Not Even Christian Anymore

In hindsight, I suppose the trajectory Evangelical Christianity has been on for many years now was always going to come to this. That doesn't make it any less sad, though, and also pretty scary for everyone involved.

Political movements tend to highjack religious movements, twisting them to serve their own political ends. And right-wing politicians in America love Evangelical Christian. It is no exaggeration to suggest that Evangelicals are probably the single largesty block of voters that support right-wing causes.

But in recent years, the influence of right-wing politics on Evangelical Christianity has become so pronounced that Christianity itself has become problematic to the movement. Not only do Evangelicals support Donald Trump, one of the least pious presidents to ever serve in office, but some even dismiss the actual teachings of Jesus as "liberal talking points."

Russell Moore resigned from the Southern Baptist Convention in 2021, after years of being at odds with other evangelical leaders. Specifically, Moore openly criticized Donald Trump, whom many evangelical Christians embraced. Moore also criticized the Southern Baptist Convention’s response to a sexual abuse crisis and increasing tolerance for white nationalism in the community.

Now he thinks his religion is in crisis. Moore told NPR in an interview released Tuesday that multiple pastors had told him they would quote the Sermon on the Mount, specifically the part that says to “turn the other cheek,” when preaching. Someone would come up after the service and ask, “Where did you get those liberal talking points?”

“What was alarming to me is that in most of these scenarios, when the pastor would say, ‘I’m literally quoting Jesus Christ,’ the response would not be, ‘I apologize.’ The response would be, ‘Yes, but that doesn’t work anymore. That’s weak,’” Moore said. “When we get to the point where the teachings of Jesus himself are seen as subversive to us, then we’re in a crisis.”

It's pretty clear what's happened here. Right-wing politics have infiltrated conservative Christianity to the point that Jesus's message of tolerance, charity, and helping the poor has been replaced by political opposition to abortion and civil rights for sexual and gender minorities - two things that the Jesus of the Gospels literally said nothing about throughout his entire ministry.

I think it's safe to say that self-proclaimed Christians who reject the actual teachings of Christ shouldn't be called Christians at all. That means the the right-wing program of assimilation is basically complete. You're apparently a "Christian" if you hate the people right-wingers want you to hate, full stop. Moore sees what's going on, and is trying to save his faith.

I've mentioned a number of times that the Book of Revelation talks about "the falling away," in which God tells some self-proclaimed believers to get away from him because they never knew him. As a Thelemite, my interpretation of Revelation is a lot different than that of the Evangelicals. But even if they're right, it's hard to deny that "Christians" who don't actually follow Christ are the best candidates for denunciation by God.

I know that none of these folks are going to listen to a Thelemite, even one pointing out the obvious. In their world I'm just plain wrong about everything regardless of the facts. But I do thing that this is something right-wing Christians need to reflect upon. It is possible that their teachings have drifted (or fallen away) so far from Christianity that they're not even Christian anymore?

If the answer is yes, it seems to me that they need to get right with their God. After all, the conseqences of "falling away" are supposed to be quite dire.