Pastor Aaron Brown

On August 18th, 2026, during Jake Lang’s so called “Christian Crusaders” demonstration, residents of Dearborn Michigan were told that they don’t belong in this country because of their ethnicity and religion, and they were compared to cockroaches, all in the name of Jesus.

Marginalizing others because of their race and faith is both 1) dangerously Un-American and it 2) stands against everything that Jesus’ life and teachings represented.

1) America has long tried to be a safe place for people of every race and religion. Ignoring the dehumanization of others is a dangerous habit that conditions us to not value their lives. We saw this with the same kind of “cockroaches” terminology preceding the Rwanda genocide.

2) To allow this to happen in the name of Jesus Is inconsistent with the platform they claim to stand on. Jesus’ driving mission was to reconcile all people to right relationship with God and one another.

So, ignoring what happened in Dearborn last week has the terrifying effect of letting a loud minority of white supremacists and Nazi sympathizers speak for our nation and for the (deafeningly silent) majority of Christians in this country. 

So, in case it’s not clear, I will put a finer point on it: Jake Lang and the so-called “Christian” Nationalist movement does not speak for me, does not represent the America that I believe most of us (right, left, and center) are striving to build, and does not speak for the God of the Bible. They are using religion to marginalize and manipulate others so that they can have power, comfort, and superiority over those that they are afraid of.

It’s a tragedy that we have to keep reliving this scenario. For some reason insecure people seem to love twisting the teachings of Jesus to push others down instead of lifting them up. This this is definitely a political tactic to gain supporters for specific agendas, but I think it also is rooted in our fear of not being in the majority that has control. So, if we find ourselves reliving these disturbing trends, then I guess they haven’t truly been dealt with.

White supremacy is a sickness that has long infected the marrow of this country. It’s less like a cold that we get from time to time, and more like a cancer that has remissions and flare ups. When it rears it’s toxic head, we can either ignore it and let racism and hate continue to infect the DNA of our national identity, or we can address it with renewed vigor to cut it out in the pursuit of healing and unity.

Nearly 200 years ago, Frederick Douglass took issue with the hypocrisy of a Christian Nation that hated and abused others based on the color of their skin…

“…for, between the Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest possible difference–so wide, that to receive the one as good, pure, and holy, is of necessity to reject the other as bad, corrupt, and wicked. To be the friend of the one, is of necessity to be the enemy of the other. I love the pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ: I therefore hate the corrupt, slaveholding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of this land. Indeed, I can see no reason, but the most deceitful one, for calling the religion of this land Christianity. I look upon it as the climax of all misnomers, the boldest of all frauds, and the grossest of all libels.”

Just as Fredrick Douglas felt an urgency to addressed the hypocrisy and heresy of Church-sanctioned chattel slavery, we who follow the ways of Jesus have a responsibility in this moment to call out the hypocrisy and harisery of racism, islamophobia, and white supremacy present in “Christian” Nationalism. They do not accurately represent the Christian faith, they are not speaking for the majority of Americans or global Christians, and their fear and hate is a betrayal the heart of Christ.

The teachings of Christ don’t deny differences in religion or worldview. They simply extend radical hospitality and an invitation of inclusion to others instead of treating them less than human. Where a Christian nationalist sees a threat, the follower of Jesus sees an image-bearer of God, a reflection of Divinity, in need of dignity, respect, and unconditional love. Where Jake Lang sees “cockroaches” a follower of Jesus sees a human brother or sister who needs to feel the love of Christ to believe that he is truly the son of God… instead of seeing the sea of white “Christian” hate that was present in Dearborn last week. What a shame. What a misrepresentation of the Christianity of Christ.

If our vision is foggy in light of current political tensions, we can look to our past in order to clearly see our present and make different choices. Not a fan of Frederick Douglass? Consider these words from Jesus of Nazareth…

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”- Jesus, Matthew 5:43-48 NIV

Or how about this…

“To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more payback. Live generously.” – Jesus, Luke 6:27-30 (MSG)

The human condition will always teach us to see enemies where the eyes of Christ urge us to see allies and family members. The Christianity of Christ does not seek power and dominion over those of other religions, it welcomes its “enemies” with radical hospitality, divine dignity, in unconditional love.

We who follow Jesus need to live this quietly in our everyday lives, but that’s also not enough anymore. When we are silent in the face of such hypocrisy and heresy as we saw in Dearborn, we let others speak for our faith and our God. We let white supremacists and Nazi sympathizers claim that the Christian mission is dominion instead of reconciliation through sacrifice.

If we claim to be a Christian, then we have a responsibility to draw a line in the sand when others misrepresent the faith family that we are a part of. Denying this responsibility is admitting that we have too much privilege, or too little empathy, to be bothered by the plight of others who are being harassed by those who claim to be Christians. Instead, we should be using whatever platform we have, whatever influence we’ve been given, to accurately represent the faith that you claim to follow and call others out when they do not.

In fact, it’s more biblical to hold Christians accountable than it is to judge people of other religions! In 1 Corinthians 5:9–13, the Apostle Paul explains that Christians should not judge or try to isolate themselves from non-believers, but they are responsible for holding fellow believers accountable to Christian standards of behavior. For the integrity of the message of Jesus, his followers need to find their own voice of accountability in this moment.

So, in an effort to hold those who claim to be my brothers and sisters in Christ accountable, and to posture my life in the way of Jesus, I repurpose the words of Frederick Douglass…

I therefore hate the corrupt, neighbor hating, race-shaming, fear mongering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of this land. Indeed, I can see no reason, but the most deceitful one, for calling the “Christian” nationalism of this land Christianity. I look upon it as the climax of all misnomers, the boldest of all frauds, and the grossest of all libels. Between the “Christian” Nationalism of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest possible difference–so wide, that to receive the one as good, pure, and holy, is of necessity to reject the other as bad, corrupt, and wicked.

White supremacy is an afront to God and a betrayal of the heart of Christ. We who call ourselves followers of Jesus call everyone that our culture tells us is the enemy a friend instead.

How much difference would the headlines have been if Christians who follow the way of Christ marched on Dearborn both demanding and providing for their self-identified needs of food security, affordable housing, and mental health care?

How much different with the national conversation be if we took a posture of welcome and service in the face of losing our comfort, control, and even our safety if necessary?

Instead of fighting back in some mythical culture war, the Christianity of Christ lays down its life for its friends…

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” – Jesus, John 15:12-13 (NIV)