Source: Triad City Beat
From the beginning, this presidential election season has been contentious. And unfortunately, it is only heating up.
With less than three months until Election Day, organizations across North Carolina are thinking outside the box to get folks fired up to vote.
Since Aug. 3, Down Home North Carolina has been working with the North Carolina Council of Churches and many interfaith organizations to bring an event series called Revival Reimagined to several parts of the state.
The purpose of this series is to combat Christian nationalism and to empower those with progressive faith values to get involved this election season.
So what is Christian nationalism?
In the past few months, this term has been used quite frequently. It is an ideology centered around the idea that the United States of America is a Christian nation that was founded as a Christian nation, and therefore should be a Christian nation today, and in the future.
At each Revival Reimagined event, speakers (who are often pastors, local organizers and activists) warn attendees about the dangers of Christian nationalism and uplift the underlying issues that are on the ballot this fall. Also, there is food, music, fellowship, and other activities.
Reverend CJ Brinson, who is spearheading this movement, told Triad City Beat, that this series is modeled after the Great Awakening revivals of the 1700s that have continued to pop up through the mid-20th century. However, the key difference is that the Revival Reimagined series uplifts a broad range of issues like race, gender, sexuality, and reproductive health, which would not have been elevated in those revivals in the past.
Rev. Brinson hopes the revival series will give religious citizens more progressive options at the polls.
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If you would like to attend or be a part of this event, sign up here for the next revival on Sept. 7 in Wilson.