WHY WE NEED A STRATEGY
Many sincere, well-meaning people are following their own strategies to overcome division in the land. Unfortunately, politics, protests, legislation, editorials, books, blogs, sermons, court rulings, prayer meetings and other platforms are ineffective strategies for unifying a nation. In fact, it is obvious to me that those strategies only cause more division. They may do a good job of sharing rhetoric within unique echo chambers, but they do not reach outsiders, nor do they change hearts. It is clear, therefore, that a new, creative strategy is necessary if we are serious about healing our divided land.

There is a lot of internet traffic about Christian Nationalism, but no one has proposed or is following the kind of strategy suggested here. And this is what we should expect from a covert, discreet, strategy designed to change hearts and minds. A covert strategy has no name, no website, and no organization or membership. It is invisible to everyone except those who use it. If executed with care, it will even be invisible to those who discover someday that their hearts and minds have been changed by it. But someone needs to get the ball rolling — so here we go.

You could say that adopters of this strategy are the underground resistance to Christian Nationalism and other forms of religious oppression. The weapons of these resistors are truths that overcome the lies and erroneous religious beliefs that define and guide religious oppression in all its forms – including Christian Nationalism.

People who understand bible symbolism know that religious oppression has been a problem since bible times. All bible stories of warfare and shedding of blood symbolize conflict between religious nations who use words as weapons to gain control over people and their money. It is a strategy that works for a while but fails sooner or later. It is working so far for Christian Nationalists but cannot work forever.

Lust for power and money is the root of conflicts reported in all history and today’s news. Considering this history, we should not be surprised or impatient to recognize that historical, conventional strategies (e.g., political activism, protests, legislation, editorials, books, blogs, sermons, court rulings, prayer meetings, etc.) intended to create unity and peace for all do not work. History tells us that these human efforts only make matters worse. If they did work the world would not be such a mess.

It is encouraging to remember that religious extremism is not a new phenomenon in America, or anywhere else in the world, and that America has survived and thrived mightily in the midst of religious conflicts as a world leader in many respects. It is also useful to remember that Christian Nationalism is only the most recent manifestation of religious extremism based on lies and deception. Moreover, we must remind ourselves often that the rewards will be great if we do not grow weary of doing good by speaking truth to people who need to hear truth. We have all the evidence we need to understand what happens when the hearts and minds of highly religious people are not changed.