Wednesday January 6 became the Feast of Epiphany, when Christians have a good time how the easy of Christ spreads to all nations. The season of Epiphany—also known as Theophany in the East—makes a speciality of Jesus' revelation of his genuine identity to all the world. within the West, it facilities on the experiences of the Magi (who characterize the international locations or the Gentiles) finding Jesus via their mysterious stargazing. in the weeks ahead, the Epiphany season recalls the baptism of Christ and the marriage at Cana, Jesus' first miracle.
but what an odd Epiphany we had in the u.s.. as a substitute of Magi worshiping a new child king, MAGA hats descended on our nation's capital. in its place of the baptism of Christ asserting his true id, men and women held signals proclaiming "JESUS SAVES" as they demanded to overturn an election. as an alternative of a dazzling screen of affection at a wedding feast, we saw a reveal of political v iolence.
Epiphany calls us to gentle and truth. It reminds us that the promise of Isaiah is fulfilled in Christ: "countries will come to your mild, and kings to the brightness of your crack of dawn" (60:3). mild is captivating, and it's also revelatory. The note epiphany comes from the observe display and gestures towards a attention of the reality. To have an epiphany is to draw close fact, to receive perception. In these gospel reviews, followers of Jesus start to slowly bear in mind who he is. They glimpse the truth: The light of the area has come to all people and all ethnic businesses.
The season of Epiphany reminds us that we do not simply receive the gentle of Christ. we're charged with sharing it with all the world. but when the countries have been observing the day gone by—as individuals destabilized democracy while carrying flags that examine "Make the us Godly once more"—would any onlooker desire anything to do with this Christ?
The violence wrought via Trump supporters storming the Capitol the day prior to this is anti-epiphany. it is darkish and based mostly in untruth. The symbols of religion—Jesus' name, go, and message—had been co-opted to serve the cultish conclusion of Trumpism.
in the story of the Magi, King Herod tries to use the intelligent guys as pawns in his personal quest to offer protection to his power. He promises that he too is devout, that they can believe him, after which he asks his astronomer friends the place to locate Jesus, in order that he also "might worship him" (Matt. 2:8). Epiphany hence reminds us that the very language of worship can also be wielded as a weapon of earthly political power.
whereas what came about at the Capitol yesterday is tragic, it isn't striking. For more than 4 years, Trump has shown that he is greater than inclined to say any lie, ignore any regular of decency, and produce any amount of violence and division to shore up his personal vigour. via manipulative disinformation, he incited an riot. Like Herod, he is chuffed to make use of religious leaders as pawns.
however regrettably, during this anti-epiphany, the wise guys aren't so clever. They willingly comply. So for me, the worst a part of the day past's riot is how it represents an utter failure in the American church. This anti-epiphany displays the horrid outgrowths of Christian nationalism, inaccurate religious formation, false educating, political idolatry, and overriding ignorance.
even though it saddens me deeply, it ought to be obviously admitted: yesterday's atrocity turned into in large half delivered to us via the white, evangelical church in the usa.< /p>
An emaciated and malformed evangelical political theology bought us where we are now. Jeffrey Goldberg describes the riot on the capitol as "chaos … rooted in psychological and theological phenomena, intensified with the aid of eschatological nervousness." He tells how one protestor told him, "It's all within the Bible … every thing is envisioned. Donald Trump is in the Bible." Goldberg continues, "The conflation of Trump and Jesus became a standard theme on the rally. 'provide it up if you accept as true with in Jesus!' a person yelled close me. individuals cheered. 'give it up if you accept as true with in Donald Trump!'"
The easy of Christ coming to the nations is decent news, nevertheless it isn't always comforting. mild exhibits what is hidden. It exposes darkness. And the church have to reckon with the "unfruitful works of darknes s" (Eph. 5:11, ESV) that this anti-epiphany—and all that has led to it—makes seen. The storming of the Capitol cannot be understood backyard the heresy of Christian nationalism peddled by the likes of Josh Hawley, Franklin Graham, and Robert Jeffress; the unhinged apocalyptic Trump-worship of Eric Metaxas; the blasphemies of the Jericho March; and the thousands and thousands of evangelicals who see Jesus as a means to ill-conceived ideas of yank greatness.
I even have from time to time tried to disregard these leaders and hobbies as fringe, as the crazy cranks and peculiar shows we should ignore. I have as an alternative focused on how, day in and day trip, pastors and Christian laypeople are trying to find to faithfully observe Jesus, to love their neighbor, and to serve the negative, to embody the reality we proclaim this season. however I can not fail to see the reality that hundreds of thousands of evangelicals are swayed via people that proclaim untruth and ugliness within the identify of Jesus.
The responsibility of the day before today's violence need to be partly laid on the feet of those evangelical leaders who ushered in and applauded Trump's presidency. it may possibly additionally lamentably be laid at the feet of the white American church more commonly.
The conflation of the Christian faith and Trumpism did not suddenly spring up in a vacuum 4 years ago. It arose via a long time of negative catechesis and spiritual formation. through false educating that the American flag and the go of Christ do not battle. through evangelical leaders who counted dropping their souls a small fee to pay for greedy political power. through white supremacist assumptions that snaked their manner into church pulpits and pews. and thru the belief that the church exists now not to demonstrate forth the light of Christ to all people however to Make the us outstanding again.
against this, Epiphany tells us of Jesus' kingship over all the nations, and the day past's pursuits demonstrate us what occurs when we invert that message: Christian faith is used as a device to prop up political energy.
So what are we to do? How will we circulation ahead as Christians when it looks our very church buildings have become the epicenters of submit-certainty? How can we walk within the way of Jesus when his illumination has been traded for conspiracy theories and apocalyptic scare tactics? How can we embody desirable orthodoxy—fact and light-weight—beneath the lengthy shadow forged with the aid of a move draped in a MAGA flag on the Capitol garden?
We ought to absorb the slow work of restoration, of re-forming our church buildings across the deep, unchanging truths of the light of Christ. We must reconstruct communities the place we can know and talk certainty, serve the needy and the poor, love our neighbors, be trained to be terrible in spirit, have a good time in struggling, and witness to the mild of Christ amid darkness.
This work should be frustratingly small and native, under the radar, and far from the headlines. it'll think paltry and unimportant in the face of the raging international locations and widespread ecclesial and national decay. It can be long, risky, and unsure. however in that meek and humble vicinity, possibly, with the Magi, we are able to again find the small megastar that leads us to the true easy of the realm.
Tish Harrison Warren is a priest within the Anglican Church in North america and the creator of Liturgy of the normal and Prayer in the night (IVP, 2021).
speaking Out is Christianity these days's visitor opinion column and (unlike an editorial) does not always represent the opinion of the ebook.
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