At our recent General Assembly, we once again backed away from investing our resources in renewables and other forms of energy that might blunt or slow the onslaught of the climate crisis.
For over a decade, we've been noodling around the edges of making our investment portfolio more clearly reflect care for creation, but once again, our bottom line got muddled by the endless competing interests that sabotage progress amongst progressives.
Of more concern, frankly, was the tepid, enervated approach to the incipient collapse of our republic. Presbyterians were at the forefront of the American Revolution back in the day, and watching the work of the Founding Fathers systematically undone by the far right should stir us to a hue and cry.
"Christian nationalism," in the context of both the American Constitution and the Presbyterian Constitution, is an abomination. It reflects a fundamental failure of representative government, and a toxic commingling of political power and faith that betrays the intent and purpose of the Gospel.
The current name of that movement is Trumpism, and it is organized around Trump and those who are either in on the grift, in his thrall, or taking a transactional perspective to morality.
Its rise threatens every single social position the denomination holds: on climate, on racial justice, on inclusion of Queer folk, all of it.
But it is, ultimately, not a political challenge. It's a spiritual and existential threat, one that demands an immediate moral response.
And for that, my fellow Presbyterians are catastrophically ill equipped.
What we collectively did on that front? We funded a study to examine the dynamics of White Christian Nationalism.
A STUDY. I know what that means.
I mean, I've lived most of my life inside the Beltway. I live here now. I can hear the thrum of 495 in the distance from my front yard. If you want to do nothing, or to stall, or to kill something, what do we inside-the-Beltway types do? We commission a study. We say more information is needed, and that we need to be more deliberate in assessing the complexities of the issue, and opine that there are subtleties that need to be examined, and more perspectives that need to be considered. We need to hear from all of the constituencies, particularly those that are historically underrepresented.
By the time that study is completed, Christian Nationalism may well be in power, in such a way that meaningful constitutional governance of our republic no longer exists.
"Something is actually happening, Reg!" as that line from Life of Brian goes.
Which, of course, calls for immediate discussion.
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