Some ACX Updates

The state of the open letter

One way to define this past year is a parade of encounters with people eager to change the subject. The above screen shot, which surpasses all previous encounters in its naked desperation to talk about something else, comes from my virtual visit to Galloway Memorial United Methodist Church this past weekend, the decades long home of Tate Reeves: Mississippi governor, Confederate Veterans enthusiast, “China Virus” apologist, and man who thinks statements like “Mississippi isn’t China—thank God” constitutes a responsible use of his platform.

Notice the sermon title? This church isn’t one of the flagrantly reactionary temples of God and country that other Christian nationalists embrace. Nor is it one of the respectably conservative parishes that see “Christian fellowship” as what happens when Clinton Democrats and America Firsters get along at choir practice. It’s a mainline and explicitly “progressive” church that literally hosted a conference on “Jesus and a Just Society” this past weekend. Dr. Miguel De La Torre, the liberation theologian and immigration rights activist who delivered the above sermon, spoke yesterday for hours at Galloway about how talking about racism must be coupled with anti-racist action. Meanwhile, here’s how the chat looked at one point:

This was after certain of my posts were deleted. See if you can spot which ones.

I’m aware that I don’t exactly come off as a person you’d like to invite over for fried catfish and collard greens. As mentioned above, however, Dr. De La Torre literally spoke all day about how liberal politics predicated on civility and niceness are simply unacceptable as a response to racism. This is a man who has gotten arrested at the border and who urged the audience to get rowdy in similar fashion. Meanwhile, the moderator could not even allow a few pointed posts to remain visible, as a representative of a church that boasts of its advocacy for civil rights during the Sixties.

These kinds of exchanges are exhausting, but they’re precisely why I am continuing to be a stubborn bastard and refuse to put away childish things. I have this juvenile fixation with these concepts called “accountability” and “moral consistency”—wild, I know!—and I have yet to mature into a grownup who understands that anti-racism is something that adult Christians talk about, not something they actually practice.

In that light, here are a few more updates on the state of the open letter on anti-Asian racism and Christian nationalism, which—as the above anecdote illustrates—has laid bare the need to confront Christofascism’s enablers in both the conservative and putatively “progressive” iterations of the modern Christianity.

Marsha Blackburn’s church, Christ Presbyterian: I have spoken with a contact here, who is going to speak with the church’s senior pastor about the open letter this week. Insofar as Marsha’s husband Chuck is an ordained deacon at the church, I haven’t been optimistic about a serious response. In about 24-48 hours, I’ll be able to let you know what went down.

Paul Gosar’s governing diocese of Phoenix: The man who birthed “Wuhan coronavirus” and once grabbed dinner with Steve Bannon and neo-Nazis in Europe has alienated his own family members. The diocese of Phoenix, though, has been more reluctant to take a stand. The office of Bishop Thomas Olmsted assured me on Sept. 13 that “the person who responds to these requests will be in contact.” I’m not sure whether that person exists, as over a month has passed.

Tucker Carlson’s multiple Episcopal parishes: America’s most popular fascist wasn’t originally part of the open letter. I added him because a man who has singlehandedly done more to popularize the myth of “white genocide” than the entire GOP deserves to be included—not least because he claims membership in one of the most left-leaning denominations in America, the Episcopal Church.

Carlson attended a DC parish up to 2020, when he relocated to hang out with fellow Fox personality Brit Hume in Boca Grande, FL. The rector at his current parish, St. Andrew’s, claims that she can’t do anything because Carlson is still a member at the DC church. Meanwhile, the rector at the DC parish claims that he can’t do anything because . . . you guessed it . . . Carlson isn’t an attendee there anymore.

Eric Metaxas: I recently added this darling of Christian “intellectualism” to the open letter this weekend, after realizing that his long history of remarks about China meant that he should been included from the get go. Metaxas is part of the genteel NYC Evangelical set, not least because the foreword to his bestselling Bonhoeffer “biography,” described by historian Charles Marsh as “complete nonsense,” was written by megachurch pastor Tim Keller. Keller’s blocked me after I pointed out that his latest attempt to cast the New York Times as monolithically “left,” and the Wall Street Journal as monolithically “right,” made no sense. Nonetheless, I will continue to press him and the pastors at Eric’s current church, Central Presbyterian on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, for answers.

Mike Pompeo and Eastminster Presbyterian: This happened a little while ago, but I managed to get on the phone with Pompeo’s pastor thanks to a poor receptionist who neglected to ask me why I was calling. The pastor flatly denied that Pompeo was anti-Asian and hung up the phone. Honestly, Eastminster’s denomination, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, has been one of the most hostile denominations named in the letter, so it’s not much of a surprise.

I will be speaking to a reporter tomorrow about a followup to this Religion News article about the open letter. As always, I am putting out the call for greater participation! I know taking direct action is an intimidating prospect, but the water is warm. I cannot sustain this campaign on my own. If you have questions, please reach out.