One of today’s favourite accusations and insults is that you are on the wrong side of history. I would suggest that far worse than being on the wrong side of history is to be on the wrong side of Jesus. Indeed, because Jesus is the one who defines history, came in the middle of history and changed everything, to be on the wrong side of him is to be on the wrong side of history.
With that in mind, have a look at this post by Tracey Wickland who with her husband Christopher are key leaders in the Christian Nationalism movement.
Now there’s much to concern us here. Wickland starts with an assertion against asylum seekers by questioning the truthfulness of claims. This despite the case being that the vast majority of claims are successful and despite the system being weighted over many years against the claimants. I can speak personally on this as someone who has worked with numerous claimants since 2010.
Secondly there are the usual claims that asylum seekers are as a group, a significant criminal element, a dangerous invasion. Again, this simply does not fit with the facts. Yes, amongst claimants, there will be those with criminal records and those who will commit crimes here, just as there will be such people amongst the indigenous population. I was rather bemused though by this
“If we want to stop drug-fuelled, barrack trashing parties and grown men wandering around with nothing better to do than shoplift and commit sexual assaults then let’s use some of that £8 million a day to teach the men to fish. In their own country, in their own cultures, surrounded by their own families.”
What will Wickland do about white men and women who shoplift and commit sexual assaults. Where will she send middle class white people whose drug fuelled parties lead to noise nuisance, vomit and clear up bills after places are trashed?
However, the main thing that struck me was this statement:
My neighbour’ literally means my ‘near dweller’. So in theory we should first consider those closest. The pressure on the housing, education, health and economic structures of those already ‘near-dwelling’ here.
At this point, I’m reminded of the man who came to Jesus and asked “who is my neighbour?” in order to justify himself. The religious people of Jesus’ day wanted to limit and constrain that definition in order to limit who they had to love so that they could say they had kept the law.
I notice that Wickland also then talks about self love “I am not loving myself”. There is no Biblical command to self-love, in fact historically, Christians have understood the concept of love turned in on itself
When Jesus is asked “who is my neighbour?” He doesn’t say that it starts with learning to love yourself (that was Whitney Houston), he doesn’t say it starts with your immediate friends and those who live next door. He tells a story of a despised outsider. It’s the Samaritan who turns out to be the neighbour. Wickland’s arguments put her on the wrong side of Jesus as she reverses his teaching and argues the opposite.
The good news for us is that day by day as Christian Nationalists are becoming more emboldened, they are increasingly openly saying things that are so obviously against Christ and God’s Word. The bad news is that so many have journeyed so far with them that they are unable to see it.
Faithroots 