As a native Tennessean, I always rooted for the University of Kentucky Wildcats -- all the way back to REX CHAMPMAN (56) -- because they were a winning program. I moved to Louisville, Kentucky the same year TUBBY SMITH (72) led the Wildcats to the NCAA men's basketball championship in his first season as head coach.
The historical significance of a black coach (Smith is an African-American) leading a legendary sports program with a sketchy record on race relations to the pinnacle of success cannot be overstated.
So, you must understand my surprise when my friend REGGIE, who was born and raised here, didn't think much of Smith's accomplishment or the team. Now, for those of you unfamiliar with this neck of the woods, Kentucky is a basketball state divided between Cardinal red and Wildcat blue. Still... this was a black man. This was huge.
"Yeah... you know Urb," Reggie began, with feigned exasperation. "I start out every year trying to show love for the Cats, but all it takes is just one [pejorative for poor white people I can't remember] to say something [that rubs him the wrong way] and it's over. It's over for Tubby -- and them five ni**as on the floor!"
Reggie ain't just whistling Dixie. Tubby Smith was never fully-embraced by the Bluegrass faithful despite a 263–83 record. [Editor's note: Don't judge Wildcat fans too harshly. The University of Louisville has never been a bastion of diversity, equity and inclusion.]
Kentucky sports is very similar to our American political system, which is also dominated by fanatics of red (Republican) and blue (Democrat) institutions, and is just as racially polarized.
Democratic congresswoman MAXINE WATERS (85) said she would "never ever forgive" African-American voters (overwhelmingly straight Black men) who even contemplated voting for President DONALD TRUMP (77) in the 2020 presidential election. She even accused black Trump supporters of cutting off Madea's social security check.
“The divisiveness that this deplorable human being [Trump] has caused," Waters said in an interview with SiriusXM host JOE MADISON (74). "The confrontation, the dog whistling to the right wing, the white supremacists, the KKK, and they’re coming alive. They’re emboldened because they’ve got a leader who wants them to do it.”
Once again... Ms. Maxine ain't just pulling stuff out of the air.
Republicans say they want to reach out to African-American voters, who they often criticize as being on the "DNC plantation," but many members of the GOP's hardcore white base "don't really like people of color," says JOHNNY WATSON, who serves as chairman for the Colorado Black Civic Engagement Commission.
Watson, who was a member of the Republican Party until the election of Trump, now identifies as unaffiliated, but he remains conservative.
So, the question is this:
Where can African-American conservatives, particularly straight black men, find political representation?
Is Christian nationalism the solution?
WHAT IS CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM?
Religious nationalism can be loosely defined as patriotism as a religion or the politicization of religion. Christian nationalism is a type of religious nationalism that is affiliated with Christianity.
Christian nationalists are primally concerned about the internal politics of society, such as legislating civil and criminal laws that reflect their view of Christianity and the role of the Bible in American political and social life.
For most traditional African-Americans, especially those in the Midwest and South, that sounds about right.
But almost right is still wrong. To me, it sounds good in theory, but not in practice. It's not dissimilar to the alliance of church and state that took place after the fall of the western Roman empire. That was called the "dark ages."
"White Christian Nationalism," its defenders claim, is a specific term of derision used by the Left to conjure up images of hooded night riders and German storm troopers.
Pastor VODDIE BAUCHAM (55), a self-described adherent of gospel patriarchy and a supporter of the stay-at-home daughter movement, says the name "White Christian Nationalist" originated from the "woke mob."
What Liberals Mean By "White" Christian Nationalism
Just like Trump, Christian nationalism has a strong appeal for heterosexual Christian black men in America, who have been vilified at every turn and labeled as the "white people of the black community" by LGBTQ+ activists.
African-Americans leery of being attacked by Black feminists, like columnist DAMON YOUNG (45), might opt to become "Black" Christian Nationalists to distinguish themselves from their Caucasian compatriots, but that just puts them in the same trick bag they were in as "Black Republicans," which is how we got here in the first place.
For now, the jury is still out on Christian nationalism, black or white, but here's one thing that's for certain:
The Kingdom of Heaven won't be about red fightin' blue.
And we can all thank God for that.
URBAN WARHOL is an African-American scholar, author and social historian who has analyzed race relations in the United States for two decades. He has written for various publications and is currently the editorial director for NEGRO DIGEST ™ magazine. | Send news tips to info@negrodigest.com | Post Your Comments Here