Statement of Faith Toward a Shared Declaration
1.0 Background In 1934, one hundred thirty-nine (139) ministers, fifty-three (53) church members, and six (6) university professors signed the Barmen Declaration, opposing the NAZI dismantling of democracy and rule of law and urging German Christians not to allow the Church to become an organ of the NAZI State. The Barmen Declaration I have been engaging in a process with Friends to develop a shared religious declaration for the present moment. This document reflects some broader background thinking in this process and is offered to cultivate a conversation leading to a shared declaration of people of faith. We are led to ask these queries and assert shared values and concerns in the face of the present MAGA Christian Nationalist movement that aims to make the State an organ of Christian nationalism. This Christian Nationalism is an idolatrous political theology which seeks to bring culture, family, economics, and the government under the dominion of a narrow and...