Wrong Turn at Albuquerque

By: Wendy Duckworth Vance

Although there may be a few, I can't imagine that most people have not seen a Bugs Bunny cartoon.  Having seen said Bugs Bunny cartoon, one would surely have seen him comment that he should have taken a left at Albuquerque.  Due to these wrong turns, our protagonist finds himself in various places that are far from his intended destination. Many Americans and Christians, like Bugs, find ourselves looking at our map and asking, “How did we get here”?  

Whether, dear reader, you have been asking this question or not, I can say I have certainly been asking it. For almost 2 years now, I have been reading every book and article, and watching documentary after documentary, to find some way to understand what is happening in our current reality. More specifically, I have been desperately trying to understand how the darkness of Nationalist Christians (more commonly referred to as Christian Nationalism) has risen to be the face of Christianity in this country.  Others and I reverse the term to Nationalist Christian as it seems that this group cares more about power, money, control, and creating a nation, and perhaps a world that is populated by individuals that fit their definition of those deemed worthy of existence, or as the ideal or right type of human. They appear to operate, using the narrowest definition of humanity based on the antiquated junk science of eugenics that proposes the idea that there is a “superior” race that his meant to rule over the “inferior” races or groups. And they do it under the auspices of creating a “Christian” nation, making the argument that what they are creating is modeled on “God’s plan”. But my question is, is it really? Are these teachings truly reflective of Christ's heart and lived ministry?

Some have argued that the church has been "feminized" and that Yeshua has been “wussified” (and that is cleaning it up from what at least one popular “pastor” uttered from his pulpit - still shocked that the vulgar word that he used to describe Yeshua did not empty the pews).  The church has become “wussified” in their view due to the emphasis on love, charity, and seeking inclusion for marginalized people. They have released books and sermons, declaring that empathy is a sin. Many of the popular pastors in this movement teach men that being caring and loving is an anathema to their version of a biblical man. For them, a man is to be a complete authoritarian who lords himself over his wife and children, controlling every aspect of their lives. Some of these pastors even preach that slavery in America was not only good, but beneficial to those enslaved.  They flatly deny that slaves were mistreated in any way. They advocate for a return to this arrangement. And if this cannot be achieved, at the very least, they would like to see a return to Jim Crow laws, which oppressed and denied the rights of African-American individuals. And not only do they advocate for a return to chattel slavery based on racial origin, but also for women in general. In their worldview, women are tantamount to household slaves who serve as maids, cooks, purchased personal permanent prostitutes, and baby-making machines. In their view, like the slave, women can be sold and traded for the benefit of their father, regardless of their wishes or comfort. She is a commodity, a product, like a sack of potatoes, nothing more.  Abuse is acceptable and even promoted with the emphasis that a woman must be ground into a submission so deep that there is nothing left of her personality, her very soul will cease to exist, she will become a programmed shell that, like a robot, perfectly executes the orders given by the master.  For in their view, women must be controlled because women are the source of all evil and impurity. Any harm that comes to a woman, including rape, according to their view, is the fault of women.  The men in the movement cannot be held to account as far as their teachings are concerned. A man's lack of self-control is not his fault, but rather the fault of the woman who "caused him" to lose control over himself. Thus, their argument is that women must be men's property to be "protected". Arguing that this arrangement is the will of God, hierarchy at all costs, with no compassion or love.

In this worldview, not only are women and people of color worth less than something they may have stepped in, but the poor, the unhoused, the sojourner, and those with disabilities must be eliminated.  In their thought process, we "pollute the blood of the nation”.  We are the lazy, the useless eater, life which is unworthy of life.

And yet with all these cruel and unmerciful statements of their beliefs, many flock to them, even  those on whom they would inflict their cruelty. I have seen video after video of women who are submerged in this movement who have said that they would give up their right to vote. They would give up their right to work. They have the right to have a voice in their own existence because they have become convinced that this is what God wants for them, and that such a decision would lead to blessings untold. This teaching is a form of the prosperity gospel, which tells them that if they allow themselves to be oppressed, abused, and taken advantage of, then they will, in fact, be blessed. For they will be freed from the need to think for themselves, from the need to be a part of the world around them, and they will be freed from the dangers of the inferior races and people who are prowling the streets to harm them. They willingly place themselves in a gilt cage, believing that they will be honored and placed upon a pedestal when, in fact, they will be trampled to the ground.  Not only have I seen women profess these messages, but I have also seen individuals who are African-American say that they felt that their families were better off under Jim Crow.

And this, dear friends, is where I arrive at my quandary. This is how I came to study Nationalist Christianity to understand the appeal of this movement and to ask how we got here. Had I missed something, did they see something in the Scripture that I could not see? Am I really worthless as a woman and a person with a disability?  Do I really deserve destruction? Am I an abomination in the eyes of God? How did we come to a place where such evil, cruelty, and blatant abuse of fellow humans who are all valuable image bearers of God is called good and espoused as the will of God?  How did we go from our understanding that our role as followers of Christ is not to be rulers but  to be servants in this world (Matthew 20:25-28)? How did we miss that our task is not to oppress, to become authoritarian dictators or to lord over others, but to be healers, teachers, prophets, purveyors of the good news - to tell the lost that they are found by Yeshua, the Good Shepherd who laid down his life as the spotless lamb that we may be restored to right relationship with God? How did we stop understanding that Yeshua’s ministry was opposed to the kingdoms of this world and that His kingdom is a different kind of kingdom - He said to Pilate (John 18:36) that His kingdom was not of this world. He continuously taught his disciples the difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of men, how to be loving, how to serve, and to treat others with dignity - to see their value in the eyes of God - that He, in fact, wants all to put life, their trust in Him. He demonstrated the very character and essence of God and told his disciples that “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9 NIV).

Since Yeshua is the spotless lamb, he could not tell a lie. If then He cannot tell a lie, His teachings must be accepted as true, including the teaching that He Himself is a reflection of the very character of God. He showed us not just in his speech, but in his actions, how we are to behave and treat other people. Was he cruel to people? Did he oppress? Did he elevate himself above? Did he treat the poor with disdain and the foreigner as a bug to be crushed underfoot? Did he treat women as his slaves?

No. He raised women up and said that we had the right to sit at his feet and learn. He praised the Samaritan, who did not ignore another's need based on race. He healed those who were not Jewish. He did not accuse people with disabilities of laziness or deny their value. He never called for violence; in fact, he healed a soldier sent to arrest him after his disciple cut off the soldier's ear (Luke 22:49-51, Matthew 26:51-55). He told sinners to go and sin no more. Though he could have condemned—being the only one without sin who could cast the first stone (John 8:7)—he did not. He chose to forgive, to save, and to serve, though he is the King, exalted and creator of all.

We have taken a wrong turn. We deviated from the straight and narrow. Wolves in sheep's clothing sold the lie that hate is love and love is hate.  Many were lured off the path of Christ-likeness by empty promises of a return to a past mythical greatness that never existed. It is a trick, a tool to convince some that they can achieve greatness by beating down others, not understanding that the price of this supposed greatness is the corruption of their very soul. The knowledge that positions of power in this world are nothing. The kingdoms of this world will fall and be forgotten in the ether of eternity as we bow at the feet of the Almighty, declaring Him King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

A road in a forest - mostly dark with a ray of light.