CREEDE HINSHAW: ‘Jericho March’ had little to do with Christianity

How will white Christian nationalists evaluate their role in the support of President Trump?

As I watched the shocking, violent, insurrectionist coup attempt at the U.S. Capitol last week, I was disturbed by a large banner displaying the name Jesus it. I also saw a Christian flag waving. Other banners proclaimed Trump is My President, Jesus my Savior. People sang hymns, prayed prayers and screamed “Stop the Steal.”

Many of these people remained outside the Capitol and also remained peaceful, but I can’t help but wonder what the conservative Christian church would think if last week’s demonstration was exactly the same in every aspect except that the flags were Islamic and the prayers were to Allah instead of the Christian God.

Last month conservative Christians organized a six-hour Jericho March in Washington. Although a few Messianic Jews were present, the vast majority of the speakers were evangelical Christians, Protestant and Catholic who completely identified with Donald Trump, called the 2020 election a fraudulent steal, and equated our government and the recent election with the pagan city of Jericho from the Hebrew Scriptures book of Joshua. Identifying themselves as the holy, righteous people of God, these rallygoers intended — as they did last week — to bring down the walls of our government in the service of Donald Trump.

Such clear and total fealty to any political party is idolatry, a violation of one of the Ten Commandments. I was heartened to read a searing critique of the Jericho March by conservative Christian Rod Dreher. You can read his insightful column, with a description of each haranguing speech, online at the website of The American Conservative. His Dec. 12 piece is titled “What I Saw at the Jericho March.” Dreher admitted he had to force himself to watch this travesty of Christian values.

What is especially valuable about the service Dreher provides is that he is a critic from within conservative Christianity. Dreher spares no mercy to American liberals, Christian or otherwise. He is a bona fide adherent of orthodox Christianity in its classic form. And he is disgusted by what was passed off as Christian in this rally.

The organizers of this spectacle repeatedly claimed, parroting President Trump, that it didn’t matter that every court had ruled against the president … the election was rigged. God told them so and that was the only justification they needed. This is a wholesale prostitution of Christianity in service of the lies promulgated by a twice-impeached president.

Included in the rally was disgraced Gen. Michael Flynn, who begged the president to declare martial law. Included was conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who had denied the truth of the slaughter of children at Sandy Hook. Jones vowed, “God is on our side. We will never bow down to the Satanic pedophile New World Order!” You get the idea.

This rally is a prime example of why people are leaving the church in droves. The Jericho movement promises to demonstrate in state capitals in days to come as is their First Amendment right. But the church that aligns itself so completely with one political party and candidate will end up being discredited and apostate.