Miguel A. De La Torre*

The following was presented at a conference in Jordan’s baptism site more about the conference here.

The United States finds itself amid a political and religious realignment as white Christian nationalist remakes the nation into its own image. Just as the Republican Party has been transformed into the Party of Trump, so too exists the possibilities of the United State – within the next four years – being transformed into the nation of Trump. This political transformation is not a new phenomenon which began with Trump. Trump is simply the sneeze of the cold, the pus of a boil, the symptom of a white supremacy disease. And even if Trump would have lost the election, Christian Zionism would still have won. The only different is that the bombs falling on Garza would instead be financed by a liberal Democrat.

The white Christian nationalism we are witnessing has its roots in the 1980s with the rise of the Moral Majority; a reactionary response to the Civil Rights Movement which sought to dismantle segregation, a reactionary response to the Feminist Movement which sought to dismantle patriarchy, a reactionary response to the Gay Liberation Movement which sought to dismantle homophobia, and a reactionary response to the Chicano Movement which sought to dismantle ethnic discrimination. The United States, founded on settler colonialism and white supremacy, charged with protecting the power, privilege, and profit of white men, was being challenged to its core by multiple liberationist movements which arose from the turmoil of the 1960s. The last straw, ushering in the current white-lash of Trump, was electing a Black man in 2008.

I was a young adult who never read the Bible during the early years of the Moral Majority. On the first Advent Sunday of 1980, I walked down the church aisle and publicly gave my life to Jesus. I thought I was becoming a born-again Christian; in reality, this minoritized Latino was becoming an ally to those who politically wanted me segregated, those who today are the backbone of white Christian nationalism. The very newfound faith I adopted is also responsible for my oppression when I was an undocumented immigrant, what they call an “illegal.” The colonialization of my mind had begun.

The church I joined seemed loving. People embraced me as if I was family. These loving, gentle people began to teach me about God, the Bible, and what it meant to be a Christian. Among the many lessons taught was the sinfulness of homosexuality, and the primacy of men over women. Why would I have doubted people I admired and wanted to emulate? Why would they purposely lead me astray? After all, they pointed to chapter and verse to prove their points. 

Another biblical truth shared was the imminent return of my Lord and Savior, probably within our lifetime. Based on their dispensationalist Bible, before Jesus’ Second Coming, the nation of Israel must recapture all the land which they originally held during the time of King Solomon. They must also rebuild the Temple on Mt. Zion so that the anti-Christ could enter and proclaim themselves God as per the prophecy in the book of Revelation – Chapter 11. To oppose Zionism is akin to opposing the very will of God, to go against prophesy, to be on the wrong side Jesus’ coming judgement. So, when Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982, although totally ignorant of the reason and even more ignorant of the geopolitical circumstances for the invasion, I – and my fellow church of believers – rejoiced believing we were a step closer to the Second Coming. Although I did not know it then, I was a Christian Zionist. Nothing is more dangerous to peace and justice then a believer holding a Bible convince they are ordained to do the will of God.

Israel knows well Christian Zionism’s antisemitic, anticipating the final solution for all Jews. Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, who led the prayer at the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, preached a 2009 sermon claiming Jews – and other nonbelevers – destined for Hell. Because Christian Zionism is a major tenet of white Christian nationalism, it becomes almost impossible to debunk using reason, proclaiming truth, or inducting shame. For the white Christian nationalist, to reject Christian Zionism is to reject God.

Nothing is more dangerous to peace and justice then a believer holding a Bible convince they are ordained to do the will of God

As I have written elsewhere, I am hopeless. The U.S. Republican Party, as of this pass Monday, controls all the levers of the U.S. government – the presidency, both chambers of the Congress, and the Supreme Court. According to a PRRI poll, 55% of Republicans hold Christian nationalist views (which includes Christian Zionism) along with 25% of Independents and 16% of Democrats. We are dealing with a populist spirit convincing those who have always held power that they oppressed. A study revealed that almost half of white Americans (49%) believe they suffer from discrimination. They believe Christians are the most persecuted group within the United States. Six in ten (62%) argue discrimination is as big a problem for them as those faced by U.S. Blacks and Latinos. Claiming victimhood is part of the justification used by white Christian nationalists and its stepchild Christian Zionists to undergird racism, sexism, ethnic discrimination, classism, and heterosexism.  

Again, I stand hopeless before the global unholy Trinity of white supremacy, settler colonialism, and neoliberalism. But the pragmatic hopelessness I embrace is never an excuse to do nothing. As tempting as this might be, I chose to struggle for justice not because I expect to get an extra ruby in my heavenly crown of glory, nor because I believe my praxis will vanquish this global Christian nationalist beast. I continue to fight for justice, amidst the losing battle, because to stand in solidarity with the oppressed as they struggle to survive is the only acceptable response based on the faith I claim to possess; but more importantly, it defines my very humanity.

I’m uninterested in debating the orthodoxy of my hopelessness. My interest is solely on the orthopraxis. Hopelessness propels me toward orthopraxis, specifically an ethics para joder – a methodology of screwing with the dominant structures through subversion and playing the trickster. I lack the time today to go deeper into elucidating this ethics para joder. Suffice for the moment to attempt fleshing out this ethical paradigm. My intention here is to share a praxis in which I engage that did not necessarily bring about complete liberation, but for a season, brought a greater degree of justice. My hope – no pun intended – is that by sharing my experience, my Palestinian siblings might find points of commonalities.

 Lacking the hubris to suggest a praxis for Palestinians to employ, allow me instead to suggest a strategy in how allies like me can engage. When I was an evangelical Christian, not only was I a Christian Zionist, but I also believed marriage was defined as only between a man and a woman. As I began to decolonize my mind, I became active with the Human Right’s Campaign, a political organization striving for LGBTQI+ civil rights. To be an ally meant I could never speak for the oppressed group. The only thing I could say, with any integrity, is how I benefited from my heterosexuality. Unfortunately, when the queer community spoke up about their disenfranchisement, they were often dismissed because they were viewed as being bias. But when I spoke, because I was not gay and do not have a dog in that fight, other Christians were more likely to listen to me.

Our goal at the Human Rights Campaign was to reach what we called, “the moveable middle.” I was part of a multifaith religion council comprised rabis, imams, priests, ministers, and theologians. We knew there would always be those who believed in marriage equality. But to just speak to them accomplished little for we were simply shouting into the echo chamber. Also, we ignored the extreme at the other end of the spectrum unflinching in their belief that homosexuality as a sin. We pour all our time and resources on the “moveable middle.” As the only ordain Southern Baptist in the group, fluent in evangelical-speech, I was sent to evangelical churches and groups to tell my story and talk about how we Christians were complicit in the oppression of our gay siblings.

Was our strategy effected? According to the Gallup poll, in 2005 when I joined the group, 59% of Americans were against same-gender loving marriages while 37% were in favor. Today, 69% are in favor while 29% are oppose. While I am not giving full credit for this reversal to the organization I was a part of, it nonetheless made a major contribution. I recall a Congressperson who found the courage to vote against an anti-gay bill because many of us showed up at the Capitol, in our religious garb, quoting Holy Script, in opposition to the bill.

My Palestinian siblings: Mi casa es su casa, su lucha es mi lucha. I am aware many allies around the world exist in your lucha, your struggle. As you think of liberative strategies, please remember that when dealing with U.S. Christian Zionists, you are dealing with deeply held theological beliefs, positions difficult – but not impossible to change. Ask us allies not to speak for you, but to speak about our complicity with your oppression. The trick is to focus on the moveable middle – not the Mike Huckabees. I may not have hope for the future, but ojala, we can move toward something which is less death-dealing, something a bit more liberative. 

–Miguel A. De La Torre is an ordained Southern Baptist minister and professor of Social Ethics and Latino/Latina Studies at Iliff School of Theology. He has been the president of the Society of Christian Ethics and as the Executive Officer for the Society of Race, Ethnicity and Religion. Dr. De La Torre is the author of more than fourteen books, including Out of the Shadows into the Light: Christianity and Homosexuality and Liberating Sexuality: Justice Between The Sheets. He is the 2021 recipient of the Martin E. Marty Award from the Public Understand of Religion, presented by the American Academy of Religion. international scholar, documentarian, novelist, academic author, and scholar activist. The focus of Dr. De La Torre’s academic pursuit is social ethics within contemporary U.S. thought, specifically how religion affects race, class, and gender oppression. Since obtaining his doctoral in 1999, he has authored over a hundred articles and published forty-one books (six of which won national awards). A Fulbright scholar, he has taught in Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, Germany; and lectured in Costa Rica, Cuba, Palestine, Thailand, Taiwan. Visit his personal website here.