{"id":655872,"date":"2017-06-22T07:07:21","date_gmt":"2017-06-22T12:07:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/andygill\/?p=655872"},"modified":"2017-06-28T08:36:27","modified_gmt":"2017-06-28T13:36:27","slug":"american-church-ties-white-nationalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/andygill\/american-church-ties-white-nationalism\/","title":{"rendered":"The American Church and Our Ties to White Nationalism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"JesusWhite<\/p>\n

To Separate the Institutionalized American Church From White Nationalism is\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2026like removing the beating heart of raging bigot.<\/p>\n

\u2026like removing the bride from her groom.<\/p>\n

\u2026like taking Batman out of the Jokers equation.<\/p>\n

\u2026like having a Michael Jordan without his drive.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWhite Nationalism<\/b> is a type of nationalism<\/span><\/a> or pan-nationalism<\/span><\/a> which holds the belief that white people<\/span><\/a> are a race<\/span><\/a>[1]<\/sup><\/span><\/a> and seeks to develop and maintain a white national identity<\/span><\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

What reason does the American Church have to continue on if you remove the point for which she was created? <\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n

Theological institutions, mainline denominations, and local Church congregations alike are virtually indistinguishable from the alt-right and it\u2019s counterpart to white nationalism.<\/p>\n

As we all know, the Southern Baptist Convention started off the summer with a bang<\/a>; first, leadership declined consideration of this resolution by\u00a0bypassing a vote against White Nationalism and the alt-right; then, leadership quickly backtracked and, reinstated the vote in order to decide whether or not they\u2019re going to officially and publicly denounce this form of white supremacy; evidently, they\u2019d not done this already\u2026<\/p>\n

In order for Her to Continue, the Bigotry Must Become More Subversive\u2026 <\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n

NPR described this year\u2019s annual convention<\/a> as one focusing on \u201cworking to adapt to the times\u2026\u201d as the reporter goes on to say \u201chow they are working to change their language.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"richard-spencer-alt-right-white-nationlist\"
for those aware of who Richard Spencer is, they know he did not say this; he\u2019s the person depicted in the picture and known as one of the leaders of the White Nationalist movement, which is said to be nothing but a rebranding of white supremacy; again, ironically they\u2019re also adapting to the times and working to change their language\u2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the same way saying that you\u2019re not racist does not actually make you, well, not racist, the Southern Baptist Convention voting in favor of denouncing white supremacy does not automatically absolve the past few hundred years of institutionalized bigotry.<\/p>\n

This is not even the tip of the iceberg; it\u2019s merely the acknowledgment of all the damage this iceberg has caused; the debt is still there; reconciliation is not yet complete; the Southern Baptist Convention\u2019s past sins are not absolved\u2026 there\u2019s still work to be done.<\/p>\n

Ironically, as a POC, White Nationalism is why I\u2019ve chosen to stay (more on this in Wednesday\u2019s post).<\/p>\n

But, I\u2019d be remiss if I didn\u2019t point out that one should not<\/span> stay unless<\/em> they have\u00a0first\u00a0fully understood that their white counterparts (the ministers, congregants and lay leaders alike) are not<\/span> going to be doing the work for them; yes, there will be some (more than there used to be) while there will be more opposition they should be prepared to lovingly face; in other words, the vast majority of people, they will not come beside you and help in carrying this cross you\u2019ve been called to bear.<\/p>\n

The Purposely Forgotten Words of MLK\u2026<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n

I\u2019m reminded of the intentional and purposely forgotten words of Martin Luther King Jr. regarding the most pervasive mistake he\u2019s ever made:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe most pervasive mistake<\/b> I have made was in believing that because our cause was just, we could be sure that the white ministers<\/b> of the South, once their Christian consciences were challenged, would rise to our aid. I felt that white ministers<\/b> would take our cause to the white power structure. I ended up, of course, chastened and disillusioned.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Do not be coerced or manipulated into making the same mistake twice; this vote, it means nothing in regards to racist hearts softening. This standing ovation is a figurative version of Palm Sunday: While it feels good to hear the cheering; these very same people are the ones that will inflict the nailing.<\/p>\n

But, regardless of how much pain and tears of love we shed due to the laxity of the Southern Baptist Church, we must remain true to our call, our country and the future betterment of the Bride, that is Christ.<\/p>\n

Times are progressing and while we\u2019re seeing glimpses of heaven and inclusion this has not yet fully arrived; yes, this is our pain, but, it is also our purpose; that is, to love regardless and through the power of God within us transcend these imposed upon borders; because, without pain, there is no joy.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To Separate the Institutionalized American Church From White Nationalism is\u2026 \u2026like removing the beating heart of raging bigot. \u2026like removing the bride from her groom. \u2026like taking Batman out of the Jokers equation. \u2026like having a Michael Jordan without his drive. \u201cWhite Nationalism is a type of nationalism or pan-nationalism which holds the belief that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2493,"featured_media":655877,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,19,389,78,456,82,39],"tags":[475,675],"class_list":["post-655872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christian","category-church","category-dechurched","category-justice","category-politics","category-race","category-theology","tag-church","tag-white-nationalism"],"yoast_head":"\nThe American Church and Our Ties to White 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