2136 Carter Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55108
Saint Paul, MN 55108
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Our next Braver Angels gathering will be on Thursday, July 25 from 6:15 to 7:45 pm at the Meeting Room at St. Anthony Park Branch Library (2245 Como Avenue at Carter). We are meeting there instead of the Parish Hall since we will be hosting Faithful Hospitality throughout July. We will take up the divisive conflicts over what is called Christian nationalism and how Christians can engage the challenges raised by these conflicts in depolarizing and constructively nonviolent ways. All committed to sharing a respectful conversation on the topic are invited to join.
In the Episcopal church and other denominations, many progressives have expressed growing alarm about Christian nationalism. For instance the group “Christians against Christian nationalism” declares:
Christian nationalism demands Christianity be privileged by the State and implies that to be a good American, one must be Christian. It often overlaps with and provides cover for white supremacy and racial subjugation. We reject this damaging political ideology and invite our Christian brothers and sisters to join us in opposing this threat to our faith and to our nation.
Others argue that progressives treat the movement in overly simplistic, good versus evil terms. Kevin Deyoung, pastor of the Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, North Carolina and a professor of theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, calls for respect, civility, and the desire to build bridges. He believes progressives are judgmental toward Christian conservatives generally and Christian nationalists specifically. “Many conservative Christians are tired of always being on the defensive and always having to communicate their convictions in ways that left-leaning secularists approve of.”
We want to begin a continuing discussion on this topic which is fueling deep divides in this election year. Later this year we plan to bring folks from St. Matt’s together with members of Grace Episcopal Church in South Minneapolis to extend the conversation beyond our parish. The topic arose when Harry Boyte, Marie Ström, and Dan White recently conducted a four-part series on depolarization and nonviolence at Grace.
We look forward to another opportunity to practice the approach and the skills that we’ve been cultivating in Braver Angels at St. Matthew’s. As Warren Poole puts it, a key lesson has been that grouping Americans with scary labels can lead to demonization of people for their views, countering efforts to deflate the hate.
We will also explore whether a concept like “Christian citizenship” might help to bridge the chasm.
Here are three documents that offer different perspectives. These are not required reading but background for those who want to explore more deeply the issues. We also welcome other suggestions.
About
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About
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Events
Ministry
