Francois Ntone

Charlottesville – Unite the Right Event-(Photo: Jeremiah Knupp, The News Leader via USA TODAY NE)

The Events in Charlottesville, Virginia

When I wrote about hate and extremism in early July, I was merely relating alarming information from the Southern Poverty Law Center, and examining the justification of racism by white supremacists who call themselves Christians.  I did not anticipate that the warnings from SPLC were going to be proven warranted on such short notice.  It is now clear to most observers that hate groups have been emboldened by their belief that they have, in the White House, a powerful friend who will help them “take their country back”.  Beyond Charlottesville, VA, they have been planning events elsewhere.  A video from August 18 showing a confrontation between White Supremacists and counterdemonstrators in Pikeville, Kentucky, can be found here.  Also, an event scheduled to occur in Boston on Saturday August 19 did apparently not  go as planned.

Dave Potter, the Special Project Manager for Sojourners, who was a witness in Charlottesville, was shocked by what he called “the unashamed nature of this hate-filled display”, and observed that “In 2017 white supremacists wear no hoods.”  Potter described what he saw:

“They carried flaming torches, proudly flaunted Confederate and swastika-emblazoned regalia, and chanted ‘Jew will not replace us,’ ‘Sieg Heil,’ and’blood and soil’ — and there was simply no need for secrecy. Former KKK leader David Duke said the rally represented the ‘fulfillment of Donald Trump’s promise,’ and several demonstrators wore ‘Make America Great Again’ hats — leaving no question that white supremacy is far from fringe, but is deeply rooted in the identity of the yet-to-be United States.”

Potter contrasts the behavior of the white supremacists to that of counterdemonstrators:

“A group of clergy and faith leaders convened by Congregate Charlottesville counted the cost and willingly entered conflict with a presence of deep abiding love. What unfolded was dramatic in its opposition. As several hundred residents and those who traveled to answer the call for support packed out St. Paul Memorial Episcopal Church for an interfaith service, several hundred torch-wielding demonstrators gathered across the street on the University of Virginia campus, evoking the hovering legacy of the Ku Klux Klan. Demonstrators violently clashed with university students standing in opposition to racism, while those departing the church were told to hunker in place because the situation outside had become too volatile.”

Of particular importance to me is the behavior displayed by Christian counterdemonstrators led by clergy:

“Saturday morning the group marched silently through the city, wearing stoles and clergy collars, processing from a sunrise prayer and commissioning service at First Baptist Church to stand face to face with white supremacists and paramilitary armed with assault rifles. As insults and threats were hurled at them, these ministers knelt on the curb along the edge of Emancipation Park and offered prayer and song. Rarely have I understood the gospel more clearly than in witnessing an eruption of “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine” cutting through an angry shouting match. As the clergy chanted, “Love has, love has, love has already won,” the story so desperately needed was told in full.”

The Christian Response to Evil

Ironically, given the history of Christianity, and given the rhetoric adopted by conservative Christians, it is often difficult to convince non-Christians of the simple fact that true Christianity is a peaceful religion that relies on non-violent resistance.  Christians have found material in the Bible that allows them to circumvent the call to peacemaking from their Prince of Peace: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”  It seems clear to me Jesus’ statement implies that peacemaking is consistent with God’s nature, and that those who embrace it are participating in God’s essence.  And those who do not embrace it remain alienated from God.

Once during a Bible study led by a pastor, I stated my belief that true Christianity promotes peacemaking and non-violence.  The pastor did not seem to agree.  He challenged me by asking me what I would do if an evil person came into my house and killed my family.  I responded by admitting that this would be a terrible situation, and that I was not sure what I would do.  But I added that the Christian belief could not be defined by what I would do.  He surprised me by turning to the rest of the participants and asking them: “That’s the perfect answer, isn’t it?”  He then explained that he liked my answer because I did not try to justify myself.  He added that such a situation would be a test of true Christianity that would call for much prayer and submission to God’s will.  Somehow, even though he initially seemed to argue that some violence is sometimes justified, deep inside, he knew the right answer.

The fact is Jesus himself was an example of commitment to non-violence, even when he faced his death.  His apostles followed his example by accepting persecution and martyrdom.  This implies a deep faith and a true belief that Jesus is the Son of God whose promises about eternal life are true.  It is my contention that many people who call themselves Christians do not have that kind of faith.  Instead, they want to use Jesus as their ticket to heaven after they die.  While they are on earth, they do what any non-Christian would do to secure for themselves a comfortable life and eliminate any threat to their well-being, using violence if necessary.  In fact, some even promote the idea that it is godly to use violence against people they do not approve of.  At the same time, we have examples of Christians who did follow Jesus’ example.  Martin Luther King was a good example of non-violent resistance.  While I am asking myself what I would do if an evil person killed my family, the families of the victims of Dylan Roof during the Charleston church shooting have already provided an example of Christian love and forgiveness for all of us to think about.

During the events in Charlottesville, the white supremacists and neo-Nazis came prepared for violence, while the Christian counter-demonstrators were peaceful protesters.  Heather Heyer lost her life while standing up to evil, and many others were injured.  White supremacists celebrated the violence and rejoiced about Heyer’s death.

Historically the KKK and other hate groups have tried to describe themselves as Christian organizations.  Today, it seems white supremacists do not need to wear hoods anymore.  Some reports indicate that the alt right considers Christianity as no longer relevant, which could mean that white supremacists will, in the future, no longer feel the need to disguise as Christians.

So Where Are White Evangelicals Standing in All This?

Much has been said about Donald Trump’s reaction to the events in Charlottesville.  I have no interest in discussing Trump as an individual or as a president.  I leave that to political pundits.  I am only compelled to make him part of my discussions because his presidency has exposed white evangelicals, a group that formerly presented itself as the guardian of Christian values.

I mentioned in a previous post that there is a disconnect between white evangelicals and their pastors regarding support of Trump policies.  Pastors are more likely to understand that Trump’s views are inconsistent with Christian values.  Regular members, on the other hand, seem to be attracted to Trump in spite of the teaching of their churches, presumably because they have a poor understanding of that teaching.

At this point, I have not seen any survey results that specifically describe the reaction of white evangelicals to the Charlottesville events.  But since the country is currently divided between those who approve of Trump’s statements about Charlottesville and those who condemn them, support for Trump may be an indication of that reaction.

Based on polling conducted in early August, PRRI reports that support for impeaching Trump has increased significantly in the past 6 months.  However, white evangelicals who were polled were less likely than the wider population to support impeachment.  As stated by PRRI,

“White evangelical Protestants are among the most resistant to the idea of impeachment. Nearly eight in ten (79%) white evangelical Protestants say Trump should not be impeached. More than six in ten white mainline Protestants (63%) and white Catholics (61%) also oppose impeaching the President. Religiously unaffiliated Americans are divided with about as many in support of impeachment (46%) as opposed to it (45%).”

But white evangelical leaders did express their thoughts after the Charlottesville events.  According to Kate Shellnutt from Christianity Today, Franklin Graham defended Trump, posting the following statement on Facebook:

“Shame on the politicians who are trying to push blame on President Trump for what happened in #Charlottesville, VA. That’s absurd. What about the politicians such as the city council who voted to remove a memorial that had been in place since 1924, regardless of the possible repercussions? How about the city politicians who issued the permit for the lawful demonstration to defend the statue? And why didn’t the mayor or the governor see that a powder keg was about to explode and stop it before it got started? Instead they want to blame President Donald J. Trump for everything. Really, this boils down to evil in people’s hearts. Satan is behind it all. “

Trump, in his initial statement, condemned bigotry and hate, but claimed that these came from “many sides”.  He therefore declared the white supremacists and the counterdemonstrators as equally evil.  But even Republicans in Congress rejected that notion.  So did business leaders, and in protest, some of them resigned from presidential commissions they were part of.  Ironically, corporations have come to realize that diversity and inclusion are worth pursuing, but so-called “Christian” leaders such as Franklin Graham seem to be blind to evil associated with racism.

Similarly Jerry Falwell Jr, president of Liberty University, tweeted that he was “so proud” of Trump for making a “bold truthful” statement.  This provoked a reaction from many alumni of Liberty University who called on fellow alumni to take a stand by returning their diplomas.

Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, expressed his approval of Trump’s response, saying “If we’re going to denounce some racism, we ought to denounce all racism, and I believe that was the point the President was making.”  I guess it did not occur to Jeffress that one side stood for racism and the other side opposed it.  Furthermore, one side initiated the violence that led to a death and multiple injuries.

In general many evangelical leaders, including Trump’s advisers, tended to denounce hatred without addressing Trump’s statements.  But some clearly stated their disapproval of Trump’s handling of the matter.  For example, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor Denny Burk wrote on his blog:

“President Trump addressed the nation in a press conference in which he said that the white supremacist protestors were ‘very fine people.’ His full remarks were more than disappointing. They were morally bankrupt and completely unacceptable. People who protest while chanting Nazi slogans are not ‘very fine people.'”

Ronnie Floyd, past president of the Southern Baptist Convention, wrote:

“These protesters do not represent in any form or way the Christian faith or the values followers of Jesus stand for.  In fact, white nationalism and white supremacism are anathema to the teachings of Christ, who called us to love and to serve our neighbor—regardless of skin color, gender, or religion—to give up our life for our friends and to even love our enemies.”

In my last post, I discussed the fact that the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution condemning the alt right in June.  Therefore it is not surprising to see one of their leaders making such an unequivocal statement.  But again, as mentioned before, among white evangelicals there is a gap between the leadership and the membership. Perhaps we see progress among the leadership.  But strong support for Trump by the membership suggests that we have a long way to go.  In Virginia, Tom Perriello, a Catholic who ran for governor as a democrat but lost during the primaries, sent a series of tweets criticizing white evangelicals for failing to condemn white supremacy.  He was also highly critical of Jerry Falwell Jr for his response to the events in Charlottesville.  In retaliation, the state Republican Party called him a “Christian-hating bigot”.  In other words, these people think they are Christians simply because they are white Americans.

At the time I am about to publish this post, Trump has directed the Pentagon to declare an indefinite ban on transgender individuals joining the military.  He has also pardoned former sheriff Joe Arpaio who has been accused of harsh treatment of undocumented immigrants.  The pardon reverses a conviction on criminal contempt for violating a federal court order in a racial profiling case.  Didn’t Trump promise to be the rule of law president?  It will be interesting to see how Christians respond to these decisions.