Get Thee Behind Me Satan

Militant religious movements are calling for things which are literally antithetical to the teachings of Jesus

A new article by Atlantic staff writer Stephanie McCrummen about what white Christian nationalists are planning for the election, now less than a month away, is one you should read. It’s titled “The Christian Radicals Are Coming: The movement that fueled January 6 is revving up again.” 

She reports on a big rally she attended in Eau Claire, Wisconsin where The New Apostolic Reformation was having a tent revival as part of their “Courage Tour,” which is holding events in key battleground states that will determine the election.. 

The favorite word used in this revival (read: political rally) was “warriors.” The evangelist on stage called people in the large crowd to become “‘God appointed warriors’” ready to do whatever the Almighty might require of them in November and beyond.” Mario Murillo shouted at the crowd “We are going to prepare for war,” and minutes later the preacher said, “I’m not on Earth to be blessed, I’m on earth to be armed and dangerous.” 

I was invited onto Morning Joe Tuesday to discuss the Atlantic article and these rallies going on now around the nation. I said that we clearly have lost something in parts of our churches. People who call themselves “Christian” are supposed to be followers of Jesus Christ. But these militant religious movements are calling for things which are literally antithetical to the teachings of Jesus. 

In stark contrast to the call to become “warriors” in this election, Jesus says to his followers, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” That instruction came from Jesus’ Beatitudes, in his Sermon on the Mount, containing the key teachings for his early disciples about how to walk in the way of Christ. Are the disciples of Jesus Christ really supposed to be known and feared as those who are “armed and dangerous?” 

On the show, Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson showed his great frustration when he asked me if these evangelists and preachers had read these gospel texts and if so, how can they just “ignore” all the teachings of Jesus, what he said and what he did? 

The answer is power. That’s what they want for themselves. This is a movement that uses their politicized religion to gain power with Donald Trump by putting aside the teachings of Jesus. Joe Scarborough spoke about the “red-letter” teachings of Jesus where Christ rejects the power of this world and calls his disciples to bring a new way of living into the world. I recalled one of Jesus' early temptations when Satan took him up to the top of a mountain to see the world and offered him the power to rule all of it, if Jesus would simply fall down and worship him. Jesus' response was “Get thee behind me Satan.”

That should be the response of Christians today, when a political evangelist shouts the word "Warrior” to their Wisconsin crowd and asks them to chant the word back to him.  Instead of yelling back “Warrior” which they obediently did;  they should say “Get thee behind me Satan.” 

Joe raised the good Samaritan parable where Jesus tells us to love our neighbor, especially those who are different from us– as the Samaritan did. Even though he was being “othered” by his society, like many are being othered today, this mixed race outsider stopped to help a Jewish man who had been robbed, beaten, and left for dead by the side of the Jericho road–someone who was different from him. .  

But as the Atlantic article reported, in the Wisconsin rally, a white nationalist named Artur Pawlowski said that Christians had been “too loving.” He told the crowd they must “go into the fire” with Jesus, and “in the fire he will set you free.” Again, in sharp contrast, the Gospel of John chapter 8:32, Jesus says you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. 

Instead, the continuing ugly lies being told by Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, about immigrants in particular, have left many of their supporters captive to those lies. Even in the midst of the horrendous suffering being felt by many in these repeated hurricane floods (including some of my own family members) the Republican presidential and vice–presidential candidates are now accusing the federal government of using money intended for the victims of these disasters instead, for giving lots of money to immigrants. Just as the Republican Governor of Ohio and Mayor of Springfield said the lies of Haitian immigrants eating people’s dogs and cats were not true, Governors all over the south where hurricanes are wreaking such havoc all say–Republicans and Democrats–that the Biden-Harris led federal disaster efforts are giving them all the help that they need. And no money is going to buy free cell phones and hotel rooms for immigrants as Trump rants on about.

Lies were all over the Wisconsin rally, and the overwhelmingly white audience is deeply responsive to the racial lies of the Trump campaign and these religious zealots in support of him. Race is a huge factor in these “religious” (read: political) rallies. 

One of the leaders of this movement is Lance Wallnau. He is the one who has popularized the “seven mountain mandate” in which Christians are being called to take power over the key pillars of society like government, media, education, business, arts and entertainment, family and, of course, religion. 

Wallnau speaks of “the demons” which are working against America, particularly from the Democratic Party. And he recently referred to Kamala Harris as a “Jezebel woman,” an evil female leader in Biblical stories. A frequent visitor to Mar-a-Lago, he regularly talks about his plan and hopes for Christians like him to take power and control over America.

Two weeks ago, the chief Washington correspondent for CBS news, Major Garret, came to my home office to hear the counter argument to white Christian nationalism. We went through the teachings of Jesus which are so antithetical to the plans of this militant religious movement that supports Donald Trump for his and their power. We discussed how this is not the first time in history that religion has been used and abused to support strong man authoritarian leaders in their quest for autocratic power. But I also signaled a hopeful sign– of another movement afoot in this country of diverse Christian leaders, Black and white, who are confronting and now countering this right-wing political movement that is distorting religion for power. 

At the event in Wisconsin they spoke openly of their efforts to encourage their followers to infiltrate the election system to be their “Trojan Horses” to control the vote counting in key precincts around the country. 

But we have a voter protection campaign ourselves, Faiths United to Save Democracy, which is training poll chaplains in many of those same precincts where voter suppression and intimidation is most threatened. Fifteen hundred poll chaplains have already been trained in being an informed, calm, peaceful and spiritually authoritative presence on and around election day– including practical instruction in de-escalation tactics and nonviolent action wherever needed. Our coordinator, Barbara Williams Skinner puts our historical moment well, “People are marching under the banner of Jesus, but without the manner of Jesus.” You can sign up to serve as a poll chaplain here.

You can also read, sign, share, and study  our new and powerful Christian Faith and Democracy statement which has already been  signed by thousands of faith leaders: Protestant, Catholic, Evangelical, Black, Hispanic, and Asian American church leaders and pastors who intend to preach from the teachings of Jesus in the critical weeks ahead before the election..

I am seeing that new yet old movement to bring us back to Jesus  rising around the country, growing stronger in every place I go. To those at the false religion events in Wisconsin and elsewhere, we want them to know that our message to them  is white Christian nationalism vs. Jesus Christ.