The Christian response to injustice, intersectional identities, and Christian nationalism

Written By Rachel Ann

I’ve been seeing a lot of talk on social media about choosing one aspect of your identity over the other (religion vs. race, socio-economic status vs. gender, etc.) Christian nationalism, and overall ridiculousness that’s plauging the church, the USA and the world.

It makes me think about how we forget that much of life is in the the grey area. As a society, we’re not so great at doing acknowledging that. We like solutions that are quick and clear cut. We place more value on efficiency than depth. We judge people by their external presence before they even say a word. We don’t see the in-between, we either love the person or cancel them.

But my dear friend, lemme tell you that the “this or that” mentality is not holy or healthy for us.

Much of life is in the in between, the grey area, and the intersections of who we are, where we wanna be, and how we get there.

What do I mean about all this? Hop in and let’s find out!

Intersectionality in our identities exist

Intersectional identities are important to acknowledge and address. The way I show up as a Christian is impacted by my race, gender, ability, sexuality, socio-economic status, geographic location, and more. The way I show up as a woman is impacted by all my other identities, the way I show up as a Black person is impacted too, etc etc. I think you get the gist. 

We don't need to choose between the two, deny one for the other, or anything like that. This statement sets up a “this or that” attitude which is not holy, healthy or truthful of human experiences. For example, pitting religion against race is illogical and petty. This is what we call diversity, which I wish more people knew about but they don't since the USA is currently trying to erase DEI.🙃

Before we move on to the next item, I invite you to reflect here. How do intersectionality identities show up in your life? How does on aspect of your identity impact the other?

Reflecting on your intersectional identities will help you learn more about yourself, how you show up in the world, and how you understand and experience God in your life.

God doesn’t need defending

When we fall into the “this or that” mentality, we also tend to fall into the “us vs. them” mindset which, unsurprisingly, is also not holy or healthy. In the USA for example, there's this false notion that Christians are under attack in the USA and Christ needs to be defended.

Let’s think about this from the Christian perspective - as Christians, we believe that God is the King of kings, Lord of lords, powerful, mighty warrior, ultimate counselor, healer, protector, provider, and more. What makes us think that this entity needs defending? In what world is God in need of anything?

Now, I will say this - there’s a difference between being honest about your faith versus defending God without cause. Being honest can be hard sometimes since nowadays the term “Christian” can be synonymous with folks who are misrepresenting Christ for their own personal agendas. So here’s some of my go-to phrases that you’re welcome to try out:

  • “I’m a Christian, the type that understands that Jesus ain’t white with blue eye and blonde hair.”

  • “I’m grateful that God doesn’t require us to choose between our emotions and His commandments. He’s deep, process-oriented, and meets us where we are as we pursue His plan for our lives.”

  • “I wish we saw the love and truth Jesus showed us in our world today.”

  • “I fast and pray because it helps me get closer to God, especially during tough times or times when I need to make a decision.”

See the difference?

Defending Christ brings pride and hostility. Talking about your faith and what you believe brings out humility and conversation. And spoiler alert: many of the problems we experience on a small and big scale usually have to do with the lack of conversations, listening, and compassionate curiosity. But I’ll save that for another time.😂

The Christian response to injustice

So now we turn to injustice - how do we respond to it with all our intersectional identities at play and knowing God doesn’t need defending? Well, when we view the Christian response to injustice and harm as passive, to only pray about it, or turn the other cheek, we're not following Christ's example. And the opposite is true too - if we view the Christian response to be vengeful, telling people off in the name of God, or taking away rights from people who are “sinful”, then we're not following Christ's example at all.

Unfortunately, we're seeing a lot of those types of Christians right now.

 So my encouragement to you is to seek God in how you can be a follower of Christ fully and authentically. I don't mean legalistically stress over every commandment or misuse grace, what I mean is seek the Lord about:

  • what would it look like for me to be a follower of Christ today?

  • how can I love others in the way Christ commands us to?

  • how would Christ fight the good fight today?

Let that be your answer. Not MAGA Christians, deconstruction bros, or anyone in between.

Let Jesus be your answer.

Let Jesus be your light.

Let Jesus be your fuel to fight.

Let Jesus be your guide through all this.

My wish for you is that your time with God reflect His goodness, truth, and love for you. May you be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit to bring God's shalom to your neighborhood. May you move forward in the path that Jesus lays out for you.

He is with you. Take a moment to embrace that as you navigate what’s ahead sis.💜

Need more support? Lemme help you sis:

Rachel Ann
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