By Tracy Simmons | FāVS News Reporter
Christian activist and author Shane Claiborne will address what he calls the urgent threat of Christian nationalism during a series of speaking events at area universities this month, describing the ideology as both a perversion of authentic faith and a danger to democracy.
“Christian nationalism is not only a theological heresy, but I think it’s also a threat to democracy, and it’s doing a lot of damage to authentic Christian faith,” Claiborne said.
The 50-year-old evangelical leader and co-founder of the Red Letter Christians movement will deliver a public lecture at Whitworth University before speaking at Eastern Washington University, where he’ll address Christian nationalism specifically. The visit also includes a clergy lunch and a panel discussion.
Events focus on authentic faith, expansive love
Claiborne will speak at 4 p.m. Oct. 8 in Seeley G. Mudd Chapel at Whitworth University. The lecture, titled “What Does Following Christ Require of Us Now?” is presented by the Whitworth Office of Church Engagement. He will meet privately with clergy the following day.
At 6 p.m. Oct. 9, Claiborne will speak on “Unmasking Christian Nationalism” at Eastern Washington University in the Pence Union Building, Room 317.
He is the founder of The Simple Way, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit, and author of “The Irresistible Revolution,” has built his career on advocacy for nonviolence, service to the poor and what he describes as a more expansive understanding of Christian love — one that transcends national borders.
“The Gospel says for God so loved the world, not God so loved America,” he said.
The Spokane visit comes amid growing concern among some religious leaders about the intertwining of Christian identity with nationalist politics. Claiborne describes contemporary evangelicalism as “literally clamoring for power and losing its soul.”
The Rev. Damian Caruthers, pastor of Cheney United Methodist Church and part of the EWU Seed student ministry organizing the Cheney event, traces this concern through history.
“We see what happens when church and government go together and create Christian nationalism. It’s not ending well in history, ever,” he said.
Claiborne argues that true Christianity teaches that expansive love doesn’t recognize political boundaries. He frames being born again as a radical transformation, where “if someone’s suffering on the other side, at the southern border, it’s as tragic as if it was my own grandmother.”
The Rev. Mindy Smith, director of Church Engagement at Whitworth’s Office of Church Engagement said organizers chose a broader focus for the university’s lecture to address “all the catastrophes going on in the world,” while the Eastern Washington University event focuses specifically on Christian nationalism.
“We recognize that really where his heart’s beating right now is around Gaza,” Smith said. “We just wanted to have a wider umbrella for him to just sort of share about what does it really mean for us to be Christians right now in this cultural moment,” she said.
Claiborne applies this principle of expansive love directly to the conflict in Gaza.
“It’s as concerning if a child in Gaza is killed as a child here in the United States,” Claiborne said, describing the situation as a genocide that demands immediate action.
Claiborne recently attended a gathering where more than 1,000 Christians launched a project called “God loves Gaza.” He uses that phrase as a litmus test for Christian leadership.
“God loves Gaza is a really easy thing to say, and if your pastor can’t say that, maybe it’s time to find a new church,” he said.
He emphasized that supporting Palestinians doesn’t diminish concern for Israelis.
“We’re not telling folks to shrink their love for people in Israel, but to expand their love for the people of Palestine,” he said.
The activist, who studied sociology at Eastern University and spent 10 weeks working alongside Mother Teresa in Calcutta, emphasizes that Christian hope should rest not in political power but in grassroots community action.
“Our hope lies not in worldly power or president or politician or even in the government, but our hope is in Christ, and the primary instrument for changing the world is the global community of God,” he said.
He advocates for change that comes “not from the top down, but from the bottom up,” describing voting as damage control and harm reduction rather than a primary vehicle for Christian witness.
Claiborne’s critique extends to what he sees as the gap between Christian teaching and practice. Quoting Gandhi, he said, “I love Jesus. I just wish the Christians acted more like him.”
Organizers seek ‘safe space’ for religious questions
At Eastern, the event is designed to provide what Caruthers calls “a safe space for people who are non-Christians, for people who are LGBTQ, for people who struggle with the current state of Christianity.”
He added that the campus visit addresses the question of what it means “for Christians to be the hopeful alternative in this current moment.”
Claiborne, who also founded the New Monastic movement and spent three weeks in Baghdad with the Iraq Peace Team during the 2003 war, has published numerous books on Christian social justice, including “Jesus for President” and “Rethinking Life.”
He encourages people to “not give up on Jesus because of the embarrassing and even shameful things that some Christians have done in his name.”
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Thanks for reporting on this, Tracy. It’s encouraging to hear of actual Christians like Claiborne.
Thanks Walter! He was a good interview.