I don’t believe there is a time in our nation’s history where progressive faith-based groups are more important. As the threat of right-winged Neo-Nazi fascism increases in the United States, there seems to be a healthy counteraction of progressive justice-minded faith-based organizations who show a much more authentic expression of a loving God through the action of social justice and love-in-action. Let’s take a look some of them.
Faithful America is the largest anti-Religious Right group consisting of people across a number of faith traditions, including Catholic, Protestant, and more. Here is the first paragraph of their mission statement.
“Faithful America is the largest online community of over 200,000 Christians putting faith into action for social justice. Our members — Catholic, Protestant, and more — are sick of sitting by quietly while Jesus’ message of good news is hijacked by the religious right to serve a hateful political agenda. We’re organizing the faithful to challenge Christian nationalism and white supremacy and to renew the church’s prophetic role in building a more free and just society.”
Christians Against Christian Nationalism is primarily a Protestant anti-Christian Nationalism group who invites all people to participate in its efforts to expose the actions of the Religious Right. Founded three years ago, this little non-profit is growing quickly. This is an excellent write-up in Time Magazine below.
Here is the first paragraph of their mission statement.
A Group of Christians Are Fighting Christian Nationalism | Time
“As Christians, our faith teaches us everyone is created in God’s image and commands us to love one another. As Americans, we value our system of government and the good that can be accomplished in our constitutional democracy. Today, we are concerned about a persistent threat to both our religious communities and our democracy — Christian nationalism.”
The Society of Jesus’ (the Jesuits, my personal favorite)
Although this organization Religious Order is not overtly anti-political Religious Right, the Society of Jesus is a Catholic Social Justice Order which has been around since 1611. As the website says, “French Jesuits explored the woodlands of Maine and celebrated, in 1611, the first known Mass on American soil, at the mouth of the Kennebec River. English Jesuits landed in Maryland, in 1634, and established a mission there. More French Jesuits came and rode their canoes along the unchartered waters of the Great Lakes. By the 1680s, the men in black robes were also coming from Spain and setting up churches and villages in the southwestern United States. Italian Jesuits, in the mid-1800s, began reaching out to people of various cultures in Colorado, Montana, and California.”
As an Educational Therapist and a mother of Neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ young adults, I fully support the efforts of Faithful America, Christians Against Christian Nationalism, and of course, the Jesuits.
Here is a list of other progressive faith-based organizations tied into this article from the Religion News Source and other Catholic Social Justice orders and organizations listed by Seton Hill. There are many other smaller groups which are working to fight the growing threat of religious fascism and equality for all Americans which I wholeheartedly support through my commitment to Catholic Social Teaching.
It’s time that we reclaim the Real loving, inclusive, Jesus of justice and equality, not the GOP Jesus.
Christian nationalism’s opponents are getting organized (religionnews.com)
https://setonhill.libguides.com/Catholic_Social_Teaching/orgs
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