The False White Gospel

[Jazzy]

Jim Wallis was a long-haired student activist in the early 1970s who read Marx, marched against the Vietnam War and had little use for evangelical Christianity. But one day he conducted an unusual theological experiment that would change his life.

Wallis and several friends wanted to know how many scriptures in the Bible dealt with issues such as poverty, oppression and justice. So they took a pair of scissors and cut out every biblical verse mentioning the poor.

“When we were done, all of those verses had fallen to the floor — about two thousand verses in total,” Wallis recalled. “We were left with a Bible full of holes.”

Wallis would devote his life to championing those discarded scriptures. He is now one of the most eloquent defenders of a brand of evangelical Christianity that insists that faith is not entirely a private matter — that the church should address racism and public policy issues that affect the poor.

That belief has caused some critics to question Wallis’ evangelical credentials. Some evangelicals see him as a renegade because they are suspicious of his emphasis on social justice and his past work as a spiritual advisor to former President Obama.

Wallis conducts another provocative theological experiment in his latest book, “The False White Gospel: Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming True Faith, and Refounding Democracy.” In the book he compares six iconic Biblical texts to White Christian nationalist beliefs. His conclusion: White Christian nationalists also follow a Bible that’s full of holes.

Some may already be tired of the debate over White Christian nationalism, whose followers blend sexism, racism and hostility to non-White immigrants in a quest to create a White Christian America. But Wallis has been warning people about the dangers of White Christian nationalist beliefs long before the term became popular.

He has written numerous books, such as his 2005 New York Times bestseller, “God’s Politics,” that describe how White supremacy has infected Christianity throughout American history. His childhood church in Detroit was racially segregated.

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What do you think?

 

[Lees]

What do you think?

Sounds like his 'come to Jesus moment' was based upon 'sociology' and not salvation.

Which means he doesn't really believe the Bible. He just wants to take away others use of the Bible, who are Christian. And then use the Bible for his socialistic goals.

Lees

 

[Lamb]

Does his Gospel even mention Jesus?

 

[tango]

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What do you think?

Seems like a great way to turn a spiritual message into a secular message backed by some kind of appeal to authority.

Scripture does tell us to look after the poor and the immigrant. It also recognises private property rights and talks of individual charity rather than central welfare systems. Anything that tries to say Christianity is inherently socialist or inherently capitalist seems like it's more about making Jesus like me than about making me like Jesus.

Truth be told the political philosophy that seems to me to best align with Christianity is libertarianism - you get to see the choices, the consequences of choices are laid out, and you can choose for yourself.

 

[Albion]

Continue reading

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What do you think?

Most likely, we can find some preacher somewhere (or a few of them) who espouses almost anything you can think of.

As we know, this particular make-believe threat of "Christian Nationalism" became an instant campaign issue a while ago with the political Left, even though it's not a genuine trend or significant segment within contemporary Christianity.

It reminds me of the attention that was once devoted to the Westboro Baptist Church, a small and unaffiliated congregation, many of whose members were part of the same family, that used to picket funerals . The protesters were breathlessly denounced in the media as if that congregation were a third major division of Christianity after Catholics and Protestants.

 

[tango]

Most likely, we can find some preacher somewhere (or a few of them) who espouses almost anything you can think of.

As we know, this particular make-believe threat of "Christian Nationalism" became an instant campaign issue a while ago with the political Left, even though it's not a genuine trend or significant segment within contemporary Christianity.

It reminds me of the attention that was once devoted to the Westboro Baptist Church, a small and unaffiliated congregation, many of whose members were part of the same family, that used to picket funerals . The protesters were breathlessly denounced in the media as if that congregation were a third major division of Christianity after Catholics and Protestants.

Yes, because if a Muslim blows up a building we're endlessly reminded that not all Muslims blow up buildings, but if a Christian pickets a funeral waving a sign saying nasty things we're endlessly reminded that all Christians are bigots.

 

[Lees]

This idea of 'false white gospel' is interesting to me. Why would it ever have been mentioned? Is it because the 'white people' of the world have embraced Christianity? And, because they have embraced Christianity, they have been foremost in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

So, if 'white people' are more involved in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then it is a 'white Gospel' and not the Gospel? And thus it is to be shunned and rejected as racist....because it is from whites?

If white people spread the Gospel, it is spreading white supremacy. If one believes the Bible concerning Gods chosen race, the Jews, then that is racist, to say Jews are the chosen.

Christians need to step back and see what is going on. They are bowing to an antichristian American view of diversity. And if you disagree, you are racist. America is for diversity. God is against diversity. Conclusion: America is against God.

Lees

 

[Stravinsk]

"Wallis would devote his life to championing those discarded scriptures. He is now one of the most eloquent defenders of a brand of evangelical Christianity that insists that faith is not entirely a private matter — that the church should address racism and public policy issues that affect the poor."

So tired of this. Honestly I have to wonder if the author is a crypto-Jew. Whites make up less than 10% of the world's population. In the 1930's it was around 30%. We have been the world's minority for a long time....and these people just can't seem to let us have our own communities - they always need to be "diversified" because uh "white supremacy". No. Because of what non-whites are doing in historically white nations. They hold FAR greater % the violent crimes, including rape, than whites.

That isn't effing "racism". It's a fact. But somehow - we're still blame?

I hate the hypocrisy. I live in a majority white country atm. But if I try to get employment at any foreign ethnically owned establishment - they won't hire me. Because I'm white! WTH is that? It's Racism. But all White employers are expected to have diverse employees. Because of white guilt or something. Somehow the un or underemployed white people are to blame for the poverty of others who are actually less poor than them!

 

[Albion]

This idea of 'false white gospel' is interesting to me. Why would it ever have been mentioned?

Because it plays into the mythology of the political Left.

Fortunately, the great majority of Christians know that this particular accusation ("Christian Nationalism") is contrived.

Interestingly enough, it has been noted by others that this claim didn't cause much of a stir for the reason that it was too much of a reach. It didn't succeed in outraging Christians or conservatives as was hoped, and few in the Christian community bothered to offer a rebuttal, so ridiculous was the charge. As a result, this particular bogeyman had a rather short time in the limelight.