“The gentle depressiveness of so many European and North American churches is their practical acceptance of militarism. They have no hope because they trust in the death-dealing peace of those who build up arms. Money and violence go together: Those who have made money their god must make security their national ideology and armaments their political priority.” — Dorothee Sölle
Dorothee Sölle, “The Window of Vulnerability: A Political Spirituality” (p. 18)
This quote comes to mind every time a scripture reference is used to incite violence, as well as each time another mass shooting occurs.
While an issue that surpasses America, (Christian) America’s tie to nationalism and ardent militarism offers a most chilling example of a Christianity that is death dealing—a toxic religion that dominates and destroys rather than heals or restores. It’s utterly terrifying religion; it’s “fruits” are terrorism. When observing the intersection of mainstream Christian America’s obsession with guns, personal “rights” and “freedoms,” and mass shootings, this becomes even more blatantly evident.
The writer of 1 Timothy was on to something when they stated that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (see 1 Timothy 6:10). When considering the lobbying power of the NRA and other such pseudo-military organizations and their tie to Christian nationalism in America, it is evident that money is being prioritized over human lives.
At the heart of the world’s great faith traditions (Indigenous traditions included), life—and particularly, human life—is sacred. All of creation is connected and reciprocal. When a faith tradition is twisted and/or co-opted by dominators as a tool to further their control over people, external factors always get elevated above life and/or human flourishing (this is where many religions address the “problem of evil”). Money, power, and influence are three underlying impulses that easily seduce even the best of us, but are of particular concern to those who seek to further their control over others. This is, in my opinion, the root of the term “idolatry” that many faith traditions warn about. Because of how rampant it is, and the fact that we are all susceptible to it, we must learn to recognize it. I am convinced that idolatry occurs any time an external factor is elevated above human flourishing.
Notably, Empire obsesses over money, power, and influence. It cannot exist without these inclinations. This is where the Way of Jesus is so important—and so scandalous—in the face of Empire. Rome called their expansionism “good news” while using sheer military domination to gain power over people. Jesus offered an alternative “good news” for those on the underside of Rome that inevitably got Him lynched because it was a threat to the powers that be. But that only fuelled the Jesus movement. Communities that intentionally crossed cultural and economic barriers (arguably a brand new development for human evolution) began popping up all over. The Way of Jesus was alive and it was truly good news to those stuck under the bootstrap of Rome!
This movement sadly got co-opted by the same Roman Empire that executed Jesus in the first place. Empire hijacked the Jesus Way and placed the cross within the sword and shield—the terroristic weaponry that Rome’s military used for further expansionism to gain even more control over people. Ever since, there have always been two Christianities at odds: the Way of Jesus and the way of Christian Empire.
How did the Way of Jesus get swallowed up by Empire? It was the allure of money, influence, and control masked as security. Rome ceased its persecution of Christians and granted state power to the Vatican. Empire became Christianized—the very thing the book of Revelation warned against. While they claimed Christ for themselves, it was in fact anti-Christ because they used Jesus as a mascot to endorse warfare and domination over people. The cross, originally a Roman tool of execution (which symbolized Jesus’ willingness to die rather than pick up the sword), once again became used to slaughter people—this time via the sword.
Furthermore, theology became less community-oriented and more individualistic-focused. Liberative aspects of theology were intentionally drowned out; many were deemed “heretical” by the Roman church. Pelagius was one such example. He was at odds with Augustine over the topic of “original sin” that Augustine invented and pushed on the Roman church. Pelagius vehemently rejected it and instead sought the original (inherited) goodness of all creation. “Pelagianism”eventually became a heresy, largely due to Augustine’s relentless pursuit to ensure his theology won over the hearts and minds of those in high places (he did this by placating to powerful people).
America is merely the latest case in point of an empire that uses religion to bolster its control over people. Christian nationalists seek to further Christianize the American landscape using force and manipulation. Its military is the largest the world has ever seen, and its gun obsession has resulted in exponentially worse gun violence. America could slash its military budget in half and it would still have the largest military budget in the world by far. Whether the fervent reverence of the Second Amendment or the obsessive nature of the corporatist lobbying power of the NRA (examples of Americanism and capitalism as sacralized in the fabric of corporate Christian America), there is clearly very little of the cruciform Christ in American Christianity.
Furthermore, guns are an obsession for much of Christian America. Truly, guns are as anti-Christ as it comes. Guns steal. Guns kill. Guns destroy. They are the epitome of violence. And it’s the people who refuse to give up their money, power, and influence who prevent any change from happening. As a result, people continue to die. Children die. It’s abominable.
Christian nationalism is the epitome of idolatry. Christian nationalism is fuelled by money, power and influence with a fervour that is masked as “Christian.” Christian nationalism is a paternalistic energy that claims it has something the world needs—when in fact it’s a continuation of the colonial project, and a forceful interjection of American values. It’s oxymoronic to the Way of Jesus; the two literally cannot coexist.
It’s time to reject the colonizing project of Empire disguised as Christian nationalism and instead seek the nonviolent cruciform Way of Jesus. Christ truly needs to be put back into America (oh, the irony). American Christianity desperately needs saving from its destructive self.
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For further reading:
“The Window of Vulnerability: A Political Spirituality” by Dorothee Sölle.
- See her essay titled “Christofascism” here: https://newtranscendentalist.medium.com/christofascism-by-dorothee-s%C3%B6lle-633273379b68
For more on Pelagius, see the chapter titled as such from “Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul” by John Philip Newell.
For a history of the rise of the Roman church and it’s ties to colonialism, see “Unsettling Truths” by Mark Charles and Soong-Chan Rah.
For more on Christian nationalism as idolatry, see “Christians Against Christianity” and “The Politics of Jesus” by Obery M. Hendricks Jr.
For a history of how corporate America sought to create a “Christian” America, see “One Nation Under God” by Kevin M. Kruse and “American Apocalypse: A History of Modern Evangelicalism” by Matthew Avery Sutton.