Fearful of the future
Bannon appointment has religious leaders ‘bracing for a car crash’
The days after the election have been tense and wracked with uncertainty for some minority communities, including those in the Fort Worth area, which have kept a wary eye on an unnerving spike in racial and anti-Semitic-inspired incidents around the country.
Hate group watchdog Southern Poverty Law Center has collected almost 450 reports of “hateful intimidation and harassment” incidents across the nation between Nov. 9 and Nov. 14.
The instances of retaliation come from supporters of both President-elect Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, but a diverse group of religious leaders in Fort Worth are especially concerned about the appointment of Steve Bannon, a media mogul and leader in the alt-right movement, as Trump’s chief strategist and senior counsel.
They are lock-step in taking Bannon’s job title literally, and they expect the self-described “Leninist” to steer Trump toward anti-immigrant and anti-minority policies. These religious leaders said they believe Bannon can be a danger to civility, that his influence inside the White House could silently empower the alt-right’s rising clan of white nationalists to incite a racial upheaval that threatens to induce Muslims, African-Americans, Hispanics, Jews, LGBTQ and all minorities into a life of fear in their own communities.
Aside from issuing a quick, “stop it,” during his 60 Minutes interview last Sunday, Trump has not condemned the rise in hate-fueled behavior.
“There is bracing, like you’re bracing for a car crash, and that’s really what it is,” said Michael Bell, the longtime Fort Worth pastor at Greater Saint Stephen First Church, describing a “nervous lull” consuming his African-American congregants during this presidential transitional period.
The term alternative right — or alt right — was coined by Dallas native Richard Spencer, 38, a leader of the movement, who told the Dallas Morning News that Trump’s election was “one of the greatest moments of my life.”
Bannon was the Breitbart News chief before joining Trump’s campaign as lead strategist in August. He provided a glimpse behind the curtain in a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter: “Darkness is good. Dick Cheney. Darth Vader. Satan. That’s power. ... Like (Andrew) Jackson’s populism, we’re going to build an entirely new political movement.”
Religious leaders in are quick to differentiate the majority of Trump supporters — who they believe downplayed the racial underpinnings of the campaign for issues such as the Supreme Court, taxes or job creation — from a deviant minority bent on turning back America’s cultural clock.
But they also say they fear a future of racial intimidation, especially with the appointment of Bannon to a Cabinet position equal to Chief of Staff Reince Priebus.
For religious leaders of mostly minority congregations, they say speaking out against Bannon is an act of self-preservation. ‘Pretty much on edge’
Many local church leaders who preside over mostly white or exclusively white congregations declined requests to discuss Bannon, or responded by email that the church had no statement or opinion on the appointment.
One local pastor who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the election within his congregation, said it is an emotional time for pastors and their members: “Things are pretty much on edge and every little thing becomes a potential deal-breaker between members and the congregation they serve, and clergy and the congregations they serve; just lots of disagreement and difficulty really talking about it in a healthy way.”
Another pastor who requested anonymity for the same reason said he believes many white church leaders are withholding judgment of Bannon to give him an opportunity to distance himself from Breitbart. com, the sharp-tongued website that espouses alternative views and is denounced by critics for pushing over-the-top populism and race-baiting.
The pastor said piling on Bannon now is unfair and incendiary.
Senior Minister Tom Plumbley of First Christian Church, an old Fort Worth church that predates the Civil War, disagrees. He’s digested enough of Bannon’s past to publicly rebuke his high-level appointment.
“Most of what we’ve heard about him has been about the website he made his fame off is really one that caters to some of the baser instincts within us, and doesn’t seem to try very hard to help us to rise above some of those parts of ourselves,” Plumbley said. “Putting Bannon in this position brings what we have thought was a real fringe element and a fringe philosophy into the mainstream, and indeed into the halls of the White House itself. It seems that doesn’t bode well for the decisions that the new President is going to make if he has this kind of voice in his ear all of the time.”
Bob Roberts, pastor of Northwood Church in Keller, a Southern Baptist congregation that has reached out in the past to other faiths, including Muslims, called on Trump to promote hope over fear.
“We have real racial and religious challenges in the U.S.,” Roberts said. “Trump says he wants to heal it. It’s critical that his appointees reflect people who are known as connectors and reconcilers, not those that would further divide us.”
Mike Lowry, Bishop of the Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, which includes Tarrant County, said: “We share a concern and a hope that all officials in the incoming Trump administration would reject racism, misogyny and hatred of others in any form. The appointment of Steve Bannon gives me cause for deep concern.” ‘Do not be afraid’
Imam Moujahed Bakhach, a Fort Worth resident of more than 30 years and the former head of the Islamic Association of Tarrant County, said Muslims are coming to him increasingly concerned that they will be targets of right-wing violence.
“They have asked, should I change my name, should I take my scarf off?” Bakhach said. “I have encouraged Muslims to be proud of your faith, to be proud of your family. You are American and this is a nation of justice and fairness; do not be afraid.”
Bell said his phone has not stopped ringing. AfricanAmericans, he said, are afraid of what’s to come.
“In our community there’s a nervousness. I’ve heard people say they can’t eat, can’t sleep,” Bell said. “There’s that kind of sense as if everything is moving in slow motion, but toward something that’s even worse. And Steve Bannon’s appointment is consistent with everything we’ve seen. The expectation is hoping for the best, but really preparing for the worst.”
Plumbley also fears that “we’re in for some rough waters,” and he said it’s why he chose to speak out. He said when church leaders sit silently at moments such as this, their silence also serves as a political statement.
“(I’m) standing up for these values because I think on these things we can say, thus said the Lord, thou shalt not be a racist and so forth,” Plumbley said. “We can stand up for that and still not be saying that everybody who voted for Trump is a racist, or everybody who voted for Trump is a misogynist. There were tons of reasons for people to vote the way they did.
“But we can’t just run away from anything that might be controversial.”