13 thoughts on “A Good Friday Warning”

  1. Though I disagree (wholeheartedly) with Episcopal Rev. Nathan Empsall on the veracity of his Biblical references and their FULL historical context and reliability from HIS church’s perspective, I do wholeheartedly support his opinions—with pseudo-sufficient New Testament exegesis—and how much worse the radical-Right’s Christian Nationalism have gone overboard, heading directly to Authoritarian power and dominion. And yes indeed, they have completely turned their back on their Hellenistic Christology as taught and inferred from THEIR OWN canonical Scriptures. Rev. Nathan Empsall is spot-on in this regard identifying false prophets, Wicked Priests, and Spouters of Lies found heavily discussed in the Dead Sea Scrolls as well.

    I especially agree with Empsall about his assessments on “ReAwaken America,” Eric Trump, Michael Flynn, QAnon, Team Jesus, “One U.S. religion,” and the Head of the Snake: Donnie tRumpsky. Why can’t the pretending Christians see right through these political memes and buzz-phrases meant to incite horrible outcomes!? Sad.

    We’ve seen what happens when religious leaders partner with authoritarian rulers before: Not just when Pontius Pilate killed Jesus, but also when the Deutsche Christen threw its support behind Adolf Hitler, and in Eastern Europe today where Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill is among Russian President Vladimir Putin’s staunchest supporters.

    Yep! Why are the histories and their own Christian history seemingly non-existent!? And Nan, as you well know when I challenge Christians (from the middle or either end of the socioreligious spectrum) on their piss-poor historical knowledge, understanding of its blurrs & inaccuracies, and Greek exegesis of their Bibles, they simply don’t want to admit WHERE their Faith’s and religion’s serious problems lie and fester! They almost always do the ostrich-head in the sand maneuver. Pfffft.

    Yet while Trump’s authoritarian MAGA movement has become all but synonymous with white evangelical Christianity, it does not speak for most Christians in the U.S., who are sick of seeing our faith hijacked for hateful political agendas.

    Then why in the HELL won’t you moderate people get louder, more organized, and more courageous in speaking out about this decades long hijacking!!!!!!!??? Is your fear that your Church, Faith, and Christendom will splinter and fragment EVEN MORE than it has the last millenia and a half!? Sure, a very legitimate concern on their part, but radical Christians—whether truly born-again or not, or “luke warm” or not—along with Empsall’s type/denomination they still REFUSE to understand WHY their metaphorical fire-extinguishers are empty and useless on fellow Believers or non-Believers alike! Duh!

    As a consequence, decent people like Empsall just continue to go unheard, unseen, and in the end become merely fringe material unimportant to the mainstream. Perhaps this has been true the last two decades because of the huge rise and popularity of Prosperity Theology/Gospel within the charismatic, non-denominational Fundy-Evangelical Movement(s)? Ya think? 🙄🤦‍♂️ I think that’s a noticeable part of it.

    Nevertheless, I wish there were many more Rev. Nathan Empsalls out there… for the sake of this decaying Constitutional Republic democracy we Secularists are TRYING to save.

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    • Although many of us may “disagree (wholeheartedly)” with the Rev. Empsall as regards his Christian faith, one cannot help but support his VERY strong condemnation towards those who are attempting to insert Christian Nationalism into our government.

      And yes, one does wonder why the more moderate believers allow this type of thing to proliferate. Yet in many ways, it’s not surprising since their attention is more on saying grace and singing hymns on Sunday morning.

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      • Hi, Nan! I can answer for myself. I’m not here to argue or to proselytize.☮🙂 I received this message in my Faithful America newsletter, and while I’m thankful to Rev. Empsall for writing it and getting it on a public forum, I almost wonder if, a bit, it’s more a message of hope for those of us who work on such things. It’s a thankless job, and many times, we don’t hear about any success we may have, though some entities that get US public money have changed policies because we bothered to call them out. So, there’s that, FWIW.

        As to the moderate believers, well. That’s easy, at least from my experience. They’d prefer to just let things blow over and return to normal. Part of that is likely because, well, who among us truly expects other humans to behave as “Christian” Nationalists do? Envision “pearl-clutching.” They don’t want to become involved. Some will say it’s not their place to judge such people, but I have to wonder (I’m sure an un-Christian while human thing to do) if they say that because they’re OK with what the Nationalists are doing as long as it’s not right in front of them. I grew up understanding that working for justice is not the same as judging.

        My .02. So far, I guess, but that pretty well covers it. I was going to send you that link this morning, Nan, and haven’t gotten round to it!

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  2. That is why religion and politics should not be mixed. But this version of the Republican Party sees the mix as their way to election victory. Who cares they are sinners? If they say they will support religious domination, the suckered Christians will will8ngly sell their souls to the devils.

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    • I wonder if there has ever been a State in history where religion and politics never mixed? I know, I know… there is modern Denmark but overall….? Even if the “religion” is Maoist cant instead of traditional Christianity?

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      • Which came first? Religion, or government? If we are willing to call family govetnment, then probably government came first. But if we call hiding behind a tree to protect oneself from the thunder and lightning, then religion came first. But does it really matter. People who need to govern are prone to use their own religious beliefs to govern by. The ONLY original reason for separating State and Religion is so religious institutions do not have to pay taxes to the government. Meanwhile, if the religious want the government to give credence to their morals, they should have to pay taxes to do that!

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  3. WWJD? Probably not denigrate people. He said something about throwing the first stone. And, he was not too keen on blasphemous leaders. In fact, that Jesus fellow tended to hang out with the people who had little voice. Christians need to try to emulate that Jesus fellow and not those who are using the bible as a weapon to divide and demean people. And, certainly not that guy who said he alone could solve all our problems. What did Gandhi once say – “I admire Jesus, it is just Christians I worry about.”

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    • Gandhi probably didn’t read the bible with enough scrutiny and thus failed to recognise there was very little of the “Jesus fellow” worth even paying attention to let alone emulating.
      And it is always worth reminding Christians that in his other guise as Yahweh he wasn’t spit.

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    • Jesus was plenty fine though with eternal hellfire for those not eager to follow the requirements of his cult exactly. I don’t find his purported beliefs very comforting.

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  5. Personally, I think there no greater demonstration of Taking the Lord’s Name in Vain than the claim to “know the mind of God.” Yeah, Lyin’ for Jesus is a double-whammy: lying is a sin, a thou shalt not, and in that Jesus is God it follows Lyin’ for God is a big strike two; all paling significantly in the face of a-questing the power to shuffle chess pieces around the world so as to force God to float down out of the sky and rescue them ,,, but personally, I think there no greater demonstration of Taking the Lord’s Name in Vain than the claim to “know the mind of God.”

    I don’t know about Flurida, but out in the hinterlands that’s three strikes …

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