Description "Christian Nationalism: How it Harms Us All - an Interfaith Discussion," moderated by the First Congregational Church of Williamstown, March 18, 2021. = = = = = = = = First Congregational Church of Williamstown hosts this interfaith forum with the "goal of inspiring us all, and specifically our faith communities, to join together & speak out against Christian nationalism." = = = = = = Forum on Christian nationalism: How it harms us all Christian nationalism is not new to this moment in American history. What’s new is the growing recognition of its adverse repercussions, past, present and future. = = = = = = = = = The Berkshire Edge BY EDGE STAFF POSTED ON MARCH 6, 2021 Williamstown — The First Congregational Church of Williamstown, United Church of Christ (FCC) announces a virtual interfaith forum to discuss Christian nationalism in the United States, entitled “Christian Nationalism: How It Harms Us All – an Interfaith Discussion.” The forum will be held on Thursday March 18, 2021, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., with the goal of inspiring us all, and specifically our faith communities, to join together and speak out against Christian nationalism. On January 6, 2021, a mob of insurrectionists and pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, our citadel of American Democracy in Washington, D.C. in the name of Jesus. They carried crosses, signs and flags promoting Jesus and prayed for a takeover for Christianity, followed by violent acts of destruction and grave personal injury. “These actions do not represent true Christian values,” emphasized the Rev. Mark Seifried, interim minister of the FCC. “Christians and people of all faiths must speak out against the hijacking of the basic values of all faiths and the separation of church and state in America.” “We are inviting people from diverse organizations and from all faiths throughout Berkshire County, southern Vermont and Eastern upstate NY,” added Bridget Spann, community outreach organizer for the FCC. A panel of diverse speakers will lead the discussion, moderated by the Rev. Mark Seifried, and will include: Imam Bilal Ansari, Faculty Associate of Pastoral Theology, Director of the Islamic Chaplaincy Program at Hartford Seminary; Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, Primate of the Episcopal Church, USA; Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ; Rev. Sheila D. Sholes-Ross, Pastor of First Baptist Church of Pittsfield; and Rabbi Pamela Wax, Spiritual Care Coordinator at Westchester Jewish Community Services, White Plains, NY. “Christian nationalism is not new to this moment in American History,” emphasized Rabbi Wax. “What’s new is the growing recognition of its adverse repercussions, past, present and future. Our spiritual work necessitates affirming and teaching that every human being is, indeed, created in the divine image.” “It is critical to point out,” said Adrian Dunn, FCC member and an event organizer, “that Christian nationalism is closely associated with white supremacy and racism.” According to Andrew Whitehead, an associate professor of sociology at Indiana University -Purdue University, Indianapolis, in a new book entitled “Taking America Back for God, Christian Nationalism in America”, “Christian nationalism is a threat to a pluralistic, Democratic society, an ideology that seeks to merge Christian and American identities, distorting both the Christian faith and America’s constitutional democracy.” “We have seen Christian nationalism as a real danger to Democracy as used by the Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan,” added Sherwood Guernsey, also an FCC member and event organizer. “Now, it is up to all faiths (and those of no faith) to unite and alert this nation to what it is, how it harms our faith and our democracy, and to stand against it.” = = = = =