Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism By Brian T. Kaylor
Baptizing America epub reader
Brian Kaylor of Word and Way and Beau Underwood pastor of Allisonville Road Christian Church in Indianapolis have done the church a good service by helping Mainline Protestants look in the mirror to reflect on our own contribution to the conflation of Christianity and nationalism into a form of religious Christian Nationalism Their premise and conclusion is that this is the first best step to having the greatest impact on calling out and isolating this dangerous ideology They do a particularly nice job at not only defining Christian Nationalism but also illustrating it It s now a necessary resource in my growing library on the subject Nonfiction Christian Religion Churches feature American flags Pastors pray in public even political gatherings Worship services near national holidays feature prayers for the nation patriotic hymns and It s not just conservative evangelical churches It s mainline Protestant ones as well even fairly progressive ones How do I know this This is how it has been in the churches I ve served oh and I do pray at public events like Memorial Day and Veteran s Day observances Hopefully my prayers don t exhibit expressions of Christian nationalism but I am implicated in such things. Baptizing americal Most critiques of Christian nationalism focus on conservative evangelical churches It is true that the most explicit and loud expressions recently are found among conservative evangelical churches which often align themselves with the Republican Party Nevertheless history shows that Mainline Churches PCUSA ELCA UMC Disciples UCC ABC have been at the forefront of efforts to connect church and state Evidence is found in the presence of American flags in sanctuaries and patriotic hymns in the hymnals So while Mainliners might protest the growing problem of Christian nationalism are we willing to acknowledge our own complicity In Baptizing America authors Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood one a Baptist and the other a Disciples of Christ minister address the so called elephant in the room The authors note that as attention is given to Christian nationalism the definition of what makes for Christian nationalism becomes ambiguous While the term Christian nationalism might be relatively new the reality that it describes has a long history In many ways what is now known as Christian nationalism has roots that go back to when the Mainline Churches were the dominant religious force in the country The authors are part of the Mainline Christian community They are affiliated with Word Way a Christian media outlet where Kaylor serves as President and Underwood serves as a contributing editor I should note that I am a regular contributor to Word Way offering weekly book reviews I am also like Underwood a Disciples of Christ minister retired The authors begin their book by taking us to the anniversary of January 6th and the commemorations of that day by Mainline church leaders such as Michael Curry Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church Different of course from what happened in 2021 but the commemorations a year later still highlighted American exceptionalism in the form of prayer Chapter 1 How Firm a Foundation lays the foundation for what is shared in the rest of the book The thesis of the authors is that Mainline Christians laid the foundations for what is known now as Christian nationalism though it was once called civil religion with a Protestant face That opening Chapter forms part of Section I of the book titled Christian Nationalism in Context The second chapter in this section is titled A Heretical Faith Here the authors focus their attention on what they call the American idol which is nationalism It is an idol where loyalty to the nation is foremost in the hearts and minds of the people However there have been throughout American history other voices that have challenged the American idol Finally Chapter 3 Un Civil Religion explores the forms of civil religion present from the beginning of the American nation such that the founders didn t attempt to create a Christian nation but rather drew upon religious elements that reflected the American ethos It expressed shared national values without replacing denominational or sectarian belief systems It used elements of Christianity but in a way that most Americans didn t see a conflict with their specific belief systems They write that Civil religion depends on downplay differences in ways that empty religious affirmations of their meaning In a profound way to participate in civil religion requires the denial of one s true faith p 46 So phrases like under God or posting the Ten Commandments are seen not as being religious but as part of our history and culture Thus to be unifying it must be purposely vague. Baptizing americal Part II How Mainline Protestants Brought Church to State moves the discussion from the overarching narrative to the specific dimensions Here is where Mainliners like me might start to feel as if our toes are being stepped on especially when it comes to Chapter 4 Prayer Time The authors address prayers most often Christian prayers in public spaces Consider the prayers offered by the chaplains of the Senate and House of Representatives These are part of the national discourse What happens at the national level happens locally as clergy pray at public events such as city council meetings or other events I am implicated here I am a local police chaplain who prays regularly at such events as Memorial Day observances and even the Mayor s State of the City Address I pride myself in seeking to make my prayers inclusive but could I be making them so vague that they deny my own faith Hopefully not but I will admit to finding this chapter rather uncomfortable Perhaps you will as well Chapter 5 titled One Nation Indivisible takes a look at the inclusion of the words under God in the Pledge of Allegiance The original pledge written by a Baptist minister didn t include those words which were added in the 1950s as the US sought to contrast itself as a religious people against the godless communists of the Soviet Union The question is whether this is a matter of taking the Lord s name in vain Finally Chapter 6 discusses the phrase In God We Trust which became the national motto and was placed on US currency in the 1950s The phrase has its origins in the American Civil War as a Union response to the Confederate claim to be a Christian nation While I m complicit in the prayer chapter I would be fine with the removal of under God from the pledge of allegiance and would love to see In God We Trust replaced as the national motto I like e pluribus unum Section III turns the tables from Section II with this section titled How Mainline Protestants Brought State to Church The first chapter in this section is titled Seeking a Blessing Ch 7 They begin by noting the churches including St John s Episcopal Church which have welcomed Presidents and hosted national events including inaugural prayers and state funerals The issue here is the attraction of proximity to power I know the feeling They write Mainline and progressive e Christians correctly castigate evangelical or conservative leaders who render to Caesar what belongs to Jesus Yet they miss both the subtle and obvious ways historically and in the present they also participate in being priests of American culture rather than proclaimers of the Gospel p 115 Chapter 8 is titled Worshiping America Here they take note of the way nationalistic elements are incorporated into worship especially around national holidays Consider the nationalistic hymns in our hymns and prayers in our prayer books Yes they are there Finally in Chapter 9 we come to the presence of the American flag in our churches Yes they are there in most Mainline churches including all that I ve served They provide a history of how that came to be which is worth considering as part of our consciousness raising on the Mainline contribution to Christian nationalism The Fourth and Final Section is titled Living in the Nation Mainline Protestants Bult The first of three chapters is titled Failed State Chapter 10 As we near the conclusion of the book they address the threat of Christian nationalism to American democracy Then in Chapter 11 Failed Church they address the threat of Christian nationalism to the church There is the Church of MAGA which has embraced Trumpism They write that reducing religion to political tribalism makes Christian faith appear unprincipled and hypocritical The attractiveness of its ideas and values becomes overshadowed by its misuse and abuse for political ends p 180 So while mainline Protestants helped lay the foundation for the larger edifice the worst offenses now emanate from other corners but they still sully everyone s reputation p 180 There is much truth in that statement Chapter 12 is titled Moving Forward Here Kaylor and Underwood offer some thoughts about how Mainliners might own their complicity and move forward beyond Christian nationalism They respond to Mainliners who speak as if we have no complicity but that is not true Thus they ask us to get our own house in order They offer six ways that Mainline Churches can move forward Each is worth considering. Baptizing americado This is a really helpful book It will step on people s toes including mine They encourage us to resist the pull of Christian nationalism by starting with our own house That is good advice So check it out Nonfiction Christian Religion Shining a light on Christian Nationalism is so important to figuring out how we ended up in our current political climate This book provides great insight It will certainly appeal to mainline Protestants but also speaks to a general audience This book is thoughtful and an excellent read Nonfiction Christian Religion
| Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism By Brian T. Kaylor |
| 0827203381 |
| 9780827203389 |
| English |
| 264 |
| Paperback |
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