One Nación For Todos

Two Episcopal Churches were tagged this week. You can read about it here. The chalked sidewalk in the picture above was done by one of the churches that were tagged, as a lovely response to prepare for their Sunday services.

In Indiana, they sprayed "Fag Church" on the church wall. Sounds like a great church to me, but clearly, this vandalism in Indiana was not meant in fun. In Maryland, the "Trump Nation Whites Only" on the back of a banner for a Spanish language service is a threat to a vulnerable community. Whoever did this should never have been let into the spray paint can cage at Home Depot. Can't we make an "about to make a bad decision that cannot be reversed" alarm for spray paint cans, Silicon Valley?

Strangely enough, I hear from Trump supporters on social media, that it is unappealing to them as well. Apparently they voted for change, inclusion, and economic growth. Apparently many call themselves Christians. There are a lot of things I know nothing about, but Christian, that's my game. I know lots about that. Christian means you are a follower of Jesus. Jesus didn't grab people by their genitals, or joke about it. He protected and healed women. He was born of a women and counted them among his friends. Christians, as followers of Jesus, spend a lot of time in prayer and worship trying to figure out how to break down the barriers in their hearts to loving people that the world humiliates. Christians, we don't get to lead on the insults and caricatures, and that's not some crazy new faux Christian, pep rally-esque, nationalist movement, like what most of our warehouse Christianity is today. That's the gospel, as in 1st century, in the Bible kind of Christian.

If you are a sincere Christian that thinks that Donald Trump brings with him a chance for good wholesome Christian change, I have some reading for you so that you can start to work on Christian reconciliation with people like me, that being your Christian duty. You could start with something Christian like maybe Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, or if that is too intertextually nuanced, perhaps a newspaper or magazine that people like me read, so that you can understand why your sister in Christ is upset. I'm sure you're wondering and worried for me.

If you are a Christian, you would want to know why people like me are horrified by this election and literally terrified for the safety of many people in this nation who have been mocked by your candidate.

Hate crimes are on the rise, just as they are in England post Brexit. Maybe they don't even get to be crimes anymore, just incidents in which white guys are increasingly feeling empowered to tell the rest of us exactly what they think of us with their words, fists, eggs, and stones. If you've missed that as well, look here.

For the rest of you, I insist on living as a Christian in this time. We can do this. I love you Black, Asian, Latinx, Mixed-Race, Native, Pacific Islander, White, Trans, Queer, Cis, woman, man, person with a disability, person that is afraid. A lot of us love you, and we love our democracy, and we will stand with you. You are essential to our common life.

Let's get together and love one another. Jesus commands it, and he tells us that when we do it we are his friends. I can do that. For the haters out there. Good luck convincing your Creator that alt-right, white supremacist, misogynistic pig looked like the right choice for this time for this nation. I'm with Her, er. Him, you know what I mean.
