We the Resistance

By Seiji Yamashita

In 2015 I began to think about the unique problem Christians faced when confronted with a political and social reality that was discomforting and often frightening. When Donald Trump won the 2016 election the Resist movement that sprouted in the wake of his presidential victory caused me ask again what it means to be a Christian in this country. I have come to the conclusion that Christianity was made to resist.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Dec 28, 2015
• ISBN: 9781329791589

Seiji Yamashita

I've traveled all over the place and tried to learn a lot, but the only thing of which I am certain, is that I am the pen, the instrument, and not the author.

Book preview

We the Resistance

We, The Resistance

A view from the Christian Left

Seiji Yamashita

We The Resistance

Copyright © 2015 by Seiji Yamashita

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing, 2015

ISBN 978-1-329-79158-9

Amor vinci Omnia

The Manifesto

In 2015 I began to think about the unique problem Christians faced when confronted with a political and social reality that was discomforting and often frightening.  It occurred to me then, that Christians need to begin re-thinking the culture wars and the outsized role those wars played in defining Christian life and virtues.  Christians desperately needed to redefine how our faith interacted with the world around us.

When Donald Trump won the 2016 election, many Christians hailed his victory as the next best thing to the second coming of Christ.  There was an expectation that President Trump would restore or perhaps impose, Christian norms on the USA (whatever that means).  However, the Resist movement that sprouted in the wake of his presidential victory caused me ask again what it means to be a Christian in this country.

What does it mean that most of my brothers and sisters don’t care about Trumps obvious character flaws?

What does it look like to be a Christian in America in 2017?

After some thought and consideration, I ended up on what many would call the wrong side of the liberal/conservative divide.  While 80% of white evangelicals voted in favor of Trump and supported him without reservation, I found my faith demanding that I align with the Resistance.  I didn’t like it to be honest, but I took great comfort from the long tradition of Christians opposing political power: Archbishop Oscar Romero, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Phillip Berrigan.  From these I began to draw a picture of what it really means to be a Christian, and what it looks like in the midst of social unrest.

It is a picture I desire to share because I believe that Christianity has always meant to be aligned with the minority, the marginalized, and the oppressed.  Christianity is designed to resist.

Arise, Shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord is upon you. (Is 60:1)

Now in the following pages there will be some theology, but for the most part I am going to try and avoid spending too much time there. Theology is divisive and often creates excessive space for people to argue about nuances of truth, rather than staying focused on the important things. The occupation prohibits such pettiness. I will lay out a handful of key theological truths, and if you disagree with me, then disagree. It is ultimately unimportant if you think we are pre-trib, post-trib or in-trib, so long as you agree with me in the big things - like Jesus. If you can agree with me on Jesus, then the rest doesn't matter. (cf 2 Tim 2:14)

In defense of Resistance

I can already hear the list of verses people who disagree with me are preparing to discredit my argument.

Pray for Kings and all those in authority (1Timothy 2:2)

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human Authority (1 Peter 2:13)

An evil man seeks only rebellion (Proverbs 17:11)

All of these verses share the same basic principle at their core: God has created the heavens, the earth, and all that is within (Psalm 50:10-11; Job 38).  This includes human governments and societal structures (Romans 13:1).  But if we are to look at the passage in Romans especially, we see that it is placed between two key passages which deal with the same theme: love.

In Romans 12:9-21 Paul talks about how important it is to pay back every evil with good, and how no matter how bad things get, it is critical to continue loving.  In Romans 13:8-10 Paul says that no matter what happens if you act based on love for others and motivated by Christs love for others, then you will have already fulfilled the law.

So what do I do?  When I see the hungry I feed them, even if it is illegal.  When I see a stranger I welcome them, even if they violated immigration law.

And if I am ever arrested for standing up for the good of those around me, then I shall be arrested without fight or protest.  And if I am arrested in pursuit of the love of Christ, then I shall count it great joy to suffer for his name.

What are we fighting for?

Every generation of the church has faced some manner of crisis.  In the days of the early church it was the Emperor Nero.  Later it was the rise of Islam and the Crusades.  As I write this it is not only relativism, atheism, and therapeutic moralism but the basic denial of human dignity. 

The question to us is simple: what are we fighting for?

It’s easy to fight AGAINST something.  Pick a time, pick a place, and you’ll find something that people are fighting against.    Of course no one ever says that they’re fighting against something.  Ernesto Guevara wasn’t fighting against Capitalism he was fighting for the People.  We aren’t fighting against abortion we’re fighting for the voiceless.