From the very beginning, there has never been only one Christianity.

Instead, over the centuries, conflicting Christianities have offered irreconcilable expressions of faithfulness that forced a moral choice. On the one hand, there has been the Christianity of slave owners who expected religion to legitimize oppression. On the other hand, there has been the faith of the enslaved who, against the odds, never stopped believing in freedom. Today we’re witnessing a similar split between MAGA Christians and social justice Christians.

First, consider the tumultuous days in which we find ourselves. As Nobel poet laureate Bob Dylan sings, “The times they are a-changin’,” or, as Mexican poet Octavio Paz puts it, we’re living not only in a time of change, but in a change of times.

The modern world, created over five centuries, is coming apart at the seams. The emerging world is not yet in full view, so we speak haltingly about shifting from the modern to a post-modern world, but without clarity about the meaning of post-modern. What’s certain is that we’re in the midst of a messy cultural crisis, a protracted period of restructuring at every level, from the globalization of the economy to the reordering, closer to home, of power between men and women.

Many welcome this kind of cultural ferment, even disruption, as an opportunity for repair, reordering and renewal. Think of all the justice movements over recent decades seeking human rights for workers, people with disabilities, women, people of color and LBGTQ people, as well as protection for the Earth. At the same time, there’s been a fierce backlash against these movements.

In times of great flux, some react in fear and anger, becoming increasingly agitated about immigration, gender differences, banning books and the teaching of history, including our national origin story. People under duress can become stressed about the body and the body politic, fixating on securing borders, controlling certain bodies (women’s bodies, Black and Brown bodies, and non-gender conforming bodies), and preventing the wrong kinds of people from voting. During periods of moral panic, fear of strangers and those “from away” ratchets up. Think Springfield, Ohio.

I’m sobered by how this cultural crisis is playing out within the Christian tradition. MAGA Christians promote Christian nationalism and the deployment of state power to enforce hyper-conservative Christian values and punish difference and dissent.

Far-right activist Jack Posobiec opened this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference by saying, “Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely” and fulfill the mission of Jan. 6. Holding up a cross necklace, he then said, “After we burn the swamp to the ground, we will establish the new American republic on its ashes, and our first order of business will be righteous retribution for those who betrayed America.”

The MAGA movement, by and large a conservative Christian movement, is also a white power movement, committed to furthering the interests of white supremacy in a white ethno-state. While Christian nationalism may attract followers from other ethnicities and racial identities, it is fueled by white racialized fears, resentments and grievances.

Remember, it was white Christians who in 2016 put Donald Trump in the White House as a counter to Barack Obama, the nation’s first Black president. A majority of religiously affiliated white people – 81% of white evangelicals and 60% of white Protestants and Catholics – voted to elect a white racist president. In 2020, even greater numbers of white Christians voted to keep him in office, despite the pandemic and all the scandals.

Those of us who are white and Christian need to sit with the reality, that white Christians have brought this nation to the brink of authoritarianism. In citing research that shows a strong correlation between frequent church attendance and authoritarian attitudes, journalist and ex-evangelical Chrissy Stroop observes, “White Christian churches have become the incubators of authoritarian politics.” While not all churchgoers are the same, it’s well documented that there are far fewer authoritarians among Americans who never attend church services and among those who identify as atheists, agnostics, or humanists.

I’m grateful that there’s another way to be a faithful Christian. By speaking up for justice and compassion in all things, we can stand with Martin Luther King Jr. and countless other justice-loving saints.

These days, we should be investing our energy in voter mobilization, encouraging voter registration, promoting education about candidates and policies, and backing efforts to prevent voter suppression and any form of political intimidation and violence. At the same time, the long-term task is to build up and strengthen an inclusive, multiracial, multifaith and culturally diverse justice movement grounded in respect for the Earth and for the dignity and well-being of all peoples.

Our sacred calling is to practice living together, in community, as equals. The truth of the matter is that we belong together, suffer together, thrive together, and have a future together, or else we will stand apart, at odds with one another, and cause the house to collapse around us.

My abiding hope is that, as we join in solidarity with strangers and friends alike and make justice and compassion real, we’ll discover both deep joy and true spiritual power.