Hello my friends!

Thanks to those of you who responded with what you find joyful in your lives right now. Your messages were very encouraging and full of hope. Much appreciated. If you didn't get a chance to share your joys with me, feel free to do that in response to today's newsletter as well! What is bringing joy to your life right now?

Today, I want to think about a possible future with you. I so often write so much about the present moment, yet I think there is something important about imagining together what our future might actually look like and who we want to be when we arrive in that future.

I am looking forward to diving into this with you today, but first, here are some things that have me thinking this week.

RESOURCES TO CONSIDER

-As you know, I grew up in Idaho, which was home to one of the biggest interment camps for Japanese American citizens during WW2. What I didn't know was that at the same time, almost every other state housed German prisoners of war as well. Radio Lab recently republished one of their earlier episodes from 2017 about this very thing called "The War On Our Shore." As I listened to it, the question of how we love our enemies was at the forefront of our mind. Especially given how and why we treated German prisoners of war so differently than we did actual American citizens, who were of Japanese decent. I highly recommend listening. Would love to hear your thoughts.

-I'm also currently in the middle of reading "The Gospel of J. Edgar Hoover: How the FBI Aided and Abetted the Rise of White Christian Nationalism," by Lerone Martin. It is as fascinating as it is unsettling as it tells the untold story of how the FBI partnered with white evangelicals to champion a vision of America as a white Christian nation. It brings an even deeper understanding of the historical placement of "law and order" among the evangelical movement.

-Our society is saturated in apologies. They're scripted, they're public, and they often feel less than sincere. Political, corporate, celebrity apologies – they can all feel performed. It's not even always clear who they're for. So what purpose do these apologies serve? Because real apologies are not just PR stunts. Not just a way to move on. At their best, they're about acknowledgement and accountability, healing and repair. So how did apology go from a process to a product – and how can we make them work again? In this episode from Throughline called, "The Way Back," it explores this fascinating reality throughout history and really made me think more deeply about what restorative justice looks like. A good topic for all Christians to consider.

-Lastly, I was recently interviewed by Paul Dolman, the host of "What Matters Most" podcast. It was a meaningful conversation. You can listen to it here.

After The Culture War

So, I am going to say a rather bold statement. One that may sound kind of absurd given all we are seeing in the world of politics and religion, but bear with me, because I think it is worth considering. Here it goes.

I think the culture war is over. I think it is over for everyone else except for those who demand to keep fighting one.

I'll get into why I think this in a moment, but I want to note something about the phrase "culture war" first.

I’ve said this before, but I’ve never liked the phrase “culture war,” especially when it is used by us Christians.

It suggests that our culture will somehow devolve into an unholy hell-scape if we are not the ones controlling its direction. It suggests that we must fight to maintain our own authority over it, as if Christ is not already in authority. It suggests that controlling our culture is what we have been called to do as the body of Christ.

The battle has already been won on the cross of Jesus Christ and his empty tomb.

Jesus says “blessed are the peace makers,” not “blessed are the victors of culture wars.”

Our culture is not filled with enemies to be conquered but neighbors to be loved.

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” -Jesus (John 13:35).

It reveals how little we Christians actually believe that Christ conquered sin and death on the cross when we treat our religion lie a war that hasn’t been won and we are at risk of losing and we treat the world as an enemy to be conquered rather than a neighbor to be loved.

This mentality simply doesn’t reflect what we see in the life and teachings of Jesus.

Yet we see this mentality hold deep sway, especially among the hard Christian right. I believe this is due to several factors that cause fear and uncertainty, but are then turned into politics of grievance and control, especially by those vying for political power themselves.

Let’s look at these factors quickly.

First, America is becoming less white. According to Pew Research Center, the share of people in the U.S. who identify as non-Hispanic White and no other race has also declined in recent years, falling from 64% in 2010 to 58% in 2020, according to the new census data. This is a trend that has been in decline for several decades now, but this is the first time it has fallen to 58%.

Second, Christianity is in decline in America. Again, according to Pew Research, The study found that Christians accounted for about 90% of the population 50 years ago, but as of 2020 that figure had slumped to about 64%. If recent trends in changing one's religious affiliation hold, it projected that Christians could make up between 35% and 46% of the U.S. population in 2070.

Thirdly, the majority of Americans do not support far right views on political issues. The majority of Americans support common sense gun laws. The majority of Americans support same sex marriage. The majority of Americans support gender equality. The majority of Americans support reproductive rights for women. The majority of Americans think the government should do more to confront climate change. The majority of Americans support immigration to the United States as a “human right.” The majority of Americans want the federal government to do more, not less, to help people in need. The majority of the next generation, Gen Z, identifies with progressive perspectives.

Combine these factors together and the reactionary extremes we have seen in the recent years starts to come into focus. The rise in White Nationalism, the religious right’s pursuit of political power by any means necessary, stacking the supreme court, voter suppression, and the doubling down on cultural issues as well as harsh political measures against these things by politicians currently clinging to their seats of power.

I believe this frantic, punitive behavior we are seeing is from a political/religious movement that is not only shrinking, but knows it is fighting a battle that it has already lost. So it is doing whatever last ditch efforts it can to not only hold onto power but advance its agenda.

So much about this kind of extreme reaction to the changes we are seeing in our culture grieves my heart. It grieves me that we don’t seem to know how to process or respond to changes like these in a healthy way, especially as those who claim to follow Jesus. It grieves me that Christianity was co-opted so easily by the far-right for the sake of its own political grievances and agendas. It grieves my heart that a minority of Americans has been able to gain power over the majority of Americans in order to advance the opposite of so many of the good things the majority of Americans support.

Yet, I do see a sliver lining. Something that gives me hope and makes me ponder how we need to move forward from this moment in a more intentional way, especially as Christians who do not support the political extremism that has co-opted our faith. I’d like to think about this possible future with you today.

As I said at the beginning of this newsletter, I think the so called "culture war," that has been very much started and carried out by the religious right, is actually over. What we are seeing is not a continued struggle that can be won through the legitimate course of democracy by the extreme right, but the last ditch efforts to try to hold onto power as much as it possibly can. It is the desperate attempts of a movement that knows it has already lost.

Now, this isn’t to say that we won’t see things get uglier than they are in the halls of power right now in future elections and legislative changes. That is still very much a legitimate concern, one that deserves our efforts to confront.

This is to say though that given the context of where the majority of American people are in the statistics I just mentioned, political power can only be held onto by the religious far right through illegitimate means. Acknowledging this reality can better equip us to spot and oppose these illegitimate measures, like voter suppression and spiritual manipulation, more easily. Acknowledging this reality can help us to take a more creative and positive posture rather than a perpetually defensive one. Acknowledging this reality can help us to think differently about the future and ask challenging questions of ourselves.

Questions like: What will we do if the center of political power shifts in our favor? How do we want to use it?

Most importantly, it helps us to guard against using power ourselves in the very same way we are seeing the religious far right use power. It helps us to understand that while we continue to advocate for the marginalized, the religious right will be among the marginalized voices among the majority in the future. How then will we love them well if the center of power shifts more fully towards the majority in the future?

Put simply, how will we embody the humility, compassion, mercy, and love we so desperately wish we saw from the religious far right if and when we hold the majority of power ourselves?

As i think about this, my mind actually goes to Joseph in the Old Testament. As you know, he was betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery. As his life unfolded throughout those tough years, he eventually became second in command to Pharaoh. Only to then have his brothers come to him for help because there was a great famine in the land.

Genesis 45: 3-7 reads: “Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”

What a shift in power dynamics. What a humble, gracious response. Can you imagine what this would look like among Christians who have done this very thing to one another over the recent years? Those who have demonized and pushed people out of their churches and families for their beliefs on social and political issues, only to be brought to a place years later to recognize their need for those very people they pushed out?

One of the messages I will often receive from others online when I am talking about the Christian far right is, “they aren’t real Christians” or “they are not one of us.”

While I can understand where this is coming from, I get the exact same response from many Christians on the far right said directly to me. They will remind me almost daily, “you are not a Christian” and “you are not one of us.”

The reality is, just like Simone the Zealot and Matthew the tax collector, who were both disciples of Jesus, even though they were both on the furthest opposite ends of the political spectrum from each other as they could possibly be, Jesus never said to either one of them, “you’re not a real disciple” or “you aren’t one of us.”

Jesus said to them instead, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord their power over others, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be a servant, and whoever wants to be first must be a slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28). Just imagine how Simone and Matthew felt about that towards each other.

The reality is, as much as we may disagree with the beliefs and actions of others who call themselves Christians, they are still our siblings. They are still our fellow disciples. If we don’t hold this to be true, we have no right to hold them accountable or ask them to treat us as their fellow disciples as well. What is more, if we don’t hold this to be true, we are liable to treat them with the same hostility and disgust that they treat us, especially if and when the majority of power is in our favor. "Not so with you." -Jesus

If this thought about the future is true and the culture war is no war at all and we find the center of political power shift from the minority to the majority, will we respond to the religious far right the way Joseph’s brothers treated him or the way Joseph responded to his brothers?

Now, I admit I could be totally off about this idea of the future. It wouldn’t be the first time. Yet, given the data and what we are seeing from the majority of Americans, it is something I think is worth considering at the very least.

Who do we want to be after the culture war?

Now I want to hear from you. How do you feel about what I have described here? Do you have different thoughts? Send me a message and tell me about them.

If you benefit from this project and would like to support it through a recurring gift, you can do so here: There's a $5/mo, $10/mo, and a $15/mo available.

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Thank you all for reading and for all the ways you support me and this project every week.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Ben

PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS

​Thoughts and Prayers vs Fruit of Repentance​

​The Gospel Comforts the Disturbed and Disturbs the Comfortable​

​Symbolic Christianity vs Substantive Christianity​

​The Humility of God​

​Why We Need Resurrection​

​Trading Jesus for Barabbas​

​The Gun Problem is a Sin Problem​

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