Author: Neal Saye

From December 1-25, I’m sharing a quote and its truth from John Fugelsang’s Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists and Flock-Fleecing Frauds, the book Robert and I are currently and fascinatingly reading.

An odd Advent Calendar, of sorts.

Today, Fugelsang takes a magnifying glass to the uncomfortable topic of … white supremacy:

“All forms of white supremacy—belief in the superiority of white people over others—stand in direct contradiction to the life and teachings of Jesus, who consistently commanded love for all people, especially the persecuted or marginalized. Jesus was about humbling oneself, not exalting one’s own group. White supremacy divides humanity into superior and inferior groups, giving a pasty middle finger to Jesus’s message of radical unity.” p. 267

“Modern white supremacy exists on a broad, and expanding, spectrum. From the KKK, neo-Nazis, and armed militias to bloviating public intellectuals lending credibility to white replacement theory, from dog-whistle politicians and media to smiling church folk who oppose every racial justice movement, generations of white Christians have resisted any changes to a racially exclusive status quo.” p. 267

“White supremacy is a system that can’t merely be reduced to its most violent expressions. Supremacists don’t all necessarily hate anyone; it’s often easier to just stay pleasantly indifferent to racial injustices and talk vaguely about ‘traditional demographics’ and ‘heritage’” p. 267

*************************

“Christian theology teaches that every person is made in the Imago Dei-the image of God (Genesis 1:27). White supremacy rejects this by implying that some humans look more like that image than others.” p. 267

“No one can serve both Christ and white supremacy. It’s not merely un-Christian; it is anti-Christian.” p. 268

Or as I would say here in Savannah, “All, y’all.”