Jesus Out, ‘Old Glory’ In: Pence’s Biblical Mashup Was ‘idolatrous’

US VICE President Mike Pence shamelessly banged the drum for Christian nationalism when he substituted ‘Old Glory’ for Jesus at the conclusion of his speech at the Republican National Convention yesterday.

According to Religion News Service, the “born again, evangelical Catholic “mashed up” Scripture when he declared:

Let’s run the race marked out for us. Let’s fix our eyes on Old Glory and all she represents. Let’s fix our eyes on this land of heroes and let their courage inspire. And let’s fix our eyes on the author and perfecter of our faith and freedom and never forget that where the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom – and that means freedom always wins.

This did not go down well with a number of Christian leaders. For example, Brian Zahnd, pastor of Word of Life Church, tweeted:

This is Babylon. This is idolatry.

And Greg Jao, senior assistant to the president of InterVarsity, an evangelical Christian organisation, tweeted:

Glad Pence seems to know Scripture; grieved & appalled he’d believe substituting ‘Old Glory’ for ‘Jesus’ wasn’t blasphemous and equating the freedom Paul was referring to with civil liberties.

RNS points out that Christian nationalism asserts the United States is – or should be –a Christian nation.

Political analysts say the idea has been invoked repeatedly by Trump during his 2016 campaign forPresident and throughout his first term, and has resonated with many conservative Christians who make up his base. It’s also an idea much older than this presidency: Mashups of religion and national identity have cropped up throughout US history, although experts argue that it has emerged with particular fervor under Trump.

It added that many Christians and people of faith strongly oppose Christian nationalism – and then carried a separate report that said more than 350 faith and community leaders are planning to endorse former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris this week.

According to a list shared exclusively with RNS by organisers, the mass endorsement will come from a diverse range of religious leaders, many of whom are backing a political candidate publicly for the first time.

One will be “progressive” evangelical professor, David P Gushee, above, who recently launched a blistering attack on Trump and Jerry Falwell Jr.

Gushee had previously avoided explicitly backing a candidate because he “always drew the line at endorsement as a Christian ethicist,” but he said this year’s election:

Requires a different response. I believe that Donald Trump must be defeated, as decisively as possible, to repudiate his many assaults on democracy, the rule of law, national unity, civil discourse and good public policy.

I believe his religious appeals to be appalling, superficial and essentially idolatrous, and I shudder at the way many white Christians have surrendered to them and to him.

I resonate much more deeply with the inclusive love and justice rendering of the religious basis for public policy offered by Biden and Harris.

Rev Nadia Bolz-Weber, above, an author and Lutheran pastor is another first-time endorser. She said:

I believe in the true spirit of Christianity so strongly that I will not abandon the faith to those who use it as a camouflage for self-interest and small-mindedness …

She also argued that Christians like herself — who she said differ greatly from the religious right — are rapidly becoming a force to be reckoned with.

I think progressive Christianity is a sleeping giant.

Rabbi Jack Moline, one of the chairs of Rabbis for Obama in 2008 and 2012, said he felt compelled to endorse “as a citizen who is a rabbi” for two reasons.

Donald Trump is the worst President in the history of the United States and I do not believe we can withstand another four years. And Joe Biden is one of the finest people I have ever encountered in politics.

Samaritan’s Purse launches petition to have Franklin Graham sacked

I have just learned that an organisation called Faithful America today issued a scathing statement regarding words spoken by Graham, above, at the Republican’s nationalist convention.

The final night of the 2020 Republican convention began with a partisan appearance from notoriously homophobic preacher Franklin Graham, who prayed, “I thank you tonight for our president, Donald J. Trump … in the mighty name of your Son.”

Standing behind a Trump-Pence campaign sign, Graham also used Jesus’s name to give thanks for “the many blessings we have received these past four years.” We would hardly consider family separation, the deadly federal COVID-19 response, rampant corruption and authoritarianism, or ongoing systemic racism to be “blessings.”

Graham justifies his partisanship and hatred by hiding behind the credibility of Samaritan’s Purse, the 50-year-old humanitarian-aid organization he runs. Samaritan’s Purse certainly does important work for the sick and poor – which just makes it that much sadder that the non-profit’s board would sacrifice its reputation by propping up Graham’s hateful politics.

If the directors of Samaritan’s Purse care about their credibility – and if they truly believe in their “purpose of sharing God’s love” – then Graham’s hateful support for Trump should show them that it’s time to find a new chairman and CEO.

(If a majority of the Board will not remove Graham, individual members can still stand up for Jesus’ teachings of love and justice by personally resigning.)

It’s also launched a petition that reads:

Franklin Graham’s pro-Trump RNC appearance shows that his partisanship knows no bounds. As fellow Christians, we write to say that if Samaritan’s Purse takes its “purpose of sharing God’s love” seriously, then it is time for you to find a new chairman, president, and CEO – one who is not complicit in separating families, rejecting refugees, repealing health care, slowing COVID-19 testing, spreading homophobia and Islamophobia, or supporting anti-Semitic neo-Nazis.

Unless and until you cut ties with Franklin Graham, his right-wing politics can only damage your credibility as a loving, Christian humanitarian organization. If the full Board will not vote to remove Graham as chairman, president, and CEO, then individual Board members can take a personal stand for the Gospel and offer their own resignations.

(This petition will be sent to Board members Sterling Carroll, Michael Cheatham, James Furman, Michael Harwood, Skip Heitzig, Thomas Hodges, Felix Martin del Campo, James Oliver, Brian Pauls, Phyllis Payne, Donna Pierce, Paul Saber, John Scott, Robert Shank, and Paula Woodring.)