Making enemies where there are none

Once again, Faith Family Church’s Jim Graff trots out a right-wing trope in the Dec. 1, 2024 Victoria Advocate. His message is that those who are vocal and open about being a Christian are victims of persecution. But,
in keeping the faith throughout the persecution will result in a reward in Heaven. Even the title, or headline, for this piece is divisive: “How to win the war for those we love.”

This is the Christian nationalism that “The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism” by Katherine Stewart exposes and warns us about. And its emphasis on Christians being persecuted is part of the echo chamber and serves the purpose of riling up the troops to oppose both the more liberal versions of Christianity and those of a more secular bent. In setting up his pep talk for his version of Christianity, Graff uses John Bunyan’s imprisonment is an example of someone enduring persecution for his faith. We can give Graff a pass when he calls John Bunyan, the author of “The Pilgrim’s Progress,” Paul Bunyan in the second paragraph.

As he has done before, Graff uses misdirection an disinformation by clearly implying that the 250 million copies of Bunyan’s work helped the imprisoned preacher support his family. While the multi-million copies sold is accurate from the time it was first published on February 18, 1678 until now, it’s playing fast and loose with the facts that is so troubling. Whether in hard news or opinion articles, this kind of writing damages credibility. Why Graff chose Bunyan’s story as an example of religious persecution isn’t clear, but there are several stories in whatever version of the Bible Graff likes to make the same point. The apostle Paul comes to mind.

The real damage, however, is pivoting to cherry-pick verses to make his case that Jesus assured those persecuted that they’d go to Heaven. Even worse, he quotes Jesus from Matthew 10:34-35, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law… .”

There is some delicious irony when Graff states, “He did not cause division because He wanted to, but because division was the natural response of a culture set on duplicity.”

What is the irony? It’s that he brings this up when many of us see this time of the year as one of peace and goodwill to all. Further, it would be helpful if Graff told us what this duplicity is in our culture. Is it that other religions or faiths are deceiving their followers? And, if so, about what? Why does Graff disrespect the possibility of one faith promising 72 virgins? Or a good follower of another version of Christianity would get their own celestial planet? Or is it our society that is deceptive? If so, how?

Graff then quotes the late Dr. Warren Wiersbe to assert that — and I have to quote to make my point — “Jesus is the Prince of Peace and the gospel is the message of peace. But when people confess Christ, they usually make enemies.”

I don’t see it. I’ve never had anyone display enmity toward me for being a liberal Episcopalian or before as a parishioner at a United Church of Christ. Nor have any of my friends in various other mainstream Christian denominations complain to me that they were treated as enemies. If you’d like examples of people persecuted either in this country or around the world, consider Muslims, Jews and America’s own Native Americans.

What Graff is doing in this piece is telling his flock that they must love God more than their own families to reach his version of Nirvana and the path for that is to withstand persecution. But what he is really doing is isolating his flock, imbuing his followers with religious hubris and making others enemies where there are none. One wonders how Faith Family Church’s worldview would fit in with any kind of ecumenical work in Victoria. If we want to celebrate this season, we can do so this year with our Jewish friends whose holiday this year shares the season. Hanukkah runs from the evening of Dec. 25, 2024 to Jan. 2, 2025. And while this year our Muslim friends’ holy days don’t overlap Christmas and Hanukkah, there’s always Festivus.

However, looking at this column in a broader and more well-read context, the message is sinister. By isolating and framing disagreement of beliefs as war, Graff subtly telegraphs the agenda of Christian Nationalism and dominionism that underlies the White conservative evangelical movement. Perhaps there is more duplicity here than meets the eye.