A Better Dream for America

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About a month ago, I received an email from William He asking if I’d like to give an invocation for an event called The Dream for America Democracy Summit. It would be held here in Austin on the University of Texas campus and would feature speakers (in person and via video) like Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Stacey Abrams, James Talarico, and many more.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure if it was an opportunity I should take—I didn’t want to serve as something like a pastoral mascot, offering an opening prayer as a nod to our majority Christian country. But then I got a follow-up email from William asking if I also speak about the dangers of Christian Nationalism to the United States. I was on board immediately. I truly believe that Christian pastors like me should be the most assertive advocates against the devastating ideology of Christian Nationalism.

So on the morning of August 15th, I put on my suit (which I absolutely hate wearing), got in my car, and drove to UT to talk to a few hundred folks from all over the religious and political spectrum about the dangers of Christian Nationalism. Here is what I said:

My name is Zach Lambert. I’m the pastor a church called Restore just down the road from here. I’m the co-founder of something called the Post-Evangelical Collective and the author of Better Ways to Read the Bible: Transforming a Weapon of Harm into a Tool of Healing.

I am also someone who deeply loves this country and is worried about it’s future. Christian Nationalism is an existential threat to democracy, freedom, and to American itself. And I believe that Christian pastors like me should be the loudest voices pushing back against this harmful ideology.