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The Christian Nationalist movement is the newest phenomenon shaping the Republican Party. Case in point, Pennsylvania’s Republican candidate for Governor, Doug Mastriano is, for all intents and purposes, the poster hero for this emerging sect of evangelical voters. What I find curious about the movement is it seems the voters identifying with it are the most likely to take extremist positions on issues such as social justice reforms, efforts to curb climate change, gun rights and immigration policy. I am not here to advocate for or against anyone’s personal religious beliefs, but I find it inconsistent with what I understand as the core message of Christianity, to be insensitive to the needs of the less fortunate, anti-immigrant, pro-gun, anti-environment, and other issues central to the culture war strategy of the Republican Party. I know the bible is an expansive book with sections that often seem in conflict with other verses addressing the same subjects. Throughout history, charlatans and opportunists have pulled passages from the bible, out of context, to support any number of un-Christian like behaviors including slavery, antisemitism and more. Christians believe the bible is the word of the Lord. Let’s take a look at a smattering of what the bible says about a few of the topics seemingly inconsistent with Christian Nationalists’ narratives: Social Justice Isaiah 1:17 “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.” Proverb 31:8-9 “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Psalm 82:3 “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.” Immigration Exodus 22:21 “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.” Leviticus 19:34 “The foreigners residing among you must be treated as native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” Hebrews 13:1-2 “Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers for by doing that some have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” Guns Ecclesiastes 9:18 “Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.” Matthew 26:52-54 “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.’” 2 Kings 6:16 “He said, ‘Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’” Environment Genesis 2:15 “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” Numbers 35:33 “You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it.” Jeremiah 2:7 “And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things. But when you came in, you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination.” The Golden Rule Perhaps the greatest overriding directive truly defining Christian mercy, charity and understanding comes from the New Testament delivered by the apostle Matthew: Matthew 7:12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Better guidance has never been given. Thanks for reading, Kristine |