Voting is a sacred right and the parishioners at the Church of St. Martin in the Fields in Chestnut Hill believe democracy and human rights are at risk in our country.
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Voting is a sacred right and the parishioners at the Church of St. Martin in the Fields in Chestnut Hill believe democracy and human rights are at risk in our country. To prepare for the midterm elections on Nov. 8, St. Martin’s scheduled a community-wide forum on the rise of white Christian nationalism and the threat it poses to democracy and an inclusive vision of Christianity.
The forum, set for Tuesday, November 1, in the church’s sanctuary at 8000 St. Martin’s Lane, was scheduled to feature Dr. Philip S. Gorski, a Yale University sociologist and co-author of the recently published book, “The Flag and the Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy.” This event was recorded and you may view it on our website https://www.stmartinec.org/.
We are deeply concerned about how white Christian nationalism has been affecting our Christian lives, community and government. Our mission at St. Martin’s is to welcome everyone as we engage as agents of Christ’s love for the world.
The forum, which was free and open to the public, is aimed at encouraging community dialogue about the corrosive effects of white Christian nationalism, a movement that has been gaining momentum at rallies featuring Michael Flynn, former national security advisor to former President Donald J. Trump.
Flynn, who is attempting to mobilize evangelical Christians in support of Trump and right-wing causes, was pardoned by Trump after twice pleading guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with a Russian diplomat.
Gorski is a comparative and historical sociologist who writes about religion and politics. His new book, co-written with Samuel L. Perry, a sociology professor at the University of Oklahoma, explains the appeal of white Christian nationalism to supporters of Trump who rioted at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an effort to stop certification of the presidential election vote.The book was published in April.
At Yale, Gorski is co-director of the Center for Comparative Research and co-runs the Religion and Politics Colloquium at the Yale MacMillan Center. He was scheduled to address the forum remotely from New Haven, Conn., with forum participants gathered in the sanctuary to hear his presentation. Discussion followed in the church’s Parish Hall.
The presentation was part of St. Martin’s “Under God…with Liberty and Justice for All,” a series of ongoing discussions following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last June to eliminate abortion as a constitutional right. For more information about St. Martin-in-the-Fields, visit us at Sunday worship, or during Wednesday Food and Fellowship at 6 p.m., which is followed by our forum series at 7 p.m.
Barbara Thomson, Rector’s Warden
St. Martin-in-the-Fields
Chestnut Hill
