One of today’s readings from the lectionary is 1 Kings 18, and these two verses stood out to me as timely:
‘When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals.’ (1 Kings 18:17-18)
We live in an age where ugly nationalism is once again on the rise, much of it claiming to be “Christian” nationalism. It’s most obvious in the attitudes of neo-fascist “Christian” Nationalists who are supporters of Donald Trump. It can be seen in the way that modern Israel’s desire to defend itself crosses the line far too often into disproportionate retaliation. But it can be seen in a more subtle form in Wales too, as the response to the social, cultural, and religious change we’ve experienced leads some to embrace a reactionary religious-political ideology driven mainly by fear.
I’ve noticed that people who dare to criticize these reactionary tendencies are being called or portrayed as “unpatriotic” or as having an inferior view of their own identity. Not unlike, perhaps, Ahab’s accusation that Elijah was “the troubler of Israell!”
Elijah’s story tells us that standing up for the truth and showing real compassion for your nation sometimes means speaking out against it, in ways that some will interpret as unpatriotic. When we consider the kind of reactionary, right-wing “Christian” nationalism we witness in the West today, it’s the prophet’s stubbornness that should characterize the church’s posture, not blind worship of the enchanters.
