and David Manuel published a book called The Light and the Glory. It set forth the idea that persists today, that America is the new Israel, God’s beloved and chosen people. It promulgates the idea that America was founded as a Christian nation and that all efforts to blend American and Christian identity together were to be supported and strengthened.

Christian nationalism is once again coming to the limelight and has widespread support in various sectors of American life. Such ideology is seeping into our national leadership with legislators (I cringe to use the term) like Marjorie Taylor Green selling T-shirts on her website sporting the words “Proud Christian Nationalist.”

According to the Religious News Service, a poll from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) found that fully one third of Americans hold Christian nationalist views.

If you’re not afraid yet, you should be.

At its simplest, Christian nationalism is the belief that being Christian is central to American identity. As an ideology, the “Christianity” it embraces is racist, homophobic, xenophobic and about every other phobic you can name. While the percentages of people who wholeheartedly embrace this ideology are relatively small, they hold positions of power and influence that make their numbers more than the sum of their parts.

There is, however, some good news. The Religious News Service reports that, according to PRRI, “Americans who have heard of Christian nationalism are twice as likely to hold a negative than a positive view of the term. These Americans also reject the specific ideas associated with the ideology. Indeed, the 3 in 10 Americans that PRRI found who align with Christian nationalism to some degree are opposed by near the same percentage who completely reject the ideas associated with Christian nationalism. Another 39% are skeptical.”

The good news is that there is value in making our voices heard to stand against Christian nationalism. The squeaky wheel does indeed get the grease, and it is time for us to squeak more loudly than those who support the ludicrous notion that America should be a straight, white, Christian nation.

The pushback against Christian nationalism is taking a pluralistic form. Christians Against Christian Nationalism and Vote Common Good are visible groups working to counteract Christian nationalism. They are joined by the longstanding Baptist Joint Committee, the Poor People’s Campaign and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. Vote Common Good has a state of the art curriculum titled, “Confront Christian Nationalism Curriculum,” for faith community leaders and individuals.

As is often the case, the majority is often the silent majority. Clearly more Americans stand against Christian nationalism than for it. It is time to make our voices heard. Join one of the organizations listed above and support their work. Educate yourself on the manifestations of Christian nationalism. Here are some examples posted by Keith Simon on the Blog “Truth Over Tribe”:

• You believe America was founded by white evangelicals.
• You want your church to fly the American flag in the sanctuary.
• You think America is God’s chosen nation.
• You call yourself an evangelical but don’t go to church.
• You think it’s wrong to criticize America.
• You think government zoning laws should allow churches to be built, but not mosques.
• You want mandatory Christian prayers in public schools.
• You think immigrants aren’t as good as Americans who were born in this country.
• You think spiritual revival will be ushered in by a new president.
• You believe the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are divinely inspired.

Think long and hard about which of those statements lives somewhere in you. Your country is depending on you.

On Palm Sunday, Jesus made his final journey to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. Long before Jesus ever set foot toward the city of Jerusalem for Passover, however, the most important journey of his life was well underway.  It was the journey inward, to a place that was not a place but grounded all other places.  This journey kept Jesus grounded in what he was supposed to do and kept him doing it even when it ceased to be popular. This journey gave him the fortitude and clarity to remain undeterred. 

All that he did and said and spoke was the fruit of this journey. Before Jesus ever answered a call to do, he answered the call to be.  His first pilgrimage was inward.

It is no coincidence that Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem coincided with the celebration of Passover.  Passover is all about freedom from bondage.  It is the celebration that marks the Exodus and the end of slavery in Egypt at the hands of Pharaoh.  Like all Jews who were physically able to make the trip, Jesus and his friends made their pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the celebration. Passover was and remains a ritual symbolizing their belief that God set them free. It is an archetypal story that speaks to the human experience–from bondage to freedom, from death to life, from vulnerability to strength and back again, through suffering to new life.  Every great world religion has a feast/festival or celebration that marks the cycle of renewal and refreshment, freedom and new identity.

Passover and the rituals that surround it are all about freedom, deliverance, identity and the kind of inner clarity that keeps one going when nothing else can.  Much of Jesus’ teaching and ministry was about setting people free from bondage and slavery that came from too much money and too little money, too much power and too little power,  those who were broken and isolated and shunned  for whatever reason.

Jesus was formed in the crucible of the Passover celebration. It was a reminder that God’s intent was freedom and life without fear.  He was tempered by the prophets’ words and scarred with the fire of others’ pain.  He lived and laughed and loved after the way of God and showed God to all who would look and listen and follow.

It’s hard for us to grasp this. We are so intent on doing and accomplishing and having.  In our culture we are what we have and we are what we do.  And when we read this back into the Bible it’s easy to focus on all the cool stuff Jesus did; but this wasn’t about doing, it was about being.  This was a moment that defined Jesus and gave us a glimpse of his inner space. Most of us can point to a few moments that define who we are.  As Frederick Beuchner says, we are formed by a tender and terrible process, moments too wonderful and too awful to tell.  As life rolls out around us and sometimes right over us, we are shaped by the response we make, by the place deep inside that we reach to in order to keep on going. 

Jesus did not go to provoke the situation, though it seems pretty clear he knew what was waiting for him, that this would bring clashes with the religious poobahs of the day to a head.  It’s kind of ironic. He is going to celebrate freedom knowing he will be arrested.

Maybe today is a day to think twice about what freedom really is.  Jesus came into the city for a celebration that marked freedom. It suggests that he saw a truth beyond what appeared. Though he would be arrested later in in the week, this day staked Jesus’ path of freedom that was not measured by the absence of bars but by clarity of purpose.

The celebration of this day lies not in the palms and cheering crowds but in Jesus’ gentle resolve to keep on being who he was, to keep on doing what he was doing.    Jesus’ inner journey is a path for us to follow, but in a way that is uniquely our own.  We discover it by reaching inward and listening for God’s whispering presence.  It’s one of the ways Jesus stayed grounded; he went off by himself because it was the only way he could hear what was happening inside of him. 

Jesus lays a path for us to follow. It is the journey inward to that place that is not a place; yet it grounds all other places.  This journey will keep us focused on what we are supposed to do, even when it ceases to be popular. This inner journey will give us the fortitude and clarity to remain undeterred.  This is how we follow Jesus on the way.