Thread by @wilsonhartgrove

The most important public religion story in the US right now may be the realignment of white Christians around values of justice, love of neighbor & the common good. A short thread on the #RevolutionOfValues that often doesn’t make headlines…

Folks who’ve been driven to extremism by the propaganda of the religious right get a lot of attention. Patriot churches. Capitol rioters w/ Jesus flags. White #ChristianNationalism is dangerous & deserves attention, but its extremism is the desperation of a shrinking minority.

As @robertpjones has noted, @PRRIpoll’s latest data shows that white evangelicals as a percentage of US population have shrunk from roughly a quarter of Americans to less than a 7th. Why?

Here’s one indication: 2 of the most popular Christian books this past year are by @JemarTisby & @kkdumez, both historians of American Christianity who’ve helped white evangelicals make sense of the role racism & hyper masculinity played in distorting their traditions.

Meanwhile, a sociological study of #ChristianNationalism by @ndrewwhitehead & @socofthesacred has been a popular read in many church book clubs. In short, ppl who care about their Christian faith are talking about how it’s been manipulated.

And they’re doing lots of things, but one of the most significant is the decision not to raise their kids in churches that demonize whole groups of people b/c “Christian” radio says to.

This latest data reflects what I’ve heard & seen across the country: millions of those families have joined Catholic parishes & Mainline congregations where the message that God loves everybody & cares for the outcast seems to come thru.

These same folks have also become FAR more involved in public life, marching w/ #BlackLivesMatter , showing up w/ the #Fightfor15, organizing w/ the #PoorPeoplesCampaign & risking arrest to defend voting rights.

Their faith-rooted activism has real potential to shift the political will of the majority in US public life. Which is why the religious right & its partner orgs have made voter suppression their top legislative priority across the country.

But just as faith-rooted, moral fusion organizing exposed the extremism of Jim Crow in the 60’s, this response is precipitating the realignment of white Christians today.

I think the most important formation work that’s needed is discipling these millions of disaffected white evangelicals into a way of life w/ Jesus that is good news for them & their neighbors.

No one is better suited to show the way than the folks who’ve been marginalized for centuries by white Christian supremacy. I’ve tried to tell some of their stories & lift up their collective witness in #RevolutionOfValues. ivpress.com/revolution-of-…

Others who are telling this story: @jackmjenkins, @RevDrBarber, @RevJenButler, @RevJacquiLewis, @lisasharper, @dianabutlerbass, @sr_simone & @GuthrieGF.

Many more, for sure, but here’s the point: it’s one thing to leave b/c you know your house is on fire. It’s something else to find a home in a house that blesses all people. The 5 alarm fire will always be the story that leads, but the other story shapes the future.

Some more good reporting on this shift from @billmckibben: newyorker.com/news/daily-com…