I am Diana Oestreich, Red Letter Christians board member and a soldier who Jesus turned into a Peacemaker.
We are raising our voices, because you Mr. President are dedicated to waging a war against the vulnerable people that Jesus is dedicated to protecting: the poor, the immigrant, and those denied their God-given right to live in Gaza and Iran.
WE are REDIRECTING this Nation from the violence and bribe of Christian Nationalism to the Mercy of Christ.
I know what Christian nationalism sounds like.
I heard it in Iraq before mortars hit the ground. I heard it in speeches that wrapped violence in righteousness and taught us that to Win was the same thing as peace.
And as a combat medic, I learned something on the battlefield that changed me forever:
There is no such thing as holy violence.
There are only human beings made in the image of God—bleeding, grieving, afraid, longing have a homeland where they belong.
So, when I hear leaders claim they are “rededicating America to God” while preaching fear, exclusion, cruelty, and greed, I do not hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I hear the bribe of empire.
WE only have one allegiance to give. Either we give it Christian nationalism, or we give it to Christ. But we can’t do both.
White Christian nationalism is not Christianity. It is a political religion that uses the language of Jesus while abandoning the teachings of Jesus. It worships power instead of humility. Violence instead of mercy. Greed instead of love.
But Jesus was not crucified because he said, “God bless the empire.”
Jesus was crucified because he stood with the vulnerable. Because he confronted morally bankrupt systems of the Powerful. Because he taught us to love our enemies, welcome the stranger, care for the poor, and put down the sword.
As a veteran and conscientious objector, I believe following Jesus means refusing the lie that our violence is Righteous. That it will save us.
And right now, that lie is killing us.
It is killing Palestinians in Gaza.
It is preparing our children for endless war with Iran.
It is tearing apart our communities with fear and hatred.
It is hoodwinking Christians into seeing cruelty as virtue.
But the Gospel tells another story.
Blessed are the peacemakers.
Blessed are the merciful.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice.
Not those who are Making America great.
Not the warmakers.
Not profit.
Justice.
The question before us is not whether America is Dedicated to God.
The question is: what kind of God are serving?
A God of Winning?—or the Jesus who washed feet of others?
A God of War—or the Christ who disarmed Peter told us to turn our swords into ploughs? Or our guns into garden tools?
I believe America does not need to be rededicated to power.
We need to be redirected back toward love.
Back toward courage.
Back toward truth.
Back toward one another.
Toward a future with more gardens than guns.
More peace than war.
More people willing to cross enemy lines with love.
That future will not be built by politicians alone.
It will be built by ordinary people who refuse to surrender our love and our Faith to be used as weapon against the vulnerable.
Today we are putting a stake in the sand. We choose to be people who wage peace.
People willing to practice mercy in a culture of cruelty.
People willing to tell the truth in an age of propaganda.
People willing to follow Jesus beyond comfort, beyond nationalism, and beyond fear.
Because the Kingdom of God is not built through self-serving policies and cross wearing pundits.
It is forged through love. Thank you.
Thank you.
Redirect 250 clip from Edmund Pettis Bridge
This was written for the REDIRECT 250 virtual event.
