{"id":38096,"date":"2024-09-02T11:25:17","date_gmt":"2024-09-02T18:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=38096"},"modified":"2024-09-02T11:31:57","modified_gmt":"2024-09-02T18:31:57","slug":"38096-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/38096-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Are we wanting to influence others or force them to believe?"},"content":{"rendered":"

N. T. Wright and Michael Bird\u2019s Jesus and the Powers<\/em> book is so timely for our cohort.[1]<\/a> We are preparing to visit Washington DC, the United States\u2019 seat of power, in the middle of a highly contested political campaign season. There are many topics in this book that are worth discussing but I want to discuss the influence of Christianity in this nation and Christian Nationalism.<\/p>\n

As I write this, I am preparing to start a new semester where I teach.\u00a0 Tonight, Monday, I will present my introductory lecture for my Cultural and Human Diversity class.\u00a0 During this lecture, I discuss the three forms of bias (stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination) and show how they have been present throughout biblical history. \u00a0I then show how Jesus and the New Testament teaching urges Christians to \u201cLove your neighbor as yourself\u201d in an effort to counter our natural tendency toward bias.[2]<\/a>\u00a0 I then discuss the Doctrine of Discovery and the papal bulls issued encouraging European nations to \u2018Invade, search out, capture, vanquish and subdue\u2019 all non-Christians .[3]<\/a>\u00a0 I ask the class the question, how did we go from Jesus teaching (love others) to the Doctrine of Discovery (vanquish and subdue others)? To answer that question, I talk about Rome\u2019s embrace of Christianity during the 4th Century.\u00a0 Wright and Bird write \u201cIn AD 300 about 10% of the Roman Empire was Christian.\u00a0 By 380, however, 50% of the population were Christians, including emperors, generals and governors of the realm.\u00a0 Christianity was not only legalized but also quickly became the main religious force within the empire, eclipsing hundreds of years of pagan religion.\u201d[4]<\/a> This allowed Christianity the privilege and freedom to spread across Europe. Wright and Bird state \u201cOver the centuries, the Latin West and the Greek East became increasingly shaped by a Christian vision of God\u2019s for the world and the place of Christian virtues in society.\u201d[5]<\/a><\/p>\n

We cannot deny that Christianity influenced our founding fathers and the United States Constitution.\u00a0 However, embedded in our Constitution is the freedom for people to believe and practice whatever religion they want, or no religion at all. \u00a0Contrary to this freedom, Wright and Bird discuss Christian Nationalism which envisions the government \u201cenforcing Christian hegemony combined with civil religion\u201d [6]<\/a>\u00a0 Wright and Bird state that this does not lead to a tolerant society but \u201cdiminishes the rights of the people of other religions or no religion.\u00a0 It leads to a superficial Christianity rather than to sincere faith and deep discipleship.\u201d[7]<\/a><\/p>\n

Today there are examples of people attempting to force religion upon others. Two examples come to mind. First, this summer the State of Louisianna passed legislation that requires the Ten Commandments to be posted in every public-school classroom from kindergarten through higher education.[8]<\/a>\u00a0 The other example is Project 2025, a 900-page document from the Heritage Foundation that Kristen Kobes Du Mez claims is a \u201cChristian nationalist blueprint\u00a0for taking control of every level and facet of American government.\u201d[9]<\/a> \u00a0Wright and Bird raise a great question when discussing Christian Nationalism \u201cAs we all know, there are different Christian denominations, so which one should be supreme in a Christian nationalist state?\u201d[10]<\/a> I think of downtown Wooster, Ohio, like many other cities, where at the corner of Market and Larwill Streets sits three different churches and within a block in either direction sit another three churches. Which church has the right beliefs for how to rule our nation and how people should behave?<\/p>\n

While the State of Louisiana is dictating the Ten Commandment in every classroom the Oklahoma State Superintendent of Education mandated teaching the Bible in their schools.\u00a0 I spent time trying to figure out the justification for both, Louisiana and Oklahoma.[11]<\/a> While I could not find justification for Louisiana\u2019s law, Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters does support his mandate.[12]<\/a> Walters states \u201cThe Bible has been a key cornerstone in the development of Western thought, influencing legal systems, ethical frameworks, and cultural norms. Teachers must focus on how biblical principles have shaped the foundational aspects of Western societies, such as the concepts of justice, human rights, and the rule of law.\u201d[13]<\/a> I found Walters\u2019 justification to be appropriate and refreshing, it does not appear that he has a religious agenda he is pushing. In fact, he states \u201cThe Bible must be used in student instruction for its historical, literary and secular value and is not to be used for religious purposes such as preaching, proselytizing or indoctrination.\u201d[14]<\/a><\/p>\n

Wright and Bird conclude their book discussing Christianity and Liberalism in the context of loving our neighbor. They state that \u201cwe must allow our neighbour to be beside us and yet be different from us,\u201d which includes providing them the freedom \u201cto find happiness, fulfillment, flourishing, purpose and meaning in ways that we might disagree with or disapprove of.[15]<\/a> This is something that Christian Nationalism struggles with, but Jesus did not. May we be more like Jesus.<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird, Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies<\/em>, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2024).<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Mark 12:31, NIV; I am also thinking of Peter\u2019s vision of the unclean animals in Acts 10 and Paul\u2019s statement in Galatians 3:28 that all believers are one in Christ Jesus.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Mark Charles and Soong-Chan Rah, Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery,<\/em> (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2019), 15.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Wrigth and Bird, 23.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Wright and Bird, 26.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Wright and Bird, 129-130.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Wright and Bird, 129-130, 132<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Louisiana House of Representatives, Requires the Display of the Ten Commandments in schools, Regular Session, 2024, House Bill 71, June 19, 2024, https:\/\/legiscan.com\/LA\/text\/HB71\/2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Jeff Brumley, \u201cScholars Warn: Project 2025 is a Christian Nationalist Blueprint,\u201d Baptist News Global, July 15, 2024.\u00a0 https:\/\/um-insight.net\/perspectives\/scholars-warn-project-2025-is-a-christian-nationalist-bluepr\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> Wright and Bird, 132.<\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> Alaa Elassar, \u201cOklahoma state superintendent announces all schools must incorporate the Bible and the Ten Commandments in curriculums,\u201d\u00a0 CNN, June 27, 2024, https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/06\/27\/us\/oklahoma-schools-bible-curriculum\/index.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> Oklahoma State Department of Education, OSDE Instructional Support Guidelines for Teachers, https:\/\/sde.ok.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/OSDE%20Instructional%20Guidelines%20July%202024.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

[13]<\/a> Oklahoma State Department of Education, 1.<\/p>\n

[14]<\/a> Oklahoma State Department of Education, 4.<\/p>\n

[15]<\/a> Wright and Bird, 159-160.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

N. T. Wright and Michael Bird\u2019s Jesus and the Powers book is so timely for our cohort.[1] We are preparing to visit Washington DC, the United States\u2019 seat of power, in the middle of a highly contested political campaign season. There are many topics in this book that are worth discussing but I want to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":200,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3210,2967],"class_list":["post-38096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-wright","tag-dlgp03","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/200"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38096"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38096\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38099,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38096\/revisions\/38099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}