Divided We Fall: E Pluribus Fuck You
He Who Drinks from My Mouth
“Hostility towards strangers and aliens is the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah which resulted in their destruction in Genesis 19. This is visible when the men of Sodom surround Lot’s house, demanding that the visiting men (who we know to be angels) come out so they can violate them.” – Red Letter Christians: Resisting the Sin of Sodom
As the Talibangelical Project 2025 approaches, the Church is faced with another potential Great Schism. With the far-right Christofascists having conquered Washington, D.C. and Tom Homan promising to ‘deport 11+ million immigrants,’ the Church finds itself at a crossroads.
On the power structure side is all the money. Opus Dei, the Heritage Foundation, The Council for National Policy, the New Apostolic Reformation and over 100 disparate organizations all clamoring for their position in the Christian Nationalist movement.
On the other side are the Christians. The Red Letter Christians, the Evangelical pastors and faith communities that hold firm to the teachings of The Christ. They are vastly outnumbered and have pennies in comparison.
A Loving World?
“Loving people live in a loving world. Hostile people live in a hostile world. Same world.” --Wayne Dyer
“God and love are synonymous. Any talk about love that is not talk about Jesus is, at most, a half-truth.” -- Jesus Is Love
In the “Unum” part of the E Pluribus equation, we have a problem. There is an extremely vast right-wing ecosphere pumping out Chistian Nationalist rhetoric 24/7. This “Imposter Christianity” is threatening the teachings of Jesus and radicalizing Americans at an alarming rate. This is the problem. What about the solutions?
As Dr. Dyer says, it is the ‘Same world.’ Is this as simple as choosing to love over hostility? The New Evangelicals think so. This represents the schism of the Church. We are talking about ‘progressive’ faith. The New Evangelicals represent not just a faith based on the teachings of the Christ, but a place for those who have been abused and traumatized by the Evangelical church.
The solution is love, because love helps to heal trauma. Evangelicals have generations of abuse, serious physical and mental abuse. This goes beyond the sexual abuse scandals that plague the Evangelicals. The GRACE Movement started as a response to the extreme physical violence that occurs in so-called ‘Christian’ homes.
Paul told us: “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” In the Thomas Gnostic Gospels, Jesus says: "He who drinks from my mouth will become like me. As for me, I will become what he is, and what is hidden will be revealed to him."
The Christ is asking us to BE him, incarnate, in this world. He didn’t say, wear jewelry, carry flags and pray in public. He said, “Drink from my mouth.” Christ taught in stories, parables…he is a raconteur. The stories he told were directions. Jesus is a GPS for living a life of love.
Refuting Nationalists
“Christian Nationalism is a form of theological syncretism, a blending of religion & politics. It hijacks Christian Scripture, symbolism, and imagery to promote American glory & good as ultimate. In contrast, the Christian gospel of Jesus’ kingdom announces grace for all mankind.” –Jared Stacy: Against Christian Nationalism
We need more of this, theologians who can refute the lies of the nationalists. In Orthodoxy, the ONLY writings that are “inspired (with Spirit)” are the words of The Christ. If it isn’t “red letter” and New Testament, then it’s B.S. (Idolatry), plain and simple.
Holding space for the Nationalists is a high calling. In another of Fr. Edward Hays’ parables, he tells this story:
Jesus was moving through the town square, and he was doing the “Jesus Dance.” He had a colorful scarf on and was twirling like a dervish saying, “Follow me. I am the light; I am the way. Cast off everything and follow me!” A man comes up to him, places his hand on his robe and says, “Lord, I have heard your calling, and I am ready to follow you. Tonight, I will discuss this with my wife, and I will meet you tomorrow to serve you.” Jesus tells the man, “Take your hand off my robe, you are not fit to join us.” And he goes on his way doing the “Dance.” Peter, who is following Jesus, cannot believe what he has just seen, and he starts thinking, “Maybe this guy really is crazy like they’ve been telling me?” Then Jesus dances down an alley and yells out, “Follow me. I am the light; I am the way. Cast off everything and follow me!” There are three men sitting on the wall of the alley and one of the men grabs a handful of stones and starts throwing them at Jesus and yelling, “Blasphemer! Demon! You are not the son of God! Be gone with you, liar!” And as Jesus spins past the man, he is spat upon. So, Jesus takes off running down the alley to escape the spit and the stones with Peter racing behind. They get around the corner. Peter is panting hard, and Jesus is laughing hysterically to himself. Peter says, “Master, I don’t understand. The man in the square said he want to follow you, and you told him to leave. This man spits on you and throws stones at you and you are laughing?” Jesus turns to Peter and says, “Peter, you don’t understand. That first man was not ready, he was undecided, wishy/washy. He needed to go home and get approval to join us. The second man; he is filled with passion, with tremendous hatred, and I can turn that hatred into great Love. Do you happen to know the man’s name?” And Peter says, “I am not certain master. I believe they call him Saul.”
If you paid attention in Sunday School, you know that Saul didn’t just convert to the Apostle Paul, he became Jesus’ number one fanboy. In the parable, we learn that the energy of the mystic Christ is his ability to see through the person’s yelling and spitting and stone throwing and see their true Divine nature.
The Christian Nationalists are today’s Saul’s. The have taken the “Red Pill.” Our antidote is the Red Letter. It is up to us to drink from Jesus’ mouth.