How to housebreak an elephant: Christian nationalism, the Iran War, and the art of truth-telling

By Paul Graves | FāVS News Columnist

The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News.

When our first granddaughter was about one, our family introduced her to the three-ring circus. As the elephants came out and did their tricks, I noticed a strange thing: no pooper-scooper behind them. Could it be true that elephants can actually be house-broken? 

Yes they can! They are highly trainable to use a bucket. Who knew?

So I ask you: “How do you housebreak a (metaphorical) elephant?” 

My quick answer: “Until you name the elephant in the room, you have no chance to house-break it.” I believe naming that elephant is a primary task of healthy truth-telling.  

Metaphorical elephants need more than a bucket. They need a straight-forward dose of naming whatever “truth-piece” they deposited on the floor. If we don’t name that truth-piece, we spend all our energy side-stepping it.

Naming the elephants: Christian nationalism and holy war

To illustrate, I want to momentarily explore Christian nationalism and the Iran War. (I really don’t mean to use the elephant symbol as a substitute for anything MAGA. Though in this case, it seems to turn out that way. “Elephant in the room” is really non-partisan!)

So many MAGA leaders directly or indirectly embrace the tenets of the elephant called Christian nationalism: Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth, Markwayne Mullin, Trump’s nominee for DHS Secretary, Speaker Mike Johnson, to name four. 

For many, the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is one of the toxic organizations behind a fierce determination to make the Iran War into a “Holy War,” another elephant.

The NAR is based on a 1960’s-1970’s movement called Dominionism. Its Christian political theology insisted that Christians take dominion or control over key sectors of society through the abuse of power. 

In his blog, “God’s Politics With Jim Wallis,” Wallis contends that “At its core, dominionism is not truly Christian, and stands in direct contrast to the gospel of Jesus, which is grounded in love and compassion and humility.” 

I quickly and deeply agree with Jim’s effort to speak this truth-piece about Christian nationalism. 

He wants to clean up the droppings of the NAR’s distorted view of how Jesus lived and taught his disciples — then and now — to live out God’s peace-full (complete) plan for all humanity. 

Trump and too many others seem to be listening to what Wallis calls the NAR “power-brokers.” Some military commanders have described the war as “biblically-sanctioned.” (Really?) They tie this to the fundamentalist thought of the “end times” as described in the New Testament Book of Revelation. A misreading for sure.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and some military leaders think this war is a “biblical war.” One of my questions is how do troops, pilots, naval ship personnel, anyone militarily committed, react if they totally disagree that this war is biblically driven?

Is the Iran War an elephant in your room? How much bigger does the elephant become when we mix distorted religious beliefs into the “mix” being left on the floor? 

Your truth-telling, your compass

Is truth-telling helpful to you as you try to get a grip on how to respond to your own fear, anger, despair and even hope? 

How do you distinguish between competing “divine missions”? One that brings needless death and destruction to persons and their cultures? Another mission that brings hope, love and a sense of just treatment (justice) to all persons? 

Missions in conflict, to be sure! What truth-telling do you need to engage in — whether within yourself and/or in company — so your own internal compass is set on your own “truth north”? 

What standards do you use so you can choose which mission you want to embrace and encourage?Housebreak your elephants! Tell your truth — and with hope! 

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