Man, what a day. I'm so thankful for @C_Stroop and her strategies to counteract Evangelical nonsense. After this angering scene, things just got weird. 1/
On a break from self imposed isolation, I went out to support a few local businesses in the rural Hill Country. Don't worry, I washed my hands, maintained a safe distance, took sanitizer and limited my contact with folks. 2/
At my final stop, dropping off a few supplies and picking up things my family needed, I decided to chill and have a glass of wine (alcohol laws are pretty loose right now in Texas. No glass sales, but bottle sales and outside consumption on private property is still cool). 3/
Well, apparently, a pastor had the same idea, and he decided I needed Jesus. He barely introduced himself before jumping into a speech about the freedom of religion, government overreach, and the "importance of Jesus" 4/
I'll spare everyone the details, but there was talk about the New World Order, and end times. The most ridiculous was telling me we needed to stop singing "Happy Birthday" while washing our hands and switch to the saying Lord's prayer while we soap up. 5/
The whole time, I was furiously texting my wife and trying to keep my nose in my phone. Online conflict is one thing, real life is another, and this wasn't Twitter. Becuase I wouldn't make eye contact, it just made him get louder. I was really getting angry and uncomfortable. 6/
Finally, he said "Where are YOU with Christ?" I took a deep breath looked him dead in the eye and said "I am not your mission field. I didn't give you permission to witness to me, and I was raised in this shit so I don't need to hear any more of it." 7/ 
I just walked away at that point, and after a few seconds, he tried to engage me one more time saying "why do you think I'm not your mission field?" Without turning my head I just told him "I don't owe you debate, man." 8/
That should have been that, but I drove home angry, and I was thinking about a hundred other things I could have said, and, at first, I was disappointed I didn't say more, but eventually, I got over myself. I said enough and extracted myself peacefully from the situation. 9/
You see, here's the thing. This pastor dude was with his wife and daughters and lives by one moral code, under one rigid, and currently threatened, structure. While there is talk of plagues in the Bible, we are in a new space in the current generation of Evangelicalism. 10/
This pandemic has upended everyone's lives, including evangelical's lives, and I believe this guy was coping by doing what he knows to be best. I feel pity for him, BUT . . . 11/
. . . it makes me wonder what the Evangelical power structure is going to do in the wake of this pandemic. Evidence indicates that Evangelicals are already making moves to to use this pandemic to advance their nefarious agenda. 12/
nbc4i.com/news/local-new…
nbc4i.com/news/local-new…
Given the chance, the religious right will indeed use this pandemic to solidify power. My Evangelical past tells me they will sell this to their congregations as a "test" for the church, that the congregation must overcome by being even MORE faithful than before. 13/
But I also think they are scared. They've chained themselves to the Administration of POTUS45, and they are biting their nails since his handling of it has been awful. They know the elderly make up their congregation and those people are most at risk of dying. /14
They may soon see that faith is not when enough of their "remnant" starts dying, and while they'll blame the death on their congregation's lake of faith, they know that the outside will rightfully judge them for believing in fantasy and endangering at risk folks. 15/
The pastor that confronted me likely thinks many of those things, and TBH he's worried. He's worried about his family, his income, his faith, and his future. He's overcompensating. Honestly, it means very little, in the grand scheme of things, since he's a small town preacher 16/
But on a larger scale (Graham, Falwell, Robertson, etc.) this is dangerous. They have the GOP's ear and they are desperate to maintain power, while at the same time taking advantage of the situation. They are scrambling, just like the pastor I talked to was scrambling 17/
Now more than ever, we need #exvangelical voices calling out the religious right, and translating what evangelicals are saying and doing as they struggle how to tackle this latest showdown of science vs. religion. 18/
religiondispatches.org/christian-resp…
religiondispatches.org/christian-resp…
So be prepared to tell a whole bunch of people, that you aren't their mission field, both in person, like I had to today, and in bigger venues as we wrestle for America's uncertain future. Things are gonna get weird. /end
