JUDGE NOT LEST YOU BE JUDGED
Christian Nationalism is not just a political or religious philosophy. It is a hybrid philosophy of politics, patriotism, religion and personal self-interest. Therefore, just as commitments to these ideologies go the core of who people are in their hearts and minds, the same is true of Christian Nationalists. This means that any strategy that hopes to dissuade people from Christian Nationalist beliefs and activities will confront the same obstacles that would exist if we tried to dissuade someone from their political or religious beliefs, their sense of patriotism or personal self-interest. Anyone who has ever tried to do this knows that it is impossible to do in one conversation and may never happens at all.

Most rational, religious people consider it socially unwise to tell someone in a face-to-face conversation that they will go to hell if they don’t change their religion because it is false and unbiblical. Although religious people believe that their religion is the religion that God prescribes, they don’t typically challenge other religious people about their faith. Extremist bible thumpers and many Christian Nationalists will not restrain themselves from such confrontations. The rest of us will show respectful restraint, even though we are convinced in our hearts and minds that they are totally wrong. There is an unspoken, mutual acceptance, if not respect, for other religions that restrains us from telling others that their religion is wrong and bullying or coercing them to change their religion.

The same kind of attitude exists with respect to politics — more or less — until election time. Unlike the issue of religion, at election time there are no cultural taboos against arguing about particular legislation, policies, parties and candidates in civilized, face to face conversations. We agree to disagree and hopefully remain friends without calling each other names or criticizing their thinking. Freedom to call names is reserved for partisan political pundits, bloggers, and news anchors who express their opinions at a safe distance from the people they offend. Most civilized people don’t do these things.

It is wrong to think of Christian Nationalists as evil, stupid people whose politics and religion can be changed with reason, logic and facts. It is correct, however, to think of them as normal people like us. The only difference between us and them is that they have been deluded by fine sounding rhetoric that radically activates their political and religious beliefs.

Those of us who are active in politics and/or religion should find it possible to relate to them because we might otherwise share some of their political and religious beliefs.  The main difference between us and them is their misguided zeal for Christian Nationalist ideology that underlies their politics and religion. So, just as most of us discretely avoid arguing about politics and religion with people who do not agree with us, and just as most of us avoid name-calling and bullying as strategies for making friends, or selling a product to a customer, we should avoid these aggressive strategies when changing hearts and minds.

Preserving the relationship with Christian Nationalists is more important than telling the truth to them one time. If the relationship is preserved, the opportunity to tell the truth may come later for someone.

Remember that confronting Christian Nationalism is a very long war. Truthtellers should not feel like they have lost the war because they had to retreat from a single battle. More likely, they are creating the spiritual environment in which someone else can speak the truth. Remembering that their beliefs may be the result of a lifetime of hearing lies. It may take many, many  repetitions of truth to overcome those lies.

Another important thing to remember is that logic and facts are meaningless arguments against Christian Nationalism ideology.  Because most people know hypocrisy and insincerity when they see it, it is critical that truthtellers have the right heart attitude before they share truth without an invitation to do so.  After that, it is just a matter of knowing which facts to share with whom and when.

When imagining how religious extremists might respond to attempts to change their hearts and minds, it is reasonable to assume that they will be resistant to the truthteller’s efforts. It is useful for truthtellers to put themselves in the shoes of Christian Nationalists. How would you respond to aggressive, in-your-face attempts to change your heart and mind regarding your political and religious beliefs?

Whatever you imagine that your response would be is what you can expect from others. That is why truthtellers must be discreet, covert, patient and loving. These tactics are necessary because, if people suspect that they are trying to manipulate them into agreeing with their  personal political and religious beliefs, they are more likely to resist, double down on their beliefs and practices, and maybe even attack the truthtellers before listening to them.

With all these principles in mind, here are a few attitudes and behaviors truthtellers should avoid when talking politics and religion with Christian Nationalists.

RECOMMENDED THINGS TO AVOID DOING

Do not think of yourself as a member of one or more elite, unique racial, religious, social, ethnic, economic or political subgroups.

Do not elevate yourself by thinking of yourself as being morally or spiritually superior to anyone.

In your mind, writing and conversations, do not call people disparaging names.

When, in your heart, you feel like you should share these recommendations with others who chronically do the recommended things that no one should do, do not resist what your heart is telling you to do.

In your mind, writing and conversations, do not use labels to identify others as members of one or more racial, religious, social, ethnic, economic or political subgroups.

Do not judge or condemn yourself or others if you find that you, or they, violate these recommendations.

Never base your decisions on who to vote for on what you hear or read from partisan media.

Do not participate in partisan echo chambers as a leader or follower.

Do not get your news only from media that have reputations for being highly partisan.

Do not make decisions about who to vote for based on political rhetoric and what you learn from partisan echo chambers, political leaders or religious leaders.

When you encourage others to vote, do not identify your personal political affiliation. Best you can, keep your ideas about voting apolitical.

Do not advertise your political leanings with clothing, lawn signs or bumper stickers.

 

NOTE TO READERS: This is not a definitive list. Readers who have ideas about additions to this list are encouraged to send those ideas to paul.borene@thewaywesee.com. Ideas that fit with the concept of spiritual warfare will be included in these lists.

It is reasonable to call this list of things to avoid doing “spiritual warfare” because they are invisible. Only the truthteller knows when these things happen. When we choose to not do things we might normally be in the habit of doing, we create, or at least preserve, an invisible spiritual environment in which truth can be told sometime.

When a truthteller chooses to adopt these behaviors instead of continuing to do unproductive things that might otherwise be in their repertoire of behaviors, that is spiritual event. This shows that their hearts and minds have changed for the better — for the good of all Americans — and they are not just acting out their historical pattern of pursuing their own self interests. This exactly what we hope will happen in the hearts and minds of Christian Nationalists,  but those who want to confront Christian Nationalism must pave the way by avoiding unproductive behaviors.

This change is an example of personal spiritual warfare that must occur in the hearts and minds of truthtellers who choose to enlist in the war against Christian Nationalists. Such internal warfare in the hearts and minds of truthtellers must precede efforts to change the hearts and minds of Christian Nationalists. It recognizes that truthtellers share some of the blame for division in America. See Spiritual Warfare: What it is and is not for more about spiritual warfare.

If truthtellers are not willing to change their attitudes and behaviors, they do not have authority to tell truth to others. It is the “judge not lest you be judged” principle. Truthtellers must remove the speck from their own eyes first. If they are unwilling to change, they contribute to division despite their good intentions to heal division.