An Open Letter
to a Beloved Fellowship
We write this letter as Christians with affiliations to Churches of Christ and the American Restoration Movement and as partisans of the kingdom of God. We write to plead with our beloved brothers and sisters, our fellow recipients of God's grace, about a grave spiritual danger facing all Christians in the United States today.
That danger goes under many names, most notably Christian nationalism or in its most extreme forms, Christian Dominionism. This movement confuses the gospel with a political agenda and makes us susceptible to the death-dealing designs of corrupting leaders. It disguises venomous hatred with pious words. It uses the precious name of our Savior, the saving symbol of the cross, and the music by which we celebrate our redemption to mask the great harm done to large groups of our fellow human beings. It wrests the very Scriptures of the church in order to seduce men and women into flagrant disobedience to their Lord.
Today the church, to its spiritual peril, turns a blind eye to the clear evidence of great evil. This evil includes the deliberate and ongoing persecution of people of color in our country—a persecution that is intensifying, not receding. We see the removal of migrants without due process of law or regard for the danger those removed may face. We see the steady erosion of hard-won civil rights and even basic respect for African Americans and other people of color, including our fellow Christians. And we hear the church's deafening silence as confused or self-deluding white Christians blithely throw away the good news of Jesus Christ in favor of the bad news of Empire.
We have seen the devastation this toxic brew created in Germany in the 1930s, Rwanda in the 1990s, and elsewhere. Christ commands us to make peace rather than contribute to the violence. In our era of partisan polarization, extremism, political violence, dehumanizing rhetoric, and disregard for legal norms, we hear a call to speak up.
Our Lord taught us to "watch and pray so that you will not come to the time of trial" (Mark 14:38). That trial has come.
Those committed to such evil have already made their intentions known through speeches, publications, and the endorsements of senior members of the current administration. The language of dehumanization — the rhetoric of "unhumans" and "animals" — is not new to history, and it has never ended well. We name it plainly because the church's silence in the face of such language is itself a form of complicity. The signs are present. The pattern is recognizable. And the church must not wait until warning becomes catastrophe.
Too many Christians, especially white Christians, inhabit a fantasy world of "it can't happen here," even while the evidence of escalating harm is all around us and even though the practitioners of evil have clearly signaled their intentions in speeches, books, and countless social media posts.
We have too long ignored the voices of our brothers and sisters of color who pray for us to see the truth, to hear the cries of suffering people, and to act. We have resisted their prayers and disobeyed their Lord much too long. Actions bringing to life the constant stream of cruel rhetoric targeting vulnerable people all point to the danger we face today. The signs are clear and abundant. We must not continue to live with our delusions.
None of us imagined a few years ago that we could face such a situation in the United States of America.
We naively believed ourselves to be beyond such things, despite the historical genocides in the United States targeting enslaved Africans and the Native American peoples who lived here before the European migrations. We thought America was better. We now know it will not be unless the church awakens from our self-satisfied slumber and returns to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The church must be the church again.
We also know we are not alone in our concern. Many people stand ready to join with others who resist evil, but not with the carnal weapons of tribal warfare. In this moment, we must raise our voices together and clearly proclaim our refusal to participate in violence, no matter how righteous we believe our cause to be. We must count the cost of discipleship and prepare ourselves to endure suffering or even lay down our lives, if necessary.
We know that some self-designated Christians have drunk the cup of violence and hatred to its dregs. However, no matter how complicit some parts of the church may be in the suffering of others, God still lives. And God will not long be silent in the face of evil, just because parts of the church remain so. We all stand under divine judgment as long as we remain silent.
Brothers and sisters, we face a moment of moral and spiritual crisis. Now is not the time for silence and inaction.
Let us wake up and come together for the sake of those who suffer, for the sake of those who have not yet discovered God's Kingdom, and for the sake of God's promised future of unity, equality and peace. Let us pray together, fast together, and together join with others in allegiance to Jesus our King and to His Kingdom alone.
We close not with fear but with faith. The voices of the oppressed will not be silenced for they echo the voice of God, who has always heard the cry of the suffering and has always acted. We are people of the resurrection, and we know how the story ends. Justice will prevail. Righteousness will flow like a river. Liberty and dignity for all people will rise victorious over every force that seeks to diminish, erase, or destroy them for that is the promise of God, and the kingdom of God will not be shaken.
Grace and Peace,
Collin Packer, Allen, TX
Dr. Jerry Taylor, Abilene, TX
Mark Hamilton, Abilene, TX
Josiah Andrews, Columbus, MS
Dr. James Angus Jr., Springfield, TN
Pat Applewhite, Atlanta, GA
Frederick D. Aquino, Dallas, TX
Lendy Bartlett, Columbus, MS
Falon Barton, Riverside, CA
Johnnie Barton, Esq., Washington, D.C.
Sara Gaston Barton, Waco, TX
Alden Bass, Nashville, TN
Alice Bates, Ed. D., Stone Mountain, GA
Craig Beard, Fultondale, AL
Lynne Beard, Fultondale, AL
Wayne Beason, Dearborn Heights, MI
Ken Berry, North Richland Hills, TX
Sammie Berry, Dallas, TX
Dr. Carisse Mickey Berryhill, Lubbock, TX
Julie Berube, Montgomery, AL
Pat Bills, Dallas, TX
Meredith Blair, Keller, TX
Ariel Bloomer, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Terry Booker, Richardson, TX
Amy Boone, Abilene, TX
Amy E. Bost, Long Beach, CA
Dr. Dan Bouchelle, Hurst, TX
Dr. Beth Bowers, Rochester Hills, MI
Dr. Katelyn Brackney, Rochester, MI
Linda Branam, Plano, TX
Mark Brazle, Fuquay-Varina, NC
Steven J. Brice, Philadelphia, PA
Dr. Tanya Smith Brice, Annapolis, MD
Bryan Brokaw, Wylie, TX
Jamie Brokaw, Wylie, TX
Jeff Brown, Nashville, TN
Julie Bruton, Fort Worth, TX
Becky Burroughs, Dallas, TX
Dr. K. Rex Butts, Milwaukee, WI
Katy Byrne, Denver, CO
Tim Byrne, Denver, CO
Steve Byrne, Buena Vista, CO
Laura Callarman, Abilene, TX
Lee Camp, Nashville, TN
Shaun Casey, Fairfax, VA
Bruce Chase, La Mesa, CA
Willie Chriesman, Birmingham, AL
Demond Coleman, Mesquite, TX
Rachel Collins, Los Angeles, CA
Paul Conway, Dallas, TX
Dr. Karen Cooke, Sherwood, AR
Steven Corp, Clawson, MI
Reg Cox, Littleton, CO
Sarah Cox, Searcy, AR
Tiffany Dahlman, Hope Mills, NC
Dr. John-Mark Davidson, Dallas, TX
Greta Davis, Richardson, TX
Jed Davis, Richardson, TX
Kendall Davis, McKinney, TX
Kendall Dean, Muskogee, OK
Austyn Dentry, Columbus, MS
Sharon Draine, Munford, TN
Ben DuBose, Searcy, AR
Emily DuBose, Searcy, AR
Rodney Dulin, Dallas, TX
Laranda Eakin, Flower Mound, TX
Ronald Eakin, Flower Mound, TX
JD Eddins, Searcy, AR
Robert Edison, Dallas, TX
Jenequa Eldridge, Denton, TX
Katy Encalade, Dallas, TX
Dr. Kwame Essien, Bethlehem, PA
Carlos Estrada, Elgin, IL
Gretchen Etheredge, Abilene, TX
Alejandro Ezquerra, Abilene, TX
Emily Fallis, Fort Worth, TX
Winfred Felton, III, Winterville, NC
David Flow, Nashville, TX
Allison Ford, West Islip, NY
Jayne Ford, Lantana, TX
Mike Ford, Lantana, TX
Douglas Foster, San Antonio, TX
Sally Gary, Dallas, TX
Drew Gaylor, Richardson, TX
Dana Spivy Glover, Hays, KS
Jose Manuel Gonzalez, Fort Worth, TX
Heather Gorman, Abilene, TX
James Gorman , Abilene, TX
Josh Graves, Nashville, TN
Adam Gray, Irving, TX
Angela Green, Summerville, SC
Kendon Greene, Dallas, TX
Kenneth Greene, DeSoto, TX
Blair Griffith, Wylie, TX
Steve Hare, Abilene, TX
Jeremy Hegi, Lubbock, TX
Larry Henderson, Abilene, TX
Reid Hillin, Abilene, TX
Hector Hinojosa, North Richland Hills, TX
Kim Hodges, San Antonio, TX
Kevin Holland , Burbank, CA
Ron Holland, Watauga, TX
Dr. John Holleman, Oxford, MS
Vickie Holleman, Oxford, MS
Abigail Howell, Searcy, AR
Alan Howell, Tucson, AZ
Rachel Howell, Tucson, AZ
David Hughes, Montgomery, AL
Richard Hughes, Goshen, IN
Shane Hughes, Abilene, TX
Nathan Hull, Mansfield, TX
Justin Hunter, Arlington, TX
Christopher R. Hutson, Abilene, TX
Joshua Jackson, Nashville, TN
Krystal Jackson, Lancaster, TX
Larry James, Garland, TX
Dr. Robert R. Jennings, Union City, GA
Jeremy Jernigan, Phoenix, AZ
Brent Johnson, Madison, WI
Tim Johnson, Weatherford, TX
David Jordan, Memphis, TN
Jake Keefer, Tuscaloosa, AL
Micah Kennedy, Nashville, TN
John Ketchersid, Irving, TX
Dr. Grady D. King, Irving, TX
Leah Jarvis Kranz, Abilene, TX
Cassy Lawson, Dallas, TX
Neal Legan, Dallas, TX
Sheila Legan, Dallas, TX
Julia Levy, Birmingham, AL
Charles Little, Birmingham, AL
Rebecca Little, Birmingham, AL
Chris Macon, Fairview, TX
Paula Parras Macon, Fairview, TX
Megan Maluotoga, Bedford, TX
Mark Manassee, Culver City, CA
Mignon Martin, San Antonio, TX
Jeff McCain, Decatur, TX
Cary McCall, Austin, TX
Ellen McCollum, Richardson, TX
Don McLaughlin, Atlanta, GA
Susan McLaughlin, Atlanta, GA
Brad McLemore, Azle, TX
Ian McLoud, Muscogee, OK
Dan McVey, Clyde, TX
Ben Meaders, Edmond, OK
Mike Miles, Livonia, MI
Floyd Miller, Abilene, TX
Terri Miller, Mesquite, TX
Clifford Mills, Arlington, TX
Lori Mims, Mesquite, TX
Kevin Moore, Waco, TX
Marcia Moore, Abilene, TX
Jonathan Morrison, Dallas, TX
Robyn Morton, The Colony, TX
Taurean Morton, M.Ed., Oxford, MS
Trent Morton, The Colony, TX
Gregory Moses, Aledo, TX
Dr. Lawrence Murray, Edmond, OK
Jerry Neill, Tullahoma, TN
Belinda Nelson, Garland, TX
Ian Nickerson, Waxahachie, TX
Candace Nicolds, Brookline, MA
Amber Norris, Dallas, TX
Andy Olree, Montgomery, AL
Cynthia Ownby, Stamford, CT
Barry Packer, Dallas, TX
Clark Packer, Spring, TX
Holly Packer, Allen, TX
Lara Packer, Spring, TX
Sean Palmer, StaffordStafford, TX
Ann Park, Irving, TX
David Park, Carrollton, TX
Jerry Park, Irving, TX
Shelley Park, Carrollton, TX
Dale Pauls, Stamford, CT
Brandon Pierce, Georgetown, TX
Jeffrey A. Pierpont, East Hardwick, VT
Gavin Pinkston, Columbia, TN
Dr. Lauren Pinkston, Columbia, TN
Dr. Russell Pointer, Jr., Nashville, TN
Jennifer Presley, Birmingham, AL
Tryce Prince, Chicago, IL
Terence Proctor, Winfield, WV
Morgan Proffitt-Davis, Brooklyn, NY
Janet Ray, Lewisville, TX
Mark Ray, M.D., Lewisville, TX
Jack Reese, San Antonio, TX
Jeanene Reese, Abilene, TX
Katie Register, Alpharetta, GA
Mark Register, Graceville, FL/Dothan, AL
Nate Reiser, Desoto, MO
Tanner Rice, Mustang, OK
Charles Rix, New York, NY
Charme Robarts, Fort Worth, TX
Edward Robinson, Tyler, TX
Daniel A. Rodriguez, Malibu, CA
Brent Roe-Hall, Nashville, TN
Mika Roland, Fresno, CA
Josh Ross, Memphis, TN
Joel Ruch, Abilene, TX
Cheryl Russell, McKinney, TX
Dr. Ryan Russell, Dayton, OH
Dr. Terry Seufferlein, Olathe, KS
Chris Shields II, Nashville, TN
Cherie Smith, Lilburn, GA
Karen Fletcher Smith, Belton, TX
Carl Sherman, Sr., DeSoto, TX
Micah Smith, Henderson, TN
James Sneed, Helotes, TX
Vernita Sneed, Helotes, TX
Gary Southern, Littleton, CO
Josh Southern, Littleton, CO
Mandy Jo Steil, Searcy, AR
Jonathan Stein, Abilene, TX
Al Sturgeon, Green Lake, WI
Emily Swim, Richardson, TX
Jordan Swim, Richardson, TX
Evan Tardy, San Antonio, TX
Gerald Taylor, Memphis, TN
Greg R. Taylor, Tulsa, OK
Brandon Scott Thomas, Abilene, TX
Adam Clark Thompson, Los Angeles, CA
Kara Tobey, Denver, CO
Dr. John Mark Tucker , Spring Hill, TN
Dr. Paavo Tucker, Nashville, TN
Madeline Turner, Dallas, TX
Nancy Ulrich, Rowlett, TX
W Mark Wallis, Lone Tree, CO
James E. Walters, Rochester, MI
Dr. Naomi Walters, Rochester, MI
Jocelyn Wiebe , Lubbock, TX
Mark Wiebe, Lubbock, TX
Larry Wilson, Searcy, AR
Stan Wilson, Mount Juliet, TN
Narleski Wyrick, Waller, TX