Christian Conspiracy Theorists, Boston Bigotry, Decolonizing the Fourth
KTF Weekly Newsletter
Hi Friends,
This past week was another heavy one. The fight against climate change just got much harder with SCOTUS ruling against the EPA’s ability to regulate fossil fuels. 53 migrants were found dead inside a tractor-trailer outside of San Antonio. This, added to the complexities of celebrating July 4th amidst mass shootings and the brutal killing of Jayland Walker, left us clinging again to Jesus with a mournful longing for His kingdom. We pray peace to you and yours and are grateful that you would spend time with us exploring how we can leave colonized faith together. Here are this week’s resources.
Jonathan’s recommendations:
July 4th is a complicated holiday for Black folks in the United States and it has always been that way, except for a brief period immediately after the Civil War. But it got complicated again because of racial terrorism and white supremacy. This quick podcast (or video if you prefer) from Dulce Sloan, a correspondent for The Daily Show, shed light on a period of time I didn’t know about. As followers of Jesus, especially those resisting oppression, marginalization and violence, we must never think or feel we know it all. Wisdom is something we are always seeking and I’m grateful for stories like this that help me give texture and nuance to the collective reality of Black Americans when I am tempted to flatten it out.
With all that is happening — climate change, police brutality, plots to take over the government, etc. — it’s helpful to take a step back to examine just a bit of how millions of supposed Christ followers are believers, proponents, and sometimes strident defenders of Christian Nationalism, conspiracy theories, and theocratic rule. Michael Luo, editor of newyorker.com, wrote an article titled, “The Wasting of the Evangelical Mind.” Luo traces the thread of anti-intellectualism in evangelical history. He argues that Billy Graham planted the now flourishing seeds that led to the QAnon Shaman praying the Lord’s Prayer on the floor of the House of Representatives. I believe Luo is right.
Jesus said that the world will know who we are by how we love one another and often the love we celebrate is big and public when it is most likely the little, invisible things that are the most significant. Jonathan Tjarks is an NBA analyst for the The Ringer podcast network and he was recently diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic sarcoma. He could die soon and his 2-year-old son will not get to know his father for himself. In “Does My Son Know You?” he calls followers of Jesus to accessible, ordinary, and transformative acts. He calls us to follow Jesus in taking care of the widow and the fatherless – two realities his wife and child will face. The challenge is clear and his invitation is costly but kind. It is also another tangible way to leave colonized faith and live into Matthew 25.
Suzie’s recommendations:
This past Saturday around 100 masked members of the white supremacist group, Patriot Front, marched through downtown Boston. Such displays of fascist bigotry expose the cognitive dissonance of the false narratives that many north of the Mason-Dixon line hide behind. As a Bostonian by birth, I can attest to the fact that we often pride ourselves on being both the cradle of the revolution and a bastion of progressive politics. This is exactly the hypocrisy of the white liberal that Black intellectuals from James Baldwin to Nikole Hannah-Jones seek to expose. We cannot glory in the history of the founding of our nation without confronting and acknowledging the racism at its roots. It should not surprise us that patriotism and white supremacy grow up together and are frequently intertwined. It should not surprise us that the cradle of the American revolution provides fertile soil for white domestic terrorism. I would argue that banned books like The 1619 Project are our best chance at raising a new generation free from the cognitive dissonance of patriotic mythology and building towards an understanding of our origin story that moves us towards the flourishing of all people.
As I have shared before, I am no avid sports fan, but every few years or so my family makes our pilgrimage to Fenway Park. Yet it was only as an adult that I began to realize how white Fenway is. Staring out over a sea of pale faces I started to realize why Red Sox fans are consistently ranked as some of the most racist in the MLB. And this reputation extends across our city. Back in 2017, the Boston Globe’s award-winning Spotlight Team turned its floodlight on the issue of racism in Boston. I believe that series of articles is worth revisiting now. But what I found to be most poignant was a follow-up piece on a now iconic photo of a Black man wearing a Dodgers hat in a sea of white Red Sox fans. That man is Kenyatta Savage, and this article shares a bit of his story.
Last week Jemar Tisby held a virtual teach-in entitled, “‘What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?’” The title is taken from a famous speech that Frederick Douglass gave in July of 1852, which Tisby reads through in parts, drawing lessons for today’s anti-racist movement from Douglass’s soaring oratory. Douglass’s indictment of the hypocrisy of America’s celebration of liberty built on the backs of enslaved people and his strong critique of the complicity of the church in the machinations of oppression is tragically, still relevant today. As a teacher, scholar, and activist Tisby brings his informed wisdom and profound sense of urgency to his survey of this important piece of history. He also talks about the role of recreation and rest, and how we can engage the complexity of lives suspended between reality and aspiration. Even if you missed the live event, you can still access the audio recording here through Tisby’s Substack.
You’ll notice that Sy is not writing this week because he and Gabrielle are getting ready to welcome their baby into the world! Over the next month, he will be dedicating his time and energy towards being the best dad that he can be and we’ll keep things coming your way in his absence. This includes a great new episode of Shake the Dust coming next week!
Thanks for reading and His peace and freedom be yours!
The KTF team