Recently, I’ve been getting a lot closer with God. I grew up in the church, of course, often being woken up by the smell of bacon and eggs and the sounds of Kirk Franklin blaring on my dad’s speaker.
When I was in high school, my mom began seminary school, and as she likes to say, we attended seminary with her. Every day after school, she would take us to the library filled with books and Bibles as she went to her late-night classes. Sometimes, she would practice sermons on us.
Despite my “Thank you for this food” prayers, my “Now I lay me down to sleep” prayers, and my baptism at 13 years old, I didn’t fully understand. But something that always stuck with me was the second part of our “Thank you for this food” prayer.
“Bless those who don’t have food, have food, Amen.”
Christianity is the predominant religion practiced in the United States, with 70% of the U.S. population identifying as Christians. Although the U.S. has a clear separation of church and state written in the Constitution, interpretations of Christian doctrines and the conservative way of life have bled into many facets of our daily lives regarding policies and education.
Our money even has “In God We Trust” plastered on all sides, which in some ways is ironic because the Bible cites money as the root of all evil. But regardless, Christianity is a significant part of American culture, whether we like to admit it or not.
But those of us who consider ourselves Christians often bypass the purpose of Jesus’ coming. We take communion and sing our songs, but don’t regularly meditate on the purpose. It was to forgive all our sins—not just the sins of those you favor—and to give us the ability to love others despite differences, even our enemies.
And even though our job as believers is to spread the gospel, it was never to force it upon others. We are to show our faith in our actions, in service and, most of all, in love.
The Rise in Christian Nationalism
I’ve heard both candidates for president allude to being followers of Christ, and I’m not here to debate that fact, as faith is a personal thing. But when will we pull back the layers and think about whether the religious beliefs we claim and the policies we support actually hold up?
It’s noteworthy that many political factions, such as Christian nationalists, use God and scripture as scapegoats for their hate.
Being from Missouri and then moving to the heart of the Bible Belt in Mississippi, it always amazed me at the backwardness of it all.
Last month, Gov. Tate Reeves declared Sept. 22 through Sept. 28 as the 30th-annual Christian Heritage Week observed in a state that has a longtime, hard-earned reputation for being anything but loving and just. In this state’s history, political leaders have pointed to the Bible and their Christian beliefs to justify everything from slavery to Jim Crow.
This state has more churches than homeless shelters by a large margin, and that doesn’t make much sense to me.
Just this summer, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri delivered a speech titled, “The Christian Nationalism We Need.” In this speech, he asked audience members to defend Christianity, which he described as the “common religion” on which the United States was founded.
He even went on to admit that he’s advocating for Christian nationalism. As Americans, we should find that proclamation horrifying; as Christians, we should be disgusted.
Christian nationalism has played a pivotal role in many of the nation’s human rights wrongs and discriminatory policies. Even in recent history, Christian nationalism fueled January 6th.
I can’t say I’m surprised because at one point Christianity was a justification for slavery—masters taking one verse out of context and only teaching from that.
Christianity, a religion which at its core is supposed to be love-filled and unifying, has been hijacked to become the most divisive. In fact, the most segregated day is Sunday.
Religion, specifically Christianity, has been used to justify anti-abortion policies, anti-LGBTQ+ laws, racism and general hate.
I honestly believe many evangelical Christians would not accept Jesus today if they met him—a brown man born to a poor teen mother. A man who walked with the oppressed because Jesus, himself, was oppressed. He didn’t have money, status or governmental power. When did we forget that?
He was executed by the state.
What Would Jesus Do?
To be a follower of Christ is to be a servant to all. Not once does scripture say that by believing in Jesus, we now have the power to prosecute and judge others. In fact, we are told to not judge others because every human being is a sinner.
I find that many Christians don’t get involved in politics, but one of the most important things we’re told to do repeatedly in the Bible is to love thy neighbor as thyself. Your neighbor isn’t just who you share the same block with. It’s literally every person you meet, you see, you don’t see, you know, you don’t know.
I’m proud to declare this to be Christian Heritage Week in Mississippi!
— Governor Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) September 23, 2024
We are proud of our Christian heritage and thankful for God’s many blessings upon our state! pic.twitter.com/gW8dOEIs7d
To love your neighbor means to demand radical change. In fact, Jeremiah 22:3 commands followers to be fair-minded and just, to help those who are oppressed, and to not mistreat foreigners, orphans or widows. These sentiments seem to be the complete opposite of what many of these Christian nationalist groups are pushing forward.
Christian nationalism aside, every denomination of Christianity is responsible for stopping the rise in hate. It’s literally our duty to love and protect those around us.
Acting in love would mean actively protesting against war, feeding and clothing the homeless, wanting adequate health care for women, putting an end to police brutality, and simply electing better folks in office at all levels. We should be doing all these things if it means the betterment of our neighbor.
If you love your neighbors, would you be voting for policies that imprison your neighbors, that displace your neighbors, that cause your neighbors to feel unsafe in the skin they were born in and that prevent them from accessing adequate resources?
To me, it’s disheartening to see my religion get skewed in the destruction and hate, when for me, my faith pushed me to demand justice for my community and others.
There’s a popular saying, “WWJD?” What would Jesus do? You hear it all the time, almost jokingly to keep one from acting a fool when someone else does them wrong. But it should be taken a bit more seriously. Jesus loves, unconditionally.
I’m not perfect, oftentimes judging and strongly disliking those who oppress my people, but I’ve let it only serve as fuel to continue the fight.
To my non-Christian folks, this call to action goes beyond religion. To love your neighbor is a way of life that should be practiced by everyone. For we are not islands; we aren’t alone.
So I ask my Christian folks, What would Jesus do?
This MFP Voices essay does not necessarily represent the views of the Mississippi Free Press, its staff or board members. To submit an opinion for the MFP Voices section, send up to 1,200 words and sources fact-checking the included information to voices@mississippifreepress.org. We welcome a wide variety of viewpoints.
