Author, Rev. Dr. Pamela Cooper-White, to speak at St. Paul’s Lansing

What Is Christian Nationalism?
Why are people drawn to it?

What Is Christian Nationalism? Why Are People Drawn To It?

The Rev. Dr. Pamela Cooper-White, author of  The Psychology of Christian Nationalism, will offer public online lecture.

Due to unexpected circumstances, the in-person public lecture is cancelled. It will now be offered as a webinar on Friday, November 11th at 7:00 p.m.

If you are interested in participating in the webinar, please register by emailing rector@stpaulslansing.org. A link for the webinar will be sent to you prior to the day of the event.

The clergy gathering on Saturday, November 12^th is CANCELLED

*more details below

The rise of Christian Nationalism in the U.S. is affecting clergy and congregations who struggle to understand what is driving the movement, why people are drawn to it, and how to navigate the polarization it causes.  Join us for an opportunity to hear about this movement and how it may impact our own Christian behavior.  The online lecture is free and open to the public on Friday, November 11 at 7:00pm.

What is Christian Nationalism? 

“Christian Nationalism is a cultural framework that idolizes and advocates a fusion of Christianity with American civic life.  Christian nationalism contends that America has been and should always be distinctively “Christian” from top to bottom – in its self-identity, interpretations of its own history, sacred symbols, cherished values, and public policies – and it aims to keep it that way.  But the ‘Christian’ in Christian nationalism is more about identity than religion.  It carries with it assumptions about nativism, white supremacy, authoritarianism, patriarchy, and militarism.”  Christians Against Christian Nationalism

How does Christian nationalism show up in politics and policy?

• • • • Fear and distrust of religious minorities, including Muslims, atheists, & Jewish people
      • Believe racial inequality is due to the personal shortcomings of minority groups
      • Report being very uncomfortable with both interracial marriage and transracial adoption
      • Upholds biblical marriage between a man and a woman
      • Hold anti-immigrant views
      • Fear refugees
      • Does not support social programs assisting the poor
      • Oppose scientists and science education in schools
      • Believe that men are better suited for all leadership roles while women are better suited to care for children and the home

The Rev. Dr. Pamela Cooper-White an Episcopal priest, is the Christiane Brooks Johnson Professor of Psychology and Religion and former academic Dean at Union Theological Seminary in New York, NY. From 2008-2015, she served as Ben G. and Nancy Clapp Gautier Professor of Pastoral Theology, Care and Counseling at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, GA, and Co-Director of the Atlanta Theological Association’s joint ThD program in Pastoral Counseling. In 2013-14 she was awarded a Fulbright fellowship as the Fulbright-Freud Scholar of Psychoanalysis at the Sigmund Freud Museum in Vienna, Austria, also teaching a seminar at the University of Vienna. She is recipient of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors’ 2005 national award for “Distinguished Achievement in Research and Writing,” and the Samaritan Counseling Center of Philadelphia’s 2007 “Spirit Award” for community service. She holds PhD’s from Harvard University and the Institute for Clinical Social Work, Chicago, and has published 10 books spanning the topics of gender, violence, religion, pastoral care, and counseling.