How the Evangelical Theology of Spiritual Warfare Set the Stage for Political Assassinations
Plus the best writing from The Convocation Unscripted Team
This week on The Convocation Unscripted, we discussed the tragic political assassination of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Horton, and the shootings of Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. It is now clear that these murders were carried out by Vance Boelter, a devout white evangelical Christian who held a degree in practical theology from the unaccredited Christ for the Nations Institute, which is associated with the New Apostolic Reformation movement. This evangelical Christian worldview is steeped in spiritual warfare language that casts politics as a battle between God and Satan and in the US portrays Democrats and liberals as possessed by demons and instruments of evil. We talk about our dismay at the lack of outrage, particularly among Republicans and white evangelicals and the depraved use of this awful violence to score political points as Sen. Mike Lee has done. We concluded our conversation with reflections on the importance of Juneteenth, our newest federal holiday, and the importance of white Americans and white Christians particularly to incorporate a celebration of the holiday, and the history it commemorates, as part of our story.
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The Cottage - Diana Butler Bass
White Too Long - Robby Jones
Du Mez Connections - Kristin Du Mez
Footnotes - Jemar Tisby
ICYMI, here’s a link to last week’s LIVE webinar:
I love Robby's idea of a two part celebration of this season: lament for Juneteenth, followed by celebration on July 4th, a la Jewish holidays.
I believe everything we are going through is a spirit of delusion as Paul mentions in 2 Thessalonians 2. I don't believe in one worldwide anti Christ anymore, but we are seeing many now. Look at how many evangelical men who have claimed God's name, that look like cult members now. Like, all of them! We have merged the kingdom with wealth, power and celebrity for decades now in ways that I had always accepted and benefitted from, while ignoring the least of these. I am not optimistic that I will live to see the end of this era, since "the church" in America is stubbornly refusing to repent. I am trusting that he will lead those who remain faithful.
I'm not going to lie to you. I did not want to listen to this. It sounded so ominous, but I loved it. The discussion about Rev. Wright's language vs Boelter's is excellent. The distinction is so nuanced and so critical to make everyone aware of because people just chant along with it without really thinking about what they're saying or what the leaders are actually asking of them. Thank you for that. I have to go back and listen. Would love to see transcripts sometime.