Interfaith Coalition Focuses On Bringing People Together, Promoting Peace
"We're the antithesis of white Christian Nationalism," founding member Chris Rader said
The Interfaith Justice Coalition was born in response to a concerning rise in Christian nationalism in North Central Washington, say founding members.
“IJC was formed as a response to the white Christian nationalism that seems to be getting a lot of attention in the Wenatchee Valley. We’re about inclusion, not judgment or exclusion,” founding member Chris Rader said. "We're the antithesis of white Christian nationalism."
What began as a conversation in a church parking lot last year soon grew to encompass other churches and organizations in the valley that hold progressive values, Sunnyslope Church Pastor Dane Breslin said. Members of his church, Cascade Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Grace Lutheran, Faith Lutheran, St. Luke’s Episcopal, the Stone Blossom Sangha, and unaffiliated individuals began meeting monthly.
“What I heard in those early meetings was that together we could co-create a loving counter-narrative to a hate-fueled white Christian nationalism that is loud in our valley,” Breslin wrote in a text.
He said they are people of faith and conscience who want to make North Central Washington more just and more equitable for all. In his eyes, believers are called by the teachings of Jesus to actively work for the liberation of all people.
“This liberation will be formed collectively because people are power!” he wrote. “That’s why we are joining our small voice with others - we are stronger together.”
It’s not about being antagonistic toward anyone, said Reverend James Aalgaard, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Wenatchee. It’s about creating an open and safe space for those on the margins who might feel judged and bullied in their faith communities.
“Part of the effort is to let folks know that there’s an alternative way to live a life of faith,” he said. “And it doesn’t have to be bound up in the fundamentalism that we see around us.”
It’s a strain of Christian fundamentalism in which leaders are focused on controlling government, which subverts our democracy.
“That push toward effectively a theocracy is not something that we support, not at all,” Aalgaard said.
But the group is focused on more than just providing an alternative to white Christian nationalism in our region. Last weekend, IJC members attended a six-hour seminar led by academic and author Sarah Augustine at The Sunnyslope Church. Augustine is also co-host of the “Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery” podcast and the seminar was called “Decolonization for Transformation.” In it, the group delved into the intertwined history of colonialism and Christianity that led to the justification of unfathomable atrocities and crimes against humanity in the name of discovery and religious conversion.
On Feb. 8, members of the coalition met with state representatives in Olympia during “Interfaith Advocacy Day,” where they advocated for health equity for immigrants, rent stabilization, mental health resources for youth, and funding for the “Since Time Immemorial” curriculum on tribal sovereignty in state schools.
Less Tolerance For The Middle Ground
Pastor Aalgaard said his church, and the IFC, want to keep a “big umbrella” open to make sure they’re connecting with each other and the greater community. Everyone is welcome to join, “whether or not you attend religious services or identify with a faith community” the fourth draft of their brochure reads.
For Aalgaard, it’s about being open and accepting of everyone and you can’t do that when you use divisive rhetoric and vilify others. Aalgaard sees himself as a moderate and thinks most people would identify as moderates as well, but these days extreme voices tend to drown out moderate ones.
“There just seems to be less tolerance for middle-ground folk,” he said. “People who just want to embrace the sense of community and reach out to the neighbor.”
Reaching out to neighbors and promoting peace and justice is what Pastor Kelsey Eberth and New Song Community Church in East Wenatchee are about. She said their collaboration with the IJC has given them “a beautiful opportunity to love and serve” their community in tangible ways.
“We believe that when spiritual communities are vulnerable, humble, and justice-oriented, they can truly be the hope for a hurting world. I am grateful for how the IJC has valued unity over uniformity – a value on which New Song stands,” she wrote. “In the midst of religious and political polarization in our cities, it is refreshing to come together to create waves of justice that have significant impact.”
Their grassroots organization has taken shape organically and is just now going through the process of becoming outward-facing. There’s a draft brochure with a mission statement, an email address (interfaithncw@gmail.com), and they voted to approve a logo design on Sunday.
They’re also planning to participate in and host events in the future, including an event on “faith and Democracy” this fall. They plan to have a booth at Non-Profit Day at Pybus Public Market on March 23, the annual PRIDE Day event at Memorial Park, and other events throughout the year.
They don’t have a website or social media channels yet, but they collaborate with the Faith Action Network of Washington, and you can learn more about that organization and its values here.
If you’d like to get in touch with the IFC, you can email interfaithncw@gmail.com.
Refreshing. Much love to this group that seems to actually be following gospel tenants rather than amassing wealth and building enclaves.
I am so happy and encouraged about the formation of this group! Thank you for writing about them!