DUMBARTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

CONDEMNS “CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM” AND RACIST VIOLENCE

– BECAUSE SILENCE IS COMPLICITY

As people of faith, our collective conscience compels us to condemn the malignant growth of “Christian nationalist” ideology and the racist violence it fuels.

White supremacy and “Christian nationalism” betray the Christian faith.  As St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians (3:28), in Christ “[t]here is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”  Authentic Christianity does not discriminate by citizenship, national borders, gender, culture, ethnicity, or race.  

Recognizing that our own history has condoned racism, Dumbarton United Methodist Church is obligated to renounce and condemn “Christian nationalism” and all other forms of White supremacy.  We urge other majority-White American Christian congregations to speak out with us.  This imposture of Christianity and its abettors cannot be allowed to go unchallenged in the public square.   Because this phony creed forsakes the separation of church and state.  Because it incites racist terrorism in the name of our faith.  Because our Black brothers and sisters and other threatened siblings of color must not be left to take up this fight alone.

As a congregation serious about its commitment to be anti-racist, we also recognize the need to go beyond words.  Dumbarton will continue training efforts to help our members better understand the historical roots of White supremacy and its continued hold on our society, culture, politics, and economic systems.

We will also conduct an audit of our current practices to identify and evaluate how our congregation lives out its commitment to be antiracist. We will examine our worship, education, community-building missions, and justice ministries as well as our spending priorities.  From this audit, we will build on reparative and racially equitable practices as we seek to embody Christ’s Beloved Community.

We appreciate that other majority-White churches are speaking out and taking action, and we call on more to do likewise so that our collective witness may continue to grow.