As Christmas approaches, a leader in Tulsa’s religious community is urging more moderate Christians to oppose faith-based extremism, including legislation that isn’t compassionate.
Gary Peluso-Verdend is an executive director at Tulsa’s Phillips Theological Seminary, which has been around Oklahoma in some form for more than 100 years. Peluso-Verdend says extremism doesn’t go away on its own and those with influence — especially in evangelical circles — must continuously denounce violence.
“I know it’s more dangerous, but it’s also more necessary in some ways for those who are giving leadership in evangelical churches. What the surveys show is that it’s their congregates who most tend to be drawn to the kinds of conspiracy theories that feed extremism. Not that that’s absent in Roman Catholicism or mainline Protestantism, but the stance is more prevalent in evangelical churches.
I say it’s more dangerous because pastors are being ejected by congregations if they speak out at all against extremism. It’s seen as disloyalty to a particular partisan position or disloyalty to the country. Pastors are losing their jobs,” said Peluso-Verdend.
Religious leaders are also considering quitting, according to a research group. In March, Barna, which bills itself as a leading research organization focused on faith and culture, said 42% of Protestant pastors in the U.S. have considered leaving full-time ministry. 38% gave political division as the reason.
In September, The New York Timesprofiled a Fort Smith, Arkansas pastor, Kevin Thompson, who became alienated from his congregation after writing online in 2016 that he wouldn’t vote for Donald Trump.
“Many who thought Bill Clinton was the Antichrist now campaign for a man who would make Bill Clinton blush,” Thompson wrote. Clinton was the governor of Arkansas where Thompson grew up before becoming U.S. president.
Thompson also authored a post entitled “Why Our Church Says Black Lives Matter,” sparking comments about his pursuit of a "leftist agenda." Thompson finally decided to leave Arkansas after some congregates became suspicious when he mentioned Tom Hanks in a sermon. A QAnon conspiracy theory holds that Hanks is part of a pedophile ring.
Even so, Peluso-Verdend said heads of congregations and others with influence shouldn't shy away from challenging messages.
“During the time when there have been terrorist attacks in the world or in our own country, especially in 2001, Christian leaders criticized Muslim leaders all the time, saying, ‘Even though you say you stand for peace, you are not speaking out enough against extremism.’ I’m going to turn that criticism around and say our Christian leaders have not been speaking out enough against extremism.”
Peluso-Verdend said it’s not just religious leaders who should “stop being quiet,” but churchgoers, as well. He said if people aren’t satisfied with what they’re hearing from the pulpit, they should think about finding a new place of worship.
“What’s the message you’re hearing when you’re in church? Is the message fundamentally one of love and inclusion and justice? Or is it one of exclusion, and we’re united in who we hate?”
Peluso-Verdend said faithful Tulsans must also ask themselves if they’re supporting compassionate legislation, going on to call abortion without exceptions a product of minority rule.
“Especially at Christmas, it seems like an opportune time to remind people of what the Christian message is. And I’m gonna refer now to that very famous scene from A Charlie Brown Christmas when Linus comes out center stage to cite the Christmas story as told in Luke’s gospel in response to Charlie Brown’s question, ‘Does anybody really know what Christmas is?’
I want you to imagine for a moment Linus standing there with body armor on and an AR-15 strung by a strap across his back. Anyone imagining that would say, ‘That’s not right.’ That version of Christianity is not Christianity. It’s not the message of Jesus.”
Oral Roberts University didn't respond to questions for this article. Multiple churches in Tulsa likewise didn't answer.
