10:45 am Sundays May 5 & 12 • Spellman Jr & Zoom
This two-week series is led by Dr. Manfred Brauch, Ph.D., a native of Germany, who came to the United States in 1953 and became a U.S. citizen in 1959. Dr. Brauch taught New Testament Interpretation for 8 years at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary. Over 26 years at Eastern Baptist/Palmer Theological Seminary he held the positions of Academic Dean, Professor of Biblical Theology, and President. Click here to attend via Zoom.

Part 1: What is Christian Nationalism? (and the ideology of White Supremacy, which often walks hand in hand with White Christian Nationalism)

Part 2: Tracing the Historical Roots of Christian Nationalism and its various manifestations across the centuries, from the 4th Christian century to the present: “Christian Nationalism Across the Centuries and its Tragic Consequences”

Part 3: Christian Nationalism in Biblical Perspective: We will explore how “Christian Nationalism” is a contradiction in terms, in light of the central teachings of the earliest Christian texts. This is true especially from the perspective of the life, ministry and teaching of Jesus, in which human understandings and uses of power – to control, restrict, oppress, exclude and manipulate — are decidedly rejected as contrary to the divine purposes for human-life-in-community.

We will reflect on how abusive uses of biblical texts in support of Christian Nationalism (and “white supremacy”) results in a “Christian Heresy” — namely a violation of core values and beliefs of the Christian faith.