Upcoming Web Event: Understanding and Responding to Christian Nationalism

In response to the pervasive presence of Christian Nationalism in our national life today, the Western Methodist Justice Movement is hosting a webinar, "Understanding and Responding to Christian Nationalism," on Wednesday, April 2, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm Pacific Time. This will be WMJM’s second web event on this topic.

Christian Nationalism seeks to merge Christian and American identities, damaging both the Christian faith and America’s democracy. It implies that to be a good American, one must be a very particular kind of Christian. It comes up in many ways, often being used to justify extreme actions and policies in many different areas, including immigration, focused attacks on trans persons but also all LGBTQAI+ persons, restricting marriage, ending Diversity and Equity programs, gun control, and more.  

Those who identify as Christians must be able to quickly and effectively be able to respond whenever and wherever Christian Nationalism rears its ugly head.

The webinar will be co-presented by Jerry Gale and Joy Pettigrew.

Jerry Gale first became aware of Christian nationalism on Jan. 6, 2021, after seeing footage of Christian symbols being carried by those who broke into the U.S. Capitol. Shortly after, he discovered the website Christians Against Christian Nationalism, an initiative of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC). In January 2024, he formed the Minnesota Christians Against Christian Nationalism group and shares his message throughout Minnesota. He is an active member of Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church in Minneapolis.

Joy Pettigrew, Community Partnership Manager for BJC, will join the webinar to discuss the support and tools that BJC will provide to individuals who want to start a community organizing group. Joy is an effective movement builder. She is originally from Hong Kong and came to know the groups working against Christian Nationalism through her experiences working with Asian American Christians to activate in working for collective liberation and civic involvement.