I have faced a great reality; I am no longer able to regularly attend a mostly white Church which also leans Republican. I am happy to visit for the sake of my extended family, but I cannot and will not regularly be a part of a Church which leans mostly Republican, white, and nationalistic. This is why we attend the downtown Catholic Cathedral which is mostly Hispanic. Simply, I don’t want to be a part of a faith community which is potentially participating in right-winged fascism with the mission to “purify” the nation as white, straight, Republican, and “Christian.” How does race and other minority statuses have something to do with where people attend Church? Let’s look at history.
Many articles and books have been written about the links between white American Christianity and White Supremacy rooted in right-winged Republicanism. In order for me to understand this history first-hand, we had to be forced out of a mostly white Catholic Church who was not following COVID guidelines to a mostly Hispanic Catholic Church in urban Catholicism which was following COVID guidelines. This is where I found the truth, from the actual lives of marginalized Hispanic Catholics who are mostly Democrat, not Republican. I believe the denial of mostly white Republican churches playing a role in history of white Supremacy and “White Power” is denying that the sun rises and sets. This article from 2020 is one of many which describes this history.
White Supremacist Ideas Have Historical Roots In U.S. Christianity : NPR
Considering my profession, I’ve always had trouble with racism and disability discrimination. But I didn’t know just how bad racism was and is in our country until Trump gave it permission to come out in the open. This is historical and systemic, and many white Republican-leaning (not all) Churches have contributed to upholding White Supremacy.
Let’s take a look at a famous Black Pastor, Dr. Tony Evans, one my husband and I deeply admire. He speaks of the need for different racial groups to reconcile, particularly in the Church. This couldn’t be more evident in a global Church like the Catholic Church. In this video, Dr. Tony Evans speaks of the dignity of every human being, that each person is made in the image of God regardless of who that person is. This supports Catholic Social Teaching at its core. Dr. Tony Evans speaks of how dangerous it is to marry the Christian faith to Nationalism which upholds white Supremacy. He calls this an idol, that God is judging Christians for placing national commitment above the commitment to God and reconciliation. I will go further and say that this is mostly white Republican Christians (not all). He says that all people are tied to unity within our differences of race and culture. Dr. Tony Evans concludes that reconciliation is of the upmost importance, that where we see reconciliation, we see the Kingdom of God. Where we see the focus on nationalism where “sameness” rules (I say white conversative Christianity), we don’t find God.
(71) Dr. Tony Evans on racial reconciliation, standing for truth in polarizing society – YouTube
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