Refusing to cede this story to the Christian Right

I grew up deep in Mennonite (aka liberal Peace and Justice Christian) community, where I was nourished and supported in so many ways. I was politicized by youth group leaders taking us to giant demonstrations protesting the war in Iraq, and encouraged to be a leader in my commitment to peace and justice, which was so shaped by the radical Anabaptist peace theology I was steeped in.

As a young adult, however, I moved away from the church. I had spent years as a young person nudging the church spaces I was in to do better as it related to racial justice, celebrating queer folks, ecological commitments and more. I was tired of the disappointments. I was deeply aware of how the church was perpetuating harm against so many, including me (a young queer person, not yet out of the closet).

I needed space.

But all along I’ve longed for many aspects of the church communities I left behind, something that I know can surface for many during the holidays especially, with reminders of both the pain and comfort that comes with Christian tradition.

So, I want to share with you what’s been stirring for me in the past several years: how I’ve been finding my way back. And on my own terms.

Something clicked for me when I realized that turning away from the Christian lineage I grew up with, distancing myself from that which I find distasteful, is ceding the story of faith to the Christian Right.

Alternatively, what if I could reclaim this lineage as a politicizing force, a catalyst for confronting oppression and declaring liberation?

In groups like Mennonite Action (folks organizing for Palestinian liberation within this particular Christian Denomination), I am held in community and taking action against the very systems of domination and violence that pushed me away from church and have poisoned the church from within.

As I watched with horror the violence that escalated in Palestine in October 2023, I began organizing for a Ceasefire in my community and quickly learned about Mennonite Action. It’s served as a container for me, for activating the Christian story as a liberatory force, ever since.

This is a time to raise our voices in song, in prayer, in ritual and action and resistance.

As growing Christian Nationalism fuels countless forms of violence, from the ongoing Genocide in Gaza to the rise of fascism in the United States, it feels increasingly urgent and necessary to reclaim this story and lineage of Christianity on our own terms - as one of radically inclusive justice, one that invites us to be deeply connected to land and all beings, one of collective liberation.

The other thread that’s allowed me personally to reckon with the blessings and the burdens of Christianity over the past several years has been cofacilitating Weaving New Ritual: a year long community of practice for White folks of Christian lineage to reclaim ritual fluency.

Grappling with the harms caused by both Christianity and Whiteness, we have been asking ourselves the question: what ritual is needed now in service of our political commitments?

Regardless of your background or identity, I invite you to ask this same question:

In this season of ritual, what muscles must we develop to show up for Palestinians, and for our immigrant neighbors, for ourselves and for each other?

May we all explore these questions individually and together, in pursuit of healing, reclamation and collective liberation.

And if you are longing for more community in which to explore these questions, and to be in the weaving of new ritual to meet this political moment, consider joining us for Weaving New Ritual as part of our 2026 cohort!