Disgraced Congresswoman Greene is Christian Nationalism’s new hero

Last updated on: February 7, 2021 at 1:09 pm by Kathryn Shihadah

Disgraced Congresswoman Greene is Christian Nationalism’s new hero 2021-02-07T13:09:31-05:00 Kathryn Shihadah

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Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene may have been censured, but she didn’t repent. She continues leading the Christian Nationalist congregation more boldly than ever, repeating the tenets of its theology.

Christians Against Christian Nationalism describes the movement:

Christian Nationalism demands Christianity be privileged by the State and implies that to be a good American, one must be Christian. It often overlaps with and provides cover for white supremacy and racial subjugation.

Marjorie Taylor Greene is the new hero/resurrected martyr of Christian Nationalism. She came fearlessly out of nowhere, she is unafraid to say what’s on her mind (wasn’t that one of the winsome characteristics of DT?), she smiles in the face of “persecution,” was “crucified” (her word – see below), and came back in power.

The first and foremost doctrine in this cabal is that of white American Christian righteousness (what I’ll refer to as WACR) – with a corollary of “Jesus died on the cross to forgive my sins,” just in case. (I will be writing further on WACR in the coming days – please subscribe!)

Ms. Greene has mastered the practice of white American righteousness (she’s had plenty of practice as a lifelong blonde, white, privileged Christian).

When censured by the House for trafficking in conspiracy theories and racism, she declined to apologize or repent – though she did toss in a quasi-humble “grateful…to be reminded that I’m a sinner.” She deflected blame to some unnamed entity that “allowed [her] to believe things that weren’t true” – because in the religion of WACR, WACs don’t generally do anything wrong.

Rep. Greene apparently saw the censure as a blessing in disguise that freed her from the House committees that would have been a “waste of [her] time.” (In WACR theology, anything that benefits me is proof of God’s hand consecrating my efforts; anything inconvenient is Satan trying to mess with God’s glorious plan for my life – and if I’m pious enough, I’ll turn it around for my good.)

Congresswoman Greene did not walk back her calls for the execution of Dem politicians, did not concede that Joe Biden was elected, did not apologize for the threatening images that were part of her election campaign, and did not acknowledge the existence of poverty, asylum seekers, or really, anyone who is not a Christian.

In fact, she identified with the Crucified Christ:

if this Congress is to tolerate members that condone riots that have hurt American people, attack police officers, occupied federal property, burned businesses and cities, but yet wants to condemn me and crucify me in the public square for words that I said, and I regret a few years ago, then I think we’re in a real big problem [emphasis added].

Rep. Greene doesn’t take seriously the criticism of her actions because, as a Christian (WACR), she is just being a good citizen – representing the beliefs of all Americans (i.e. all Americans who matter, i.e. all WACRs).

In this paradigm, she can not only rationalize any and all of her own actions, but also authoritatively condemn any and all actions by “secular” or “pagan” operators. For example:

When you [reporters are] on the news calling riots ‘peaceful protests,’ people are disgusted with you because you’re lying.

[Nancy Pelosi is] a hypocrite. She’s anti-American. And we’re going to kick that b*** out of Congress.*

Guess what? Slavery is over. Black people have equal rights.

How is Rep. Greene different from the Pharisees throughout the Gospels? (Answer: she’s not.) They were always pointing fingers at “sinners” and being condemned by Jesus for their wrong priorities or hypocrisy.

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices–mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law–justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former (Matt.23:23).

Jesus was crystal clear about the priorities that followers of God should have. If Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wants to bring glory to God (instead of to WACRs), here’s a to-do list:

Justice: a just society would eliminate the need for a BLM movement; a just society would give women access to birth control if they don’t want children; a just society would ensure wages high enough for people to live with dignity.

Mercy: a merciful society cares for its most vulnerable and enables them to live with dignity; a merciful society gives the needy the tools to stop being needy.

Faithfulness: a faithful country honors all people because they are made in God’s image. Jesus loved sinners, healed the sick, and fed the hungry. He told us in no uncertain terms that if we wanted to be rewarded, we should do the same.