A Farcical Show of Christianity

But we speak God's wisdom, secret and hidden, which god decreed before the ages for our glory.  None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.  1 Corinthians 2:7-8 (NRSV) 

On May 17, 2026, the "Rededication 2026" of America assembled a cadre of white nationalist quasi-Christians on the Mall in Washington, D.C., aimed to return America to its "Christian Roots."  I'm going to ignore for the moment the thinly veiled right-wing political propaganda purposes that were rife under a not-so-carefully hidden charade of faith.  Instead, I'll focus on the sincere Christian faith principles this media-intended spectacle ran over with a ten-ton truck.

Flaunting religiosity has never been an accepted Christian practice among the sincere followers of Jesus. (Mark 12:38, Luke 20:46)  To do so obliterates all notions of humility.  Jesus was carefully humble almost all the time, and when he wasn't, his actions were always about taking a stand for others or for a higher principle.  His most obvious act of humility was his silent defense before Pilate, and the crucifixion that ensued because powers felt threatened by his growing following. 

The leadership of the rally in D.C. revealed their inauthentic Christian aims by the scripture they chose for their theme: 2 Chronicles 7:14: "...if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."  They chose a verse from the Testament that is rife with chosenness throughout, and they avoided the entire New Testament, filled with such honest Christian themes as the Beatitudes and loving your neighbor as yourself.  From their egoistic belief in their own righteousness to define "wicked ways," they suggested an us-them dichotomy - drawing an exclusive circle around themselves and leaving out the rest of America.

America has been its moral strongest when it has followed Jesus' example, including acts of charity, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, sheltering the poor, being a refuge for immigrants, defending the weak, and bringing people together.  But under this President, America has become a sick, twisted caricature under the weight of extreme corruption, violence toward neighbors, and the fomenting of division based on unadulterated lies.  Pretending there is some special remnant of holiness controlled and manipulated by these theological hoodlums masquerading as holy men of God should sicken all of us, and I suspect it does God as well. 

If you are not familiar with Christianity, I invite you to open biblegateway.com and search, then read 1 Corinthians 13 for starters.  Then ask yourself if a nation with a true belief in Christianity holding that ideal would be "wiping Iran off the map" or imprisoning humans in concentration camp-style "detention facilities."

Social Incoherence

In what possible way is anything in the American body politic coherent? How is anyone living in America, much less being reared in this culture's mileau able to make sense of ethics or moral grounding? 

Spirituality and morality loosely inform and interact with each other to help form a "social contract."  How is anything spinning out into our present American culture's life conducive to such a rational contract? Let me pull up three words and their Webster definitions.  

Sanctity"

Noun: "sacred or hallowed character."

Fidelity

Noun: "adherence to fact or detail." "strict observance of promises and duties." 

Mercy

Noun: "kindly forebearance shown to another." "the disposition to be compassionate or forebearing." 

Most of us have probably come across these three words more commonly in our church lives than in the vernacular of the everyday world. My perception is that they've been nearly lost in our everyday vocabulary.  Two other words that are also invisible are honor and respect, while the word truth is wildly compromsed. 

If you think about it, these six words - virtues if you will - form basic assumptions that should form the foundations of any humanitarian social contract, be it religious, social, or political.

So, I  feel that the incoherence we are experiencing with the decisions and rhetoric emanating from the leaders of our nation is largely due to their wholesale rejection of these six bedrock terms.

Perhaps the reason we more commonly bump into these words in church life is that they are tightly woven into definitions of faith and spirituality.  When national leaders abandon the basic concepts these words represent, they're, in fact, rejecting the spiritual basis inherent in our communion with humanity in general. Sadly, to make this incoherence coherent requires the rejection of an old-time life-respecting social contract that is now corrupted by wholesale idol worship of money, power, and violence, none of which Jesus lived or taught.

In realizing this, to maintain our fidelity to the Holy One, we, like Daniel and so many other Biblical characters, have to respect and honor the truth, mercy, and sanctity that faith has taught us is what holds the world together. Loving neighbor as ourselves cannot occur by locking them in a prison gulag. Healing the broken-hearted doesn't happen by bombing them. Feeding the hungry is rejected out of hand when the programs that feed the hungry are dismantled, and the money is diverted to the conquering "excursions" of the Empire.  In a very real sense, we're drifting rapidly into the same spiritual and social quagmire present in ancient Rome at the time of Jesus. And like the Romans and compromised religious hierarchies of that time, the nails and hammers to crucify mercy (and sanctity) are being primed.

So the biggest question facing us today, as people of faith, is the decision before us - as it was in First Century Rome, and in 1935 Germany - does fidelity to Christ's mercy still hold us to Jesus' healing, honor, and respect for humankind? regardless of race, gender, or creed? Or, will we be like the crowds that turned on Jesus after Palm Sunday? Do we flee and cry for a criminal Barabas to be unleashed while we watch from afar the crucifixion of the Sanctity of Life?   

     

   

Pure Love

 (I herein credit Thomas Merton with the gist of this post, the substance of which was a fresh way of thinking that I had not thought about before.  How about you?)

God, creator of all, is not in the least bit interested in the possession of anything or anyone.  Possession is not a requirement for love.  In fact, as Merton declares, 

"God saw that all things were good, and did not enjoy them.  God saw that all things were beautiful and did not want them. God's love is not like ours. God's love is unpossessive. God's love is pure because it needs nothing."  (Sign of Jonas, p 346)

Possession has become such an incredibly destructive central theme in cultural America in the past year. Love of money, love of power have become demonic idols that carry top (literally life and death) billing in the US government. I know that possessions (idols?) have always been present as an issue for humans.  But possessing has become a turbocharged value, which is tarnishing the goodness of all virtues. One overarching virtue is and has always been love. I'm not sure humans are capable of anything near "pure love," but shouldn't we at least include it in a list of things we strive for? 

A first consideration regarding loving others might start with a look at the practice of marriage.  Within the tapestry of marriage woven through the ages, it has always had as its central tenet that the couple "belongs" to one another.   The differentiation between "belonging," "exclusivity," and "owning" is exceedingly thin. Abolition & feminism have brought awareness to the evils of owning human beings. But marriage ceremonies are still rife with notions of belonging and of special rights granted to one another in a couple. I don't wish for this post to veer into the complex issues inherent in the practice of marriage, but sticking to this concept of pure love, I immediately see another connected virtue: freedom.  "Possession of another" inherently implies that one person has a say over another person's life choices.  "Pure love," however, may dictate the allowance of loving despite the choices your beloved makes. For God, this principle is wrapped in the term "God's free will."  Though we know much of what God desires and what is expected of us, we never lose God's love when we don't tow that "letter of the Law." Is God unhappy when we don't tow this line?  Almost without doubt.  And if we "love" God, then we care about God's happiness.  And therein is the balancing act that occurs on the scale of mutuality and communion with another, be that with God or another human being. 

As I began this post, I have my doubts about human pure love - love without boundaries. But I invite you into prayerful reflection about your relationship with God in Christ - a Godhead that does have pure love for you.  How do you feel about God loving you purely - without limits?  How about the idea that God does not possess you, but does expect mutuality?  What is the difference between possession and honoring or respecting? Isn't mutuality, honor, and respect a holier basis for a relationship than possession, demand, and legalisms? 

Here's hoping for healthy reflections and discoveries about your walk with the sanctity and fidelity of faith.

Mark