WTL Conversations [S3E16]: On History and Hope--My Conversation at the American Cathedral in Paris with Greg Garrett
PLUS, Final days of December book offer--buy a book, get a discounted subscription
Dear #WhiteTooLong Readers,
I’ve just wrapped my final speaking responsibilities for the fall book tour, with two events at the American Cathedral in Paris. Many thanks to my good friend Greg Garrett—theologian in residence at the American Cathedral and author of the important book, The Gospel According to James Baldwin—for hosting me, feeding me, and showing me around Paris. I want also to thank the Very Rev. James Harlan, Dean and Rector of the American Cathedral, for leading a very engaging conversation with Greg and me, where we talked about what our books have to say about the current challenges facing the U.S. and American churches. You can view that conversation below.
Before getting to that, I want to draw attention, once again, to the baldly fascist rhetoric that Trump is increasingly using at his campaign rallies. At a rally in New Hampshire on December 16, Trump once again asserted that immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country.” And as he did previously, Trump doubled down on these comments on a rambling, half-coherent Truth Social post on Saturday:
They’re poisoning the blood of our country. That’s what they’ve done. They poison mental institutions and prisons all over the world, not just in South America, not just to three or four countries that we think about, but all over the world. They’re coming into our country from Africa, from Asia, all over the world.”
In a previous newsletter, I drew attention to his use of that phrase, along with references to political enemies as “vermin,” noting that “what we are hearing from Trump over the last few weeks are not Nazi-like statements, but outright Nazi sentiments.”
Now it seems that these dehumanizing words will become a regular talking point in Trump’s anti-democratic arsenal. Here was my attempt to sound the alarm about Trump’s deployment of Nazi ideology:
Trump’s most recent comments should jar us back to our senses. They signal something new, even for Trump—that he has now fully embraced the rhetoric and strategies of the Nazis. If we care about democracy and the safety of all of our neighbors and fellow citizens, we can’t dismiss these comments as typical bluster or with a wave of the hand because “Trump is just being Trump.”
ICYMI, I’m reposting it here:
As Trump continues to spew such hatred, and with so much violence in Israel/Palestine, Ukraine, and elsewhere, it has been hard for me to experience the spirit of Advent this year. But it was good last week to be in the company of a Christian congregation that is struggling to reckon with the legacy of white supremacy among us and working to find ways to repair the damage. I’m sharing our conversation together below. And my family and I are looking forward to joining them in their beautiful space for Christmas Eve services. Here’s what it looked like earlier this week for their “Lessons and Carols” service.
Wishing everyone a peaceful holiday season.
In hope,
Robby
My Conversation at the American Cathedral in Paris with Greg Garrett and the Very Rev. James Harlan
Description of the Conversation:
Join Cathedral Dean James Harlan for a conversation with the authors of two acclaimed new books wrestling with questions of race and justice. Dr. Robert P. Jones, author of the New York Times bestselling The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy, is the Founder and President of PRRI (the Public Religion Research Institute). Dr. Greg Garrett is the author of The Gospel according to James Baldwin, the Carole McDaniel Hanks Professor of Literature and Culture at Baylor University in Texas, and a longtime visiting theologian at the American Cathedral in Paris. Drs. Jones and Garrett regularly engage in conversation on racism, religion, and white Christian nationalism, but the American Cathedral is delighted to co-host with the American Church in Paris their first conversation together outside of the States, generously sponsored by Baylor University and the Baugh Family Foundation.
DECEMBER DISCOUNT OFFER:
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This gift-giving season, an exclusive offer for #WhiteTooLong readers—Buy The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy during the month of December and receive a discounted paid annual subscription to #WhiteTooLong (for you or a friend).
Here’s the deal.
SINGLE BOOK OFFER. If you purchase one copy of my new book, The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future, during the month of December, you will get 50% off a paid annual subscription (a $35 value) for yourself or a friend.
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HOW IT WORKS: We’ll do this on the honor system. Just send me an email at robertpjones.substack@gmail.com confirming you’ve purchased the book (hardcover, audiobook, or ebook) between 12/1/2023 and 12/31/2023, along with who should receive the discount (you or a friend) and I’ll send you a link to receive the discounted or complementary subscription.