As the nation hurtles toward election day, Anchorage First Presbyterian Rev. Matt Schultz is warning about a decades-old identity theft scam.
The progressive and very online reverend, who wears a pride flag pin along with his white clerical collar, says that Christianity and Jesus have been the victims of identity theft at the hands of Christian nationalism.
“As an ordained Minister, I also see the title Christian nationalism as a certain form of identity theft, taking the word of something that I hold dear to my heart and soul and using it for truly damaging and sadistic purposes,” he said.
Christian nationalism is a potent mixture of politics and faith, he explains, preying on flawed understandings of Christianity in support of harsh right-wing policies. It’s primarily predicated on the idea that America is a Christian nation and that a particular, very conservative version of “Christian values” should be reflected in our country’s politics and policies. In most cases, that takes the form of divisive, discriminatory anti-LGBTQ, anti-trans and anti-immigrant policies.