01/19/2026
It’s time to share some thoughts about what my experience of the Christian faith has to say about identity politics. That term, identity politics, is used differently by different people. But whether you use this term or not, it impacts you on a daily basis. Identity politics involves valuing the perspectives of a particular group. The NAACP and Society of Hispanic Engineers, when advocating for change, would be examples of identity politics.
In my many years as a pastor, I have experienced many people trying to get our communities to a really good place, but disagreeing about how to get there. For example, at a prior church I began to really get to know a man (let’s call him Bill) with very strong feelings about how to end racism. He believed that racism was largely a thing of the past in the United States. We had a black president, after all, and all this discussion about racism was only helping us to remain stuck. In his view, the phrase was “all lives matter.” That was a uniting slogan, not a slogan that divided people. He disliked things like women’s history month. He also disliked holidays like Juneteenth and despised Indigenous Peoples Day as an alternative to Columbus Day. While he was still willing to admit that we had work to do in our community, he genuinely believed that division based along race, gender, or cultural lines, simply retrenched the divisions. Bill was a good man but we disagreed on the most effective way to improve our community.
After being reappointed to a new church, we did not continue our conversations. But I have no doubt that Bill would completely support the changes brought by a new federal administration, in terms of no longer recognizing our struggles for full equity. He would have supported the Department of Defense removing all references to racial struggle and the changing role of women in the military. He would have cheered the removal of a portrait wall of exclusively female scientist which celebrated their exceptional contributions at the NSA Museum. Why not a more diverse wall of portraits?
For folks like Bill, I have never found it helpful to get into an argument and try to change his mind. I have come to learn that folks make their decisions for emotional reasons and use logic to support their decision. When a person‘s heart is changed, the reasons for the prior view begin to dissolve rapidly. If I were still in a relationship with Bill, here’s what I might share as his pastor:
As Christians, we would not recognize our faith if not marked by remembrance. About half of our holy texts review the story of the Israelites.  We remember and celebrate their deliverance from slavery with Passover, a high holy day in the eyes of all Jewish people. We remember their struggle to live as God encouraged them to live, including the arrival of the prophets who encouraged their leaders to lead at a higher standard. With the arrival of Jesus, we hear his messages as being very distinct for different groups of people. His message for poor folks was very different than his messages for the wealthy Saducees. While he had special love for his own community, he was also quick to elevate people of other cultures and traditions. Who can forget the good Samaritan?
To this day, we remember and retell the stories of Christian persecution by reviewing the lives of the martyrs, including the first martyr, Saint Steven. (I have particular connection with that guy, for obvious reasons!) Even our denominations recall stories of struggle and success. While I am not Jewish, I still study the struggle of the Jewish people. In their story, I am inspired and find my own story that looks to end oppression in all of its forms, something we promise at our baptism.
Any healthy culture or tradition looks honestly at its past and learns lessons. And sometimes it is even easier to look at and learn from lessons from another tradition, one intertwined with mine.
My ancestors did not arrive in this nation on the Mayflower, nor did they arrive on a slave ship. On my father’s side, I come from coal miners who came from the old country to scratch out a living below the ground, exploited by the mining company. The wealthy owners kept their workers very poor and unable to find new work once they were dropped in those tiny coal towns. On my mom‘s side, my grandfather came from Spain to help build the Panama Canal, a project when workers were dropping like flies from disease and industrial accidents. After my Papa’s cousin died in a work accident, a local priest helped him to find work elsewhere and he came through Ellis Island, settling in New Jersey and working for the priests. My family’s history has been marked by struggle, and we still remember the people who helped us to get through challenges.
I strongly believe that our own personal and our collective histories can teach us lessons. Reverend King famously said, “The arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” It is important to remember struggle, both our own and the struggles of other persons and groups. Yes, I agree with Bill that as a nation we are all in this together. But it’s also true that together we can learn our history, both our heroes and our villains. It helps us to decide what kind of people we’d like to be. This is why it is so important to have days of remembrance, a day like today.  For me, trying to hide our nation’s history of struggle, learning lessons and becoming, is akin to tearing out most of the Bible. We grow in wisdom and knowledge when we remember where we’ve been.
