Hook, Line And Sinker--How White Evangelicals Came To Support A Trumped-Up Nationalism

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The consistent support of 81% of white evangelicals clearly gave Donald Trump the electoral college numbers he needed to win Tuesday's election. Never mind the fact that that many of Trump's policies, like those of most politicians, are diametrically opposed to the teachings of the gospel.

So how was he able to convince an overwhelming number of professed followers of Jesus to join his retro-revolutionary crusade?

1. The "Pro-Life/Anti-Abortion" Hook

In spite of Trump's past support of women's right to choose, evangelicals and others became convinced that a vote for Trump would reduce or eliminate the number of legal abortions performed in the US. On the other hand they were led to believe that a President Clinton would dramatically increase those numbers, and that she even favored "ripping babies out of mothers' wombs" through the ninth month of pregnancy.

Never mind the fact that this has never been Hillary's position. And never mind that legal abortion rates have been in steady decline under both Republican and Democratic administrations, and that even Roe v Wade excludes late term abortions except in the rarest and most extreme circumstances.

Such facts aside, saving babies always seemed to be the major reason cited by evangelicals for supporting the Trump ticket.

2. The "We've Got-To-Have-A-Completely-Conservative-Supreme-Court" Line

Evangelicals came to believe that a monolithic Supreme Court was necessary to make America right again. They failed to understand that regardless of the political philosophy of its seven justices, their decisions are always highly influenced by precedent, and that even its most conservative members, for better or worse, are unlikely to favor overturning rulings affecting existing civil rights, same sex marriage, abortion and similar issues already spoken to in previous Supreme Court rulings.

In addition, having justices who are ever more favorable to gun deregulation (a very odd issue for followers of a non-violent Jesus) somehow also came to be cited as a major concern for evangelicals.

3. The "Horrible-And-Utterly-Evil-Hillary" Sinker

Evangelical Trump supporters, like many others who favored him, came to demonize Hillary as the epitome of evil. It is of course true that as a life long professional politician, Clinton accumulated her full share of negative baggage in the form of multiple mistakes, missteps and misstatements.

So in spite of her having been been chosen as the most admired woman worldwide for a record-setting 20 consecutive years, and in spite of her having earned the majority of the popular vote, most Trump-inspired evangelicals found it impossible to see any redeemable quality in her.

As a result, all of the above appears to have made it possible for white evangelicals to swallow the right's hyper-nationalistic agenda "hook, line and sinker". History will judge the wisdom of the US going down that path, and God will judge whether followers of Jesus should have been supportive of a nation doing so.

Pete Mahoney, A Gentle And Just Peacemonger

A blessing: "Be anxious about nothing, but with prayers and entreaties, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."                                   - The apostle Paul, to Jesus followers at Philippi, a colony of the Roman empire

Breakfast at Alice Springston's home (Chris Edwards photo)

To be sane in a mad time

is bad for the brain, worse 

for the heart. The world

is a holy vision,

had we clarity to see it..."

- Wendell Berry

Some twenty friends met for a farewell breakfast at Alice Springston's home this morning in honor of longtime local activist Pete Mahoney.

A member of the Xavier Catholic order, Pete came to Harrisonburg in the early eighties to serve as unit leader at Emmaus House, a home for post-college young adult community volunteers. It was here that he also hosted regular meetings of Choose Life, an anti-nuclear group that later became a local chapter of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a group that still meets on the second Thursday of each month.

In the nineties Pete served as a part time staff member of Common Ground, a coalition of local groups involved in peace, justice and environmental issues, and more recently gave two years of his life in relief and development work in Haiti.

"Wherever there was a community event focusing on some good cause, Pete was always there," said one of his friends at the breakfast. Many others affirmed his gentle but persistent good work in helping to make Harrisonburg a more caring and welcoming community.

"Time and time again, I have been nudged out of my comfort zone in ways that have contributed to my growth," Pete told us, and reported that his moving to a retirement home for members of his order in Louisville next week was another example of such a step.

Pete, we will miss you. Our community is a better place because of you, and will never be the same without you.

The following piece by Wendell Berry was read at the end of this mornings gathering:

All our days are arrows; now at the turn

of life, half-fledged and knowledgeable, I face

the coming of the rest, their grief and pain

made accurate by their joy. So I will learn

the world. Full feathered, I must fly to an unknown

place.

Pete's new address will be 1607 Poplar Level Road, Louisville, KY 40217.

P.S. The December 8 meeting of FOR will be at noon at the Trinity Presbyterian Church and will focus on how we can partner with the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy in expanding healthcare in Virginia.

A Personal Perspective At An Election Day Worship Service

Along with several members of other Harrisonburg congregations, I was invited to offer "200 words" at a community election day worship service last evening on our church's perspective on voting. There is, of course, no clear consensus on this issue among Virginia Conference Mennonites, but for what its worth, here is the text of my thoughts:

In 1742 my ancestor Christian Yoder, Jr., at age 16, emigrated from Switzerland to eastern Pennsylvania with his father, likely to avoid military service in the Swiss army. Thirty four years later, in 1776, he moved his own family, including their sons of draft age, to Somerset County near the Ohio border as the Continental army began conscripting young men to engage in a war of rebellion against the British king who had offered them asylum in the new world. 

Thus it shouldn't be surprising that many in my faith community haven’t fully felt at home whether in western Europe, eastern Pennsylvania or elsewhere, often experiencing the US less as their promised land and more as their temporary sojourn in Babylon. So as followers of Jesus and resident aliens, the issue of whether to vote, as in choosing the commander in chief of the armed forces, has often divided us. 

Yet scriptures admonish us to seek the shalom of whatever Babylon in which we find ourselves, grateful that this one is better than many. So some among us, as pilgrims and sojourners, warily cast their votes in the approximate direction of justice, meanwhile praying that all in positions of power around the world would work together to help make the world a little more hospitable to God's more important work, to proclaim good news to the poor, bring sight to the blind, to release captives and to announce the year of God's Jubilee.

************************************

For related posts check the following links:

http://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2013/10/would-jesus-vote.html
http://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2016/07/to-exit-or-remain-july-4-1776-question.html
https://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2016/09/how-handful-of-florida-mennonites.html

Last Minute Exam For Christians Who Vote

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Between 1890 and 1960 many states in the South imposed a literacy test for would be voters, effectively denying most African Americans the right to cast a ballot.

This was anything but a good idea, but I'm wondering whether followers of Jesus shouldn't brush up on some teachings in the Bible--and those of its faithful adherents--before they decide whether or how to vote.

Here's a test:

Show that you can recognize the positions of the following by matching the names below with their statements on the use of violence: 

a. Jesus (in his inaugural address)

b. The apostle Paul (in a letter to Christians in the capitol city of Rome)

c. The apostle Peter (in a letter to scattered churches in the Roman empire)

d. St. John Chrysostom (Homily XXXIII on Matthew's gospel)

e. Hillary Clinton (foreign policy speech)

f. Donald Trump (campaign speech)

g. The late Archbishop Desmond Tutu 

g. Barak Obama (foreign policy speech)

___ 1. "ISIS is making a tremendous amount of money because of the oil that they took away, they have some in Syria, they have some in Iraq... I would just bomb those suckers, and that's right, I'd blow up the pipes, I'd blow up the refineries, I'd blow up ever single inch, there would be nothing left."  

___ 2. "At the end of the day, we still must be prepared to go after terrorists wherever they plot, using all the tools at our disposal, that includes targeted strikes by U.S. military aircraft and drones, with proper safeguards when there are any other viable options to deal with continuing imminent threats."

____ 3. “Altering the mentality of foes is far greater and more marvelous than killing them; the apostles were only twelve, while the whole world was filled with wolves. Let us then be ashamed, who do the contrary, who like wolves assault our enemies. For as long as we are sheep, we conquer, and even though ten thousand wolves lurk around us, we overcome and prevail. But if we become wolves we are defeated, for the Shepherd will then deprive us of his help, because he feeds sheep not wolves.”

____ 4. "As I outlined in my speech to the nation last weekend, our strategy is moving forward with a great sense of urgency on four fronts -- hunting down and taking out these terrorists; training and equipping Iraqi and Syrian forces to fight ISIL on the ground; stopping ISIL's operations by disrupting their recruiting, financing and propaganda; and, finally, persistent diplomacy to end the Syrian civil war so that everyone can focus on destroying ISIL."  

____ 5. “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike."

____ 6. "For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly."

____ 7. "Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, 'I will take revenge; I will pay them back,'  says the Lord. Instead, 'If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.' Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good."

____ 8.  “When we see others as the enemy, we risk becoming what we hate. When we oppress others, we end up oppressing ourselves. All of our humanity is dependent upon recognizing the humanity in others."

“Forgiving and being reconciled to our enemies or our loved ones are not about pretending that things are other than they are. It is not about patting one another on the back and turning a blind eye to the wrong. True reconciliation exposes the awfulness, the abuse, the hurt, the truth.” 

Answers: 1. Donald Trump, 2: Hillary Clinton, 3. St. John Chrystosom, 4. Barak Obama, 5. Jesus (Matthew 5:43-46), 6. the apostle Peter (I Peter2:23-25), 7. the apostle Paul (Romans12:19-21), 8. Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Putting Christ Back Into Christians

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Conservative Catholic columnist Michael Gerson, in a recent piece published in the Washington Post, wrote: 

"Evangelical leaders, motivated by political self-interest, are cozying up to a leader who has placed bigotry and malice at the center of American politics. They are defending the rights of their faith while dishonoring its essence. Genuine social influence will not come by putting Christ back into Christmas; it will come by putting Christ and his priorities back into more Christians." 

In an October 21 post on his blog, "Stuff That Needs To Said", John Pavlovitz expresses a similar concern, 

"For far too many people, being a Christian no longer means you need to be humble or forgiving. It no longer means you need a heart to serve or bring healing. It no longer requires compassion or mercy or benevolence. It no longer requires you to turn the other cheek or to love your enemies or to take the lowest place or to love your neighbor as yourself.  

"It no longer requires Jesus."

Pavlovitz goes on to describe "The Kind of Christian I Refuse to Be", the title of his piece:

I refuse to be a Christian who lives in fear of people who look or speak or worship differently than I do.

I refuse to be a Christian who believes that God blesses America more than God so loves the world.

I refuse to be a Christian who uses the Bible to perpetuate individual or systemic bigotry, racism, or sexism.

I refuse to be a Christian who treasures allegiance to a flag or a country or a political party, above emulating Jesus.

I refuse to be a Christian who is reluctant to call-out the words of hateful preachers, venomous politicians, and mean-spirited pew sitters, in the name of keeping Christian unity.

I refuse to be a Christian who tolerates a global Church where all people are not openly welcomed, fully celebrated, and equally cared for.

I refuse to be a Christian who speaks always with holy war rhetoric about an encroaching enemy horde that must be rallied against and defeated.

I refuse to be a Christian who is generous with damnation and stingy with Grace.

I refuse to be a Christian who can’t see the image of God in people of every color, every religious tradition, every sexual orientation.

I refuse to be a Christian who demands that others believe what I believe or live as I live or profess what I profess.

I refuse to be a Christian who sees the world in a hopeless spiral downward and can only condemn it or withdraw from it.

I refuse to be a Christian devoid of the character of Jesus; his humility, his compassion, his smallness, his gentleness with people’s wounds, his attention to the poor and the forgotten and the marginalized, his intolerance for religious hypocrisy, his clear expression of the love of God.

I refuse to be a Christian unless it means I live as a person of hospitality, of healing, of redemption, of justice, of expectation-defying Grace, of counterintuitive love. These are non-negotiables.

Yes, it is much more difficult to say it these days than it has ever been, but I still do say it.

I am still a Christian—but I refuse to be one without Jesus.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/evangelical-christians-are-selling-out-faith-for-politics/2016/06/23/f03368de-3964-11e6-8f7c-d4c723a2becb_story.html?utm_term=.1fb70b1a4adf&wpisrc=nl_opinions&wpmm=1

http://johnpavlovitz.com/2016/10/21/the-kind-of-christian-i-refuse-to-be/

Honor Pod Inmate, Incarcerated At 16, Has Been Denied Parole 12 Times

Mr. Fitchett, now 54, is the second man from the left

"Life sentences are a hidden death penalty."

- Pope Francis

In 1979 Robert Davis Fitchett, Jr.,  at 16, was indicted with a homicide charge and two counts of malicious wounding. Only 15 when he committed the crime, he was was tried as an adult and received two life sentences plus 21 years. At the tme he was told he would eventually regain his freedom if he maintained a record of good behavior while behind bars. This was before Virginia passed its "truth in sentencing" laws in 1995 and abolished parole for future inmates.

Rob is deeply remoreseful for the crime he committed and the unimaginable pain he inflicted on the loved ones of his victim, and has been a model prisoner throughout his incarceration. Over the past decade he has been housed in Buckingham Correctional Center's 'Honor Pod' and has worked hard for the Virginia Correctional Enterprise for over 10 years. Under the "old law" he remains eligible for parole.

Mr. Fitchett just received his seventh three-year deferral from the current Virginia Parole Board, which has one of the lowest parole grant rates in the Commonwealth's history. This is equal to adding 21 years to his sentence.

The average cost to Virginia taxpayers for a year of incarceration is around $25,000 a year, increasing with age and greater health care costs for older inmates. Over a lifetime the total cost can be well over $1 million.

The following are Mr. Fitchett's own words:

When you have a victim impact statement protesting your release, you no longer have an unbiased parole board. The Board's job is to take in all information and make the best decision for the offender, society and the victim's family with an unbiased opinion. 

There have been some recent parole grants for violent crimes, whether singular or as a combination of offenses. But if someone writes against your release, the board no longer investigates or attempts to think of giving you a second chance such as they have given others. No matter if you have a better institutional records with decades of being infraction free, have strong family ties or were an immature 16-year old when the crime occurred. Even the U.S. Supreme Court knows children are constitutionally different from adults, where these differences result from children's diminished culpability and greater prospects for reform (U.S. Supreme Court decision 1/25/16).

The board clearly has a biased outlook, and seems only concerned with the reaction of the victim's family. I feel I should have the same rights as those fortunate enough not to have anyone speaking out against their release. 

I just want to be treated fairly and the same as others, which it appears I'm not. The board will spend weeks/months deciding on "normal" cases while I got only 5 days, and two of those were on a Saturday and Sunday.

The Virginia Parole Board should have an oversight committee so they can be held accountable and be required to have a clear rationale on record when it comes to their decision making.

Robert Fitchett, Jr.

Here's a link to contact the governor about criminal justice and public safely concerns:  https://governor.virginia.gov/constituent-services/communicating-with-the-governors-office

The following link is for other posts on parole reform: http://harvyoder.blogspot.com/search?q=parole+reform

Following Jesus Through The Mud

Our friends Luke and Carmen Schrock-Hurst's daughter Grace was recently honored as Eastern Mennonite University's 2016 "Young Alumnus of the Year". She and her husband and two young sons live in the middle of a slum area where most of their neighbors earn a living salvaging items from the huge city dump adjacent to their home.

I am beyond inspired by the way they are taking their call to follow Jesus--in the tradition of saints like St. Francis and Mother Teresa.

The following reflections by Graceanna were read by her mother at the October 16, 2016, EMU Homecoming Worship Service:

"Follow Me," Jesus said to his first disciples 2,000 years ago. "Follow me and I will make you fishers for humans!" 

What a strange invitation to those original disciples!

Jesus spoke similar words to me, but through the mouth of a fourteen-year-old Manila street girl as I visited her slum in 2009 while taking part in the Global Urban Trek. "Follow me," she said, as we trudged through mud to visit her slum. But her words were not just her own--they were Jesus' invitation to me.

"Follow me into the slums!" Jesus said to me. "Follow me into the muddy, garbage-ridden streets of urban mega-cities! Meet me here among the poor. Follow me into the slums because I have so much to teach you here!"

And so I did. For the past six years I have been following Jesus in the slums of Indonesia.

Jesus gives each of us the same invitation. The logistics look a bit different for each follower, but we are all called to follow--humbly.

We follow humbly because we know that our following is like a baby learning to walk. We are not good at this following game. We fall down. We get back up again. We laugh as we learn. Sometimes we cry.

I think of my children learning to walk. First holding both my hands, then one hand, and finally learning to balance forward on their own--but always with me close by in case they fall. We are only babies learning to walk, following Jesus. At the most toddlers. 

My two-year- old son Jeremi is an expert walker and runner now. He even has mastered riding a balance bike. And now part of my job of following God is to teach my son how to follow too. We walk over trash heaps together "Hold my hand mommy," he says. "Is there a lot of smoke today?" he asks. 

And the irony is that often my children teach me about

humility, about how to love others, and about God. Jeremi is not afraid to get dirty, run through puddles, and play with mud for hours. He forms friendships that cross religious, economic, and social barriers, without even realizing it.

Jesus gives each of us the same invitation today: "Follow me." Our Lord, Jesus, went to the cross. We cannot expect anything easier. We can trust that He will be with us through every step of the journey--but we know the journey will not be easy. 

My journey of following Jesus into the slums has been very muddy--literally. No paved roads means that rainy season

produces a muddy mess to trudge through. Rain boots are a necessary accessory. 

And the journey has been hard in other ways--fire in my first slum, followed by eviction. Sickness and physical suffering for me and my friends. Wrestling with questions of wealth, poverty, evil, and faith… Life is one big muddy mess sometimes.

But that's where Jesus calls us to follow Him.