News with Nuance: July 12, 2024

Your Friday dose of News with Nuance: plus a Biden press conference recap

Hi Readers,

Welp - I was preparing to write this newsletter to you, reviewing my notes from our last News with Nuance, only to realize that I had the date wrong on that one. It said July 28, 2024 until only a few minutes ago. I had jumped ahead an entire month in my brain, possibly because June felt like an entire year, heavy and weighted and murky and gloppy.

I’ve been reminded lately of that t-shirt, long gone now, that I bought off Amazon in 2020. It didn’t fit well, and the fabric was scratchy. I bought it for the wry sentiment:

It’s fine. I’m fine. Everything is fine.

Everything was not fine then. And everything is not fine today, either. I write to you in anticipation of sharing below notes from tonight’s press conference with President Joe Biden, and honestly in a place of fear and trepidation and anxiety and despair, that no matter what happens, we find ourselves in an America facing fascism and Christian Nationalism on one side, and an opposition beset by personal ego, greed and cowardice. We’ll see. Day by day.

I would be remiss to mention all the non political news that is nonetheless too a sign that nothing is fine. Heat waves are taking lives across the American Southwest, at least 38 people have died across six states in the midst of unremitting heat. More than a million people are without power in Texas, in the wake of en early hurricane that hit much sooner than hurricanes used to form in the Gulf.

And still: here I am, and here you are, desperately trying to find some sense of truth and maybe hope amidst the noise. I believe we most often don’t find it “out there,” a fact belied by my constant recent doomscrolling on the website formerly known as Twitter. Instead, truth and hope most often come amongst us, and we first collectively admit that none of us know all the answers, and to find them we must first listen to one another and maybe to God.

Here goes. Let’s get to the news, with nuance …

Notes on President Biden’s Thursday evening press conference

As someone who follows politics pretty closely (of necessity in this age of Christian Nationalist ideology encroaching onto center stage of the GOP), and also as someone who has participated in a large number of press conferences as a journalist, I was anxiously awaiting President Joe Biden’s press conference tonight following the NATO Summit in Washington. Biden has appeared in far fewer press conferences than any previous U.S president, and while national media is rightly criticized for being overly invested in horse-race coverage, and for leaning hard into scandal and away from in-depth, nuanced reporting - I still believe wholeheartedly that the press’ most important role is to hold the powerful accountable.

I used to always leave a Post-It on my pastoral desk:

Comfort the afflicted.

Afflict the comfortable.

That’s the idealistic vision of journalism I’ve always striven to uphold.

I think that’s why, too, in the aftermath of Biden’s disastrous debate with Trump, I’ve been more likely to place fault on politicians and activists than I have on journalists. I could relate to a sense journalists had of being lied to. So many of us believed Biden’s staff when they told us he was sharp, sharper than Trump, and showed no signs of age-related decline.

All that to say, I was frustrated by Biden’s lack of availability to answer questions from journalists, and I was glued to the TV to watch how this long-awaited press conference would finally go.

Here’s a few takeaways I had, keeping in mind that my foremost concern in this election is defeating the rising tide of Christian Nationalism, which is embodied by a Trump presidency and a GOP landslide to control all three branches of government. This concern is not rooted in partisanship but rather in concern for democracy and human rights: especially for women, for LGBTQ people, for immigrants, for non-white Americans, for the poor, for so many of us outside the top of the hierarchy asserted by Christian Nationalists.

1. I continued to be struck by the ways that Biden’s rhetoric centered on himself. It actually seemed like Biden was kind of aware of this, too. On a few occasions he said something to the effect of: “I don’t want to sound self-serving but …”

Still, Biden continued to make grandiose statements about himself, saying:

“I will not bow down to Putin … from Truman to Reagan to me … Have you seen a more successful conference? The reason we’re together is because of Biden. Biden did the following …”

He mentioned (again) crowd size and said he had “thousands” showing up to his events.

“Can you name someone who’s passed more legislation?”

“My numbers in Israel are better than here … but then my numbers here are better than some other people here …”

“We have the most extensive campaign …”

We’ve grown used to this kind of grandiose, self-aggrandizing rhetoric from Trump, and to hear it now from Biden is really frustrating and disheartening. This kind of rhetoric doesn’t motivate Biden voters, who are voting more on the issues and on defending democracy than on a Trumpian personality cult. It also encourages Trump’s argument, that “everyone is corrupt” “everyone is out for themselves” so you might as well pick me.

2. Biden in many ways had impressive command of especially foreign affairs, and he went on for a long time. But he also was very hard to follow and had trouble making convincing rhetorical arguments. He was unable to also make convincing attacks on Trump, or to distinguish his policies from that of Trump and the GOP. I don’t need to hear another comment about Trump’s golf game. It’s petty and beneath the office.

I also noticed Biden’s tics, when it seemed like he would often lose his train of thought, he’d say: “Anyway” and simply trail off. Communicating is a key part of the job of president. As mentioned above, our nation’s democracy relies on trust. Part of that trust is earned by communication and accessibility.

3. I know many will say he “has” to be this way, but Biden was really dismissive of any information that contradicted what he believed himself. He seemed unable to take in new information that would cause him to change his opinions. His responses to questions about his fragility or schedule were blown off, rather than carefully considered. He didn’t seem to be aware of recent polls showing states like New York (!) and here in Minnesota being at risk of turning red.

4. Finally, even though Biden was able to answer lots of complex questions and speak much more coherently than he did at the debate, I still thought the whole display was pretty sad. It seemed like at any moment Biden could totally lose his train of thought, or say something nonsensical, like “Vice President Trump.” I’m still not really sure why Biden is so stubbornly staying in the race, and why his family is supporting his staying in the race. I can’t imagine him continuing to serve in this role for more than four more years! It doesn’t seem like a good situation for Biden himself, or for our country. It’s not something I’d want for my husband or my dad, especially when stepping aside is a humble and generous gesture that could set the stage for a new era of hope and rebirth in American politics.

The Headlines

If you’re an elected Democrat, speak up now

Extreme heat has killed at least 28 in the past week — and the toll is rising

Insurers Pocketed $50 Billion From Medicare for Diseases No Doctor Treated

Florida mass school shooter agrees to give brain to science in stunning settlement

Russian missile attacks kill at least 41, hit children's hospital, Ukraine says

Motorcycle tour of Death Valley turns fatal as thermometer cracks 128 degrees

"All told, the Democratic party is best understood less as a political party organized to enact or protect specific policies than as a professional association committed to protecting its most valued members."

She took on a small Mississippi town’s police. Then they arrested her.

Construction workers are dying by suicide at an alarming rate

We Can’t Unsee What We Saw

Kamala Harris Should Be the Democratic Nominee for President in 2024 | Opinion

A stark enthusiasm gap has opened up in a longtime Democratic stronghold in Georgia.

This Week in Christian Nationalism and Religious Extremism

While this newsletter won’t focus overall on Christian Nationalism, each Friday I will include a brief update from that week, as it’s both a continuing focus of my work and also, I think, a critical threat to both American democracy and the faithful witness of Jesus’ Gospel, which exists independently of the United States!

In one sentence: Christian Nationalism is a version of the idolatrous Theology of Glory, which replaces the genuine worship of God with worship of a particular vision of America, often rooted in a revisionist history of white people in the 1950s, before the Civil Rights movement or the women’s movement. Christian Nationalism supports a violent takeover of government and the imposition of fundamentalist Christian beliefs on all people. Christian nationalism relies on a theological argument that equates American military sacrifice with Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross. It suggests that Christians are entitled to wealth and power, in contrast to Jesus’ theology of the cross, which reminds Christians that they too have to carry their cross, just as our crucified savior did.

This Week: A few quick notes about upcoming events and places where you can learn more about the threat of Christian Nationalism, and how to work together against it:

This morning I got the chance to co-host the Muckrake (love that journalism reference) podcast with

Jared Yates Sexton

: we talked about Project 2025, Josh Hawley, and the spiritual hunger that’s at the root of much of modern day Americans’ angst, frustration, and malaise.

And local readers, I want to invite you to join me for a fun + meaningful event tomorrow (Saturday, 7/13) at 2 p.m. at Pocket Square Cocktail Lounge in New Hope, for Faith on the Rocks: Faith and Politics, with a focus on Christian Nationalism. Please note that non-alcoholic beverages are also available. This event is co-sponsored by Prince of Peace Lutheran Church (Brooklyn Park) and the Cafeteria Christian podcast. Hope to see some of you there; I find it so encouraging whenever we’re able to be together!

Save the date and time: Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT) for a panel on Christian Nationalism with

Brad Onishi

, Greg Jarrell, Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty executive director Amanda Tyler, and me, sponsored by 1517 Media.

Last but not least, my new book, Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization of American Boyhood is out for pre-order!

Now let’s get to some headlines and how they relate to Christian Nationalism in America:

Project 2025 seemed to really hit the headlines this week. I’ll have more on it below, but shortly: it’s a comprehensive document outlining a legislative and executive branch plan (underlined by a supportive Supreme Court) for a Christian Nationalist authoritarian takeover of America, emphasizing “religious freedom,” which in practice means the right to discriminate against marginalized groups, like LGBTQ people, immigrants, women, people of color, poor people … as well as breaking down the wall between church and state and granting huge political power and economic benefits to preferred organizations that ally themselves with Christian Nationalist politicians.

Months ago,

Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons

wrote about the Christian Nationalist connections to Project 2025 for MSNBC.

Here’s what Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts had to say after the Presidential immunity ruling, which cleared the way for Project 2025 (a product of the Heritage Foundation):

"We are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be."

And actress Taraji P. Henson gave a powerful denunciation of Project 2025 at the BET awards

An “imperial presidency” looms, after the Supreme Court decision on immunity

Justice Sotomayor says (the immunity) decision reshapes the presidency, arguing in her dissent — with Jackson and Kagan — that if a president “orders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune.”

For anyone who thinks this is all just fear-mongering, one of the proposed ideas of Christian Nationalists is something called “household voting.” Google it. The basic idea is that each “household” or married couple would only get one vote, naturally, the man’s. They’ll say women can voice their opinion prior to the vote, but these are also the same people who say in a marital disagreement, the husband always gets to cast the deciding vote.

Don’t forget to follow the money. That’s the endgame for a lot of Christian Nationalist leaders. And they have practical ways of getting it, like the requirements of auto-drafting 10 percent tithes from people who join megachurches.

One of the most troubling things for me personally, in these two weeks since the debate, has been seeing President Biden and the Democrats take on some characteristics of Trump and the Republicans: especially as it relates to a candidate who seems concerned first and foremost with himself and his own status, and a political party that seems more beholden to its top candidate than it does to its purported ideals. I never expected to see such self-centeredness from Biden, who I’d long thought of as a politician who is at least honest and willing to have some humility about his own shortcomings. This relates to Christian Nationalism in the way that authoritarian techniques tend to bleed into all political parties in an environment where individual leaders begin to operate like kings, and power is pursued at all costs:

The argument that no one’s perfect since Jesus can’t run is one that’s been used by conservative evangelical leaders over the last eight years to justify voting for Trump. But now it is being used by the Biden campaign.

Biden went to a church to resurrect his flagging candidacy, in an appearance that was rank with Christian Nationalist vibes.

Biden doesn't directly answer that question. Instead, he talks about how he's talking to large crowds.

Biden’s campaign has leaned into another Trumpian strategy, claiming that all who oppose them are “elites”

And then Biden used another Trump technique, calling into a friendly cable news network to get his point of view across, in a rambling interview

... reality that has come into focus in recent days: The anti-Trump party has become strikingly like the Trump party in several key respects

The Biden campaign also coming out against the media and suggesting that they can’t be trusted, reminiscent of “fake news”

Some thoughts on the claim that Biden deserves our unconditional support. First, no individual politician deserves that. The whole idea behind the democracy we say we’re fighting for is that our politicians serve us. We don’t serve them, like we’re subjects of a king.

Biden undercut his own claims that this election is about preserving democracy against an authoritarian, Christian Nationalist takeover - when he responded that if he lost the election to Trump, he’d be fine because he had done his best.

“That’s what this is about,” Biden said.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also said the governors “pledged their support” to Biden, which didn’t sound like something elected officials should be doing in a democracy.

Meanwhile, back on the extremist Christian nationalist right wing …

The North Carolina GOP candidate for governor said (in a church! on “Freedom Sunday!”) that “some folks need killing.”

As Arizona pastors, we can’t let a GOP official use Christianity to ‘lynch’ someone (from

Caleb E. Campbell

, author of the new book Disarming Leviathan on the mission to Christian Nationalists)

The truth is, though, none of this information about Christian Nationalism will help us defeat it in America if no one trusts the information in front of them, and if we can’t trust one another. This used to primarily be a problem on the right, but with Biden’s increasing vulnerability and suspected cover-up, it’s becoming a major problem throughout the American electorate.

It’s Not Just an Age Problem. It’s a Trust Problem.

Why should we believe what the Biden campaign tells us about the candidate anymore?

And isolation via wealth and privilege of politicians isn’t helping the problem:

"let them eat cake" indeed

Limiting access and an “inner circle” of advisers and family members creates fertile ground for a presidency unaccountable to the American people

Meanwhile, Christian Nationalist propaganda fills the vacuum created by lack of trust in legacy media and politicians:

Here is Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer in a movie poster, with a bomb around his neck: Christian Nationalists want him to be seen as violent and militaristic, not as a theologian who chose his conscience because of the Cross, not glory

Longtime national news organizations are increasingly inviting in far-right opinion writers in interest of “balance,” like the NEWSWEEK article suggesting Taylor Swift was a failure for being 34 and unmarried and childless … (another Christian Nationalist ideological trope)

Christian Nationalists want to suggest they’re supportive of Israel and therefore of American Jews. But their alliance with far-right groups necessarily leads to anti-semitism baked into their ideology.

And red states are already putting Project 2025 to work, such as Louisiana legislation requiring schools to post (a Hollywood version) of the 10 Commandments

The Supreme Court removed another regulatory hurdle that clears the way for large corporate profits (and dangerous effects on the climate) with their ruling that overturned Chevron (Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo). Treating the earth as something to have dominion over rather than a creation to preserve and respect is another facet of Christian Nationalist ideology.

Those who cry “panic” in the face of real warnings about the danger of a Trump presidency and the need for Democrats to respond more decisively are laying the clear path for Project 2025 and American authoritarianism, warns right-wing researcher and author

Jeff Sharlet

A New Section here at News with Nuance: The Resistance

As I’ve been chronicling stories in Christian Nationalism, the danger and threat can feel really overwhelming. That’s why I’ve added this section: stories and examples where I see people pushing back against the tide, all the time! Feel free to share with me your own examples in the comments and by hitting REPLY:

Thousands of Faith Leaders, Union Members, Activists Rally for Poor

Brian Kaylor

and Beau Underwood do important work in their book, Baptizing America, helping mainline Christians recognize their own role in laying the groundwork for Christian Nationalism

Labor leader Jane McAlevey died this week at age 59. This is an inspiring collection of voices sharing what her work meant to them.

Gotta love seeing Lutherans listed on a study of American religions!

And we’ll end with this. Something I’ve loved as we watch women’s basketball finally get the attention it deserves is seeing men’s basketball players support them in kind (my basketball-playing boys are fans of the women’s game, too!)

So it’s pretty great to see these basketball Olympians support our woman VP.

Now, maybe it’s time to just give her the ball?

Must-Reads on Substack

From

Diana Butler Bass

Why We Must Talk About Faith and Politics...Especially in Church

From

Armita Mirkarimi

via

Jeff Sharlet

Lord Almighty

From

Tia Levings

American Horror Story: Project 2025

From

Timothy Snyder

Biden Experiments

Fascism and Fear

From

Jess Piper

The Heritage Foundation is a Threat to Democracy

Advice From a Literature Teacher

From

Word&Way

Joseph Biden’s Coat of Many Colors

What to the Christian Nationalist is the Fourth of July Sunday?

From

Prof. Anthea Butler

Biden, the Black Church and the 2024 election

From

Bill McKibben

The View from 'The Doors'

From

Joyce Vance

"Bloodless if the left allows it to be"

From

Jemar Tisby, PhD

The Supreme Court Repeats the Folly of the Post-Civil War Presidency

From

Kevin M. Kruse

The Radical Roberts Court

From

Sarah Stankorb

Watching the Wreck

From

lyz

Dingus of the week: Whoever watched the debate

From

Jared Yates Sexton

A Serious Time For Serious People: It's Time For Joe Biden To Go

From

Kristin Du Mez

Last night's biggest loser

Thanks for reading,

Angela

This was a special FREE Edition of News with Nuance so that it could be shared with a group at Lake Nokomis Lutheran as we prepare for “Discussions on the Deck.” Typically this newsletter is available to paid subscribers only. Thank you for supporting the (long) hours that go into writing this newsletter and compiling these stories!

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