A WAR OF WORDS
In the literal bible, the weapons of warfare are represented as swords, arrows and stones. When we understand the symbolism of these words, however, we see that they all symbolically represent words. It is important to understand that blood in the bible also represents words. 

When we understand the symbolism of words, we see that the battle against Christian Nationalism is basically a war of words carried out in the media and, ultimately, in legislation.

The relative value of words depends on who is speaking. Words spoken by God through True Prophets give life. Words spoken by False Prophets produce suffering and death. The words Jesus spoke were life-giving because he was a true prophet. The words Judas, Balaam and the Pharisees spoke caused suffering and death because they were False Prophets. The words Christian Nationalists speak cause suffering and death because they are False Prophets.

Even people who don’t read the bible know that words can hurt and sometimes are deadly. That is why, when fighting against Christian Nationalism, we want to be careful about the words we use.

What is needed, therefore, are thoughtful, sensitive strategies designed to change hearts and minds with words that give life and do no harm. When hearts and minds change, civil attitudes and behaviors will follow. See Strategies for Everyone, Strategies for Politicians and Strategies for Journalists and Scholars for strategy ideas aimed at changing hearts and minds.

These strategies are not quick fixes to the damage Christian Nationalists have done and continue to do to American democracy. But realistically, changing hearts and minds is the only strategy that promises any hope of preserving democracy.

Sadly, Christian Nationalists use words to hurt, divide and destroy the seven mountains of American culture to reshape America into their unique idea of what America should look like. We hear and see these words as offensive, deceitful, hurtful, combative, in-your-face rhetoric designed to intimidate and bully others into submission to their ideology.  This is not the way to heal division. What is needed are words of truth that restore unity by changing hearts and minds.

Strategies that change hearts and minds are invisible to everyone. Because hearts and minds change slowly and imperceptibly, even people who employ these strategies may never know how much influence they have on Christian Nationalists . If executed with care, these strategies will even be invisible to those who discover someday that their hearts and minds have been changed by them. This is why these strategies are called spiritual: They cannot be observed.

It could be said that adopters of these strategies are the underground resistance to Christian Nationalism and other forms of religious oppression. The weapons of these resistors are words of truth that overcome the lies and erroneous religious beliefs that define and guide religious oppression in all its forms – including Christian Nationalism. 

People who understand bible symbolism know that religious oppression has been a problem since bible times. All bible stories of warfare and shedding of blood symbolize conflict between religious nations who use words as weapons to gain control over people and their money. Christian Nationalist also use words to gain votes. It is a strategy that works for a while but fails sooner or later.

Lust for power, pride and money is the root of conflicts reported in the bible, in all history and today’s news. Considering this history, we should not be surprised or impatient to recognize that historical, conventional, political activism strategies designed to overcome injustice and create unity and peace are not sustainable. There will always be someone waiting and scheming to seize political power at an opportune time. If these human strategies did work, and if their fruits could be sustained, the world would not be such a mess and there would be no need for Confronting Christian Nationalism.