In the Old Testament Bible reading, Joshua and his soldiers are decades into waging wars on enemies. They are wars against the people whose land Joshua believes the Lord gave to them as the Chosen People. Joshua summons his military “officers.” They “stood in ranks before the Lord” and the people. Joshua tells them, “If it does not please you to serve the LORD, decide today whom you will serve.” In practice, Joshua is the Lord, a visible Lord who helped invent an invisible mirror-image Lord. Joshua threatens violence to the people if they forsake him/the Lord, “If… you forsake the Lord… he will do evil to you and destroy you.” The people pledge to be subordinate.
People today who pledge to be subordinate to a Lord who wages war on enemies, are being Biblical. Being Biblical is a priority for many U.S. Protestants, specifically white evangelicals. They look to Joshua as a hero. He is linked to Moral Strength for defeating enemies of the Lord. Modeling themselves on Joshua, white evangelicals in the U.S. are thus decades into waging war against enemies whose land they believe the Lord gives to them as the new Chosen People – the U.S. White evangelicals are also, like Joshua, decades into summoning their military officers. For example, in 2015 a summons was put out and 10,000 men, seeing themselves as the mirror image of Joshua/the Lord, were groomed to win local, state, and national offices in 2016. So too a summons has been put out every year since for more men to be Biblical. They are to take back their land from nonbelievers who forsake the Lord and thus deserve to be destroyed. As Lords of their households, these officers have always been Biblical, personally, with wives, daughters, and congregants. They are now being Biblical, nationally, ratcheting up domination and violence socially against non-believers. These officers are training subordinates for being Biblical through the 7 Mountain Mandate, America First Party, American Renewal Project, Black Robes, Dominionists, League of the South, National Liberty Alliance, Neo-Confederatism, New Apostolic Reformation, People’s Rights, Southern National Congress, Trinity House, WallBuilders. Also through the III%ers, Ku Klux Klan, Nazis, Neo Nazis, Oath Keepers, Posse Comitatus, Proud Boys, and QAnon. Being Biblical is thus being practiced by millions upon millions of white people in the U.S. Like Joshua they are waging wars on enemies ‘who forsake their Lord.’ Being Christ-like is not being practiced by these men. But they like to call themselves Christ-like / Christian. The few Protestant Bible believers challenging these white evangelical supremacists do not think the warriors’ problem is ‘Being Biblical.’ For the challengers too are subordinate to the Bible while they too believe they are Christ-like/Christian. Neither group is following Jesus’ Way. Thus, the challengers incorrectly identify the problem as Christian Nationalism. In particular, Professor Paul D. Miller, recently said, “Christian nationalism is a political ideology about American identity.” “It’s not drawn from the Bible.” But the problem is indeed drawn from the Bible. It is exactly the belief heralded across the Old Testament. Joshua specifically repeats it numerous times. White Biblical Nationalists in religious assemblies, Bible studies, and racist gatherings across the U.S. are proclaiming themselves the Chosen People. They are pledging to “do evil and destroy” enemies, meaning the rest of us, who “forsake the Lord” in this their land – the U.S. They are being Biblical, and, as such, they are betraying Christ Jesus.
“The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe. Jesus knew… the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him.”
Prayer: Spirit, may we always stay in communion and peace.
Question: How can I help people leave the Bible and join community?
August 22, 2021 Gospel John 6:60-69 Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time