Uh… how did this happen?

I left pastoral ministry years ago. I was burnt out, my faith was deeply scarred, and I considered leaving Christianity. The boiling point was a simple request at the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic – I asked people in my church to please wear a mask out of consideration for those among us who were scared to attend church due to COVID.

After faithfully teaching the Bible and sacrificing my time and personal health to serve people for 10 years – I was accused of being a “liberal”, a “pharisee”, a “false teacher” – heck, one person even sent me a YouTube video on how me encouraging people to wear masks was a promotion of the “Mark of the Beast” from the Book of Revelation.

By the grace of God, I did not leave Christianity and I did not leave the church. I don’t think we even missed one Sunday, we quickly got plugged into a local church where I serve as the Vice President of the board, help lead children’s church, and preach occasionally.

So what now?

I have said repeatedly I never want to be a pastor again. Making $30k/year to be on call 24-7 and to deal with adults who act like toddlers – isn’t worth it to me. I have immense respect for pastors who continue to serve the church. It is an incredibly difficult and low-paying job.

I watched Alex Pretti be disarmed and then shot by federal agents. I then watched the US government spread propaganda at worst and misinformation at best. He was referred to as a terrorist with a mission to massacre law enforcement. Even commentators like Ben Shapiro, who is VERY conservative, called out the misinformation (this isn’t a right v left thing).

I have watched the church fall prey to the false gospel of Christian Nationalism and “America First” since Donald Trump was first elected in 2016. In 2017, I was preaching through the Book of Galatians and preached a message titled “MAGA is a False Gospel” – in rural South Dakota (you can guess how well that went over…)

What is Christian Nationalism?

I should probably define my terms. What actually is “Christian Nationalism” that I have been calling out? This isn’t about loving your country. I love this country. I am grateful to live here. Patriotism is a natural affection for your home; it’s healthy.

Christian Nationalism is something else entirely. It is a syncretistic religion that wraps the Cross in the Flag and demands you bow to both.

At its core, Christian Nationalism is the belief that America is God’s chosen nation – a “New Israel” – and that the primary goal of the Church is not to spread the Gospel of Jesus, but to seize political power to preserve a specific cultural identity. It is a framework that says to be a “true” American, you must be a Christian, and to be a “true” Christian, you must vote for a specific type of politics.

It is a false gospel because it swaps the Kingdom of God for an earthly empire.

• Jesus taught us to love our enemies, bless those who persecute us, and lay down our rights for others (like wearing a mask to protect the vulnerable). Christian Nationalism teaches us to fear our neighbors, arm ourselves against “them,” and fight to maintain our dominance.
• The Jesus I preached for ten years washed feet and died on a Roman cross. Christian Nationalism seeks to take over Rome. It operates on fear (fear of losing status, fear of demographic change, fear of “the left”) and fear is the opposite of faith.
• When we equate the success of the United States with the will of God, we have stepped into idolatry. The Church existed long before America, and it will exist long after America is dust.

When people in my former congregation called me a “false teacher” for caring about public health, they weren’t defending the Bible. They were defending their political identity. That is the fruit of Christian Nationalism: it convinces good people that political allegiance is the ultimate test of spiritual faithfulness. It is a poison in our churches, and it is starving the Church of its true power.

Where are the pastors?

So… where are the pastors? A few have had the courage to call this out. One of the most notable is John Piper in his article – “My Kingdom Is Not of This World“. The majority of pastors I know agree with me that Christian Nationalism is a distortion of the Gospel, but recognize if they call it out with clarity it will lead to them being fired from their jobs (or losing half their congregation).

I don’t have a congregation, and to be blunt, I’m okay offending you and being unpopular. Jesus once said it this way, “Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.” (Luke 6:26).

I do not need or want financial donations. I am not limited by what I can say, based on the “large givers” I might upset. There is incredible freedom and the ability to speak with a prophetic voice in my season of life.

What is next?

I will be live streaming every Sunday at 8pm CST on Facebook and YouTube. My goal is to re-introduce people to the Jesus of the Bible by teaching verse-by-verse through the Gospel of John. We will spend 30 minutes looking at Scripture, and then I’ll take another 30 minutes to do Q&A.

This isn’t a political stream, and I am sure I will equally offend conservatives and progressives… which is a good thing.

Even if you disagree with me, I sincerely want to invite you to join me.

I hope to see you there.