In the August newsletter I shared with you my learnings and information obtained from attending the PBA’s Mis- siological Conversation this past May. A “missiological conversation is a time of reflection, fellowship, and discern- ment of the call of Christ to the church today” in light current cultural realities. This year’s conversation focused on the topic of fascism. Through participating in the conversation, I have a better understanding of the characteristics of fascism and a better understanding of the call of Christ to the church today.

Last month, I shared the first seven of fourteen characteristics of fascism as described by Lawrence Britt in the Spring 2003 edition of the Free Inquiry Magazine. This month I will share the second seven. As I did last month, as you read through the characteristics ask how they align or do not align with Biblical values or Jesus’ teachings. What scripture passages might speak to that characteristic? Some of these characteristics may be alluring to us, but as I was taught at Messiah College, we want Christ to be “preeminent” in all ways, as Paul says to the Corinthians, “Take eve- ry thought captive to obey Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5) An aside: just as we can evaluate the characteristics of “fascism,” one could do the same with capitalism, nationalism, socialism, materialism, communism, etc. This can and ought to be done with an “ism” that seeks to usurp the Lordship of Christ in our lives.

The first seven characteristics were: Powerful and continuing nationalism, disdain for the recognition of human rights, identification of enemies / scapegoats as a unifying cause, supremacy of the military, rampant sexism, con- trolled mass media, and obsession with national security.

Here are the last seven characteristics. What Bible passages come to mind as you read them?

• ?  Religion and Government are Intertwined: Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common reli- gion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology are common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government’s policies or actions.
• ?  Corporate Power is Protected: The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and pow- er elite.
• ?  Labor Power is Suppressed: Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist govern- ment, labor unions are either eliminated entirely or are severely suppressed.
• ?  Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher edu- cation and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
• ?  Obsession with Crime and Punishment Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forgo civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
• ?  Rampant Cronyism and Corruption Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and asso- ciates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even stolen by government leaders.
• ?  Fraudulent Elections Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are ma- nipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.These Bible references came to mind for me:

• ?  When I hear of people wanting to intertwine government and religion, I think of Jesus’ words in Mark 12:17,“Give to Caesar what is Caesar and to God what is God’s.” I think of our Baptist belief of soul liberty and the sep-aration of church and state.
• ?  When I think of corporate power being protected and labor power being suppressed, I think of Jesus’ words inLuke 10:7 that “the laborer deserves his wages.” I think of Jesus’ words and the words of the prophets who con-demned the exploitation of workers.
• ?  When people are hostile to learning, I think of Jesus’ invitation to be as “wise as serpents and as innocent asdoves” (Matthew 10:16) and the apostle Paul’s missionary strategies in the book of Acts.
• ?  I think of Jesus’ words and the Biblical call to forgiveness, mercy, and compassion when individuals are ob- sessed with “crime and punishment.”
• ?  I think of all the Proverbs that exhort the reader to have “fair weights and balances” when it comes to corruption.
• ?  Lastly, I think of Paul’s words to “put away falsehoods and speak truthfully to one’s neighbor” when I thinkabout “fraudulent elections.”Earlier I mentioned Messiah College’s (now University) motto “Christ Preeminent.” This motto points to that community’s full, rich shared understanding of Jesus Christ and how the Christian faith is relevant to every dimen- sion of life. As you seek to practice your Christian faith, I encourage you to make it relevant to every dimension of life. Let’s invite Jesus to be “Lord of all areas of our lives.”
• Pastor David