Christian Nationalism is a "belief in the idea that America was founded by Christians who modeled its laws and institutions after Protestant ideals with a mission to spread the religion and those ideals in the face of threats from non-whites, non-Christians, and immigrants."

This dangerous movement is in direct opposition to Jesus's teaching to love one another, and it flies in the face of what Centre Street stands for as an Open and Affirming ministry.

Join our fall book discussion as we explore how White Christian Nationalism is in direct contradiction to six core Biblical texts that together form the very backbone of our faith. Together we'll discuss how the true Christian faith should be a force for—not against—inclusion, equality, and justice.

Everyone is welcome!

1. Get a copy of the book.
2. Read the Foreword and Introduction.
3. Hop on Zoom at 12:00 on Thursday, September 5. (And yes, it's perfectly fine to eat lunch during the meeting. No worries.)
   

Looking for the Zoom link? It's in our September newsletter.
Just click HERE and look under "What's Happening?"

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Click HERE to learn more about the United Church of Christ's "Our Faith, Our Vote" campaign, which is committed to equipping people with the tools for nonpartisan faithful engagement in our democratic process.

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"It is time to call out genuine faith—specifically the 'Christian' in White Christian Nationalism—inviting all who can be persuaded to reject and help dismantle a false gospel that propagates white supremacy and autocracy. Wallis turns our attention to six iconic texts at the heart of what genuine biblical faith means and what Jesus, in the gospels, has called us to do. It is time to ask anew: Do we believe these teachings or not?"

Jim Wallis is a writer, teacher, preacher, and justice advocate who believes the gospel of Jesus must be transformed from its cultural and political captivities, and always be "good news" to the poor and oppressed. He is a New York Times bestselling author, public theologian, renowned preacher, and commentator on ethics and public life.

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Discussion Schedule
Thursdays at noon on Zoom

"Let us not love with words or speech,
but in action and in truth."
— 1 John 3:18

Sept. 5 — Foreword and Introduction
          "Jesus is a victim of identity theft in America. Instead of wearing a bracelet that says 'What Would Jesus Do?' it's time to ask what did Jesus say, and what did he do. And to ask ourselves if we are willing to say and do that too." (p. 11)

Sept. 12 — Chapter 1: The False White Gospel
          "It is past time for us to start visioning a new American church ... This crisis of white Christian nationalism can not only clarify what we are against, but also help define what we are for." (p. 44)

Sept. 19 — Chapter 2: Your Neighbor Doesn't Live Next Door
          "Who is my neighbor? That is the critical question today, as it was in Jesus's time. In fact, it may be the most important moral question, for both the authenticity of our faith communities and the future of democracy." (p. 48)

Sept. 26 — Chapter 3: Made in God's Image—Or Not?
          "Do we believe that all of us—of different races and cultures, citizens or immigrants, Americans or from any nation, of every faith and no faith—are equally created in the image of God—or not? ... And what does the first chapter of the first book in the Bible have to do with voting rights? Everything." (p. 79)

Oct. 3 — Chapter 4: Lies That Demand Our Loyalty
          "The truth—how to find it, trust it, and live by it—is core to both faith and democracy. And the truth problem we now confront may be the single biggest threat to our democracy. Disinformation. Fake news. Alternative facts. Telling lies in the public forum has become so commonplace that it has spurred its own lexicon." (p. 93)

Oct. 10 — Chapter 5: Jesus' Final Test of Discipleship
          "White Christian nationalist leaders and their churches almost never speak of the poor ... or offer any 'good news' to the poor ... While the least of these are central to Jesus' final test of discipleship, calls to serve the poor and the most vulnerable are almost completely absent in white Christian nationalist circles." (p. 118)

Oct. 17 — Chapter 6: Peacemakers, Not Conflict Makers
          "Sometimes peace is kept so that the status quo may not be disturbed. But there is no nobility in maintaining peace in the midst of injustice and oppression ... Rather Jesus told his disciples that God's blessings are reserved for the peacemakers, those who work to overcome conflict. Jesus was not advocating passivity—he was calling his followers to an active pursuit of peace." (p. 155)

Oct. 24 — Chapter 7: Our Community Is Not a Tribe
          "By supplanting the gospel of unity with a false gospel of political power, white Christian nationalism has exacted a great cost to the reputation of the church. Its proponents judge political candidates not by their values and character, but by whether they will be powerbrokers for their ethnocentric self-interest ... Their brand of Christianity represents a blatant perversion of Paul's letter to the Galatians." (p. 188)

Oct. 31 — Chapter 8: A Remnant Church
          "Jesus says, 'Why do you call me "Lord, Lord," and do not do what I tell you?' (Luke 6:46) ... White Christian nationalism is clearly a house built on sand. But those who listen to the words of Jesus, and hear him, are building a house with solid foundations that will survive the floods of hate, fear, and violence; and may help democracy survive in the process." (p. 211)