For many in Russia and the collective West, it is a matter of perspective. For us, in Ukraine, the perspectives of the collective West and Russia have the color… The color of the blood of killed and murdered and tortured and raped people in Ukraine and other ‘locations’… in the name of the Values is… red… like those in Russia and the collective West… I beg you to think about it… The color of our blood is red… and it is not at all about perspectives… it is about life and Death… real Death… not romantic one…
The Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement and the Russian World ideology, to be understood as a “Make Russia Great Again” mentality, share striking similarities in their approach to traditional Christian values. Both ideologies claim to uphold these values, but they often prioritize them over human life’s inherent worth and dignity… This distorted understanding of Christian values leads to the dehumanization and depersonalization of individuals, ultimately justifying violence and oppression in the name of preserving tradition…
As theologian Miroslav Volf notes, “The greatest threat to faith today is not hedonism, but distortions of faith itself” (Exclusion and Embrace, 1996). Both MAGA and Russian World ideology exemplify this distortion by using Christian language and symbolism to advance nationalistic and authoritarian agendas. They selectively emphasize specific traditional values, such as heteronormative family structures and conservative social norms, while disregarding the core Christian tenets of love, compassion, and respect for all people…
This distorted understanding of Christian values has led to horrific consequences, particularly in the context of Russian aggression against Ukraine. Ukrainian theologian Cyril Hovorun observes, “The Russian World ideology is a heresy that sacralizes violence and imperialism” (Political Orthodoxies, 2018). Under the guise of defending traditional values, the Russian state has waged a brutal war that has claimed countless lives and caused immense suffering. The MAGA movement, while not directly engaged in armed conflict, has also promoted policies and rhetoric that dehumanize and marginalize vulnerable populations, such as immigrants and racial minorities…
The prioritization of abstract values over human life is antithetical to the true and valid message of the Gospel. The Kingdom of God is not about imposing a set of rigid, depersonalized values but rather about restoring broken relationships and affirming the inherent dignity of every human being… Christian ethicist Stanley Hauerwas argues that “the task of the Church is to be the Church, to be a people who have been formed by a story that provides an alternative to the world’s story” (A Community of Character, 1981). This alternative story is about radical love, self-sacrifice, and solidarity with the oppressed… not with the aggressors! It stands in stark contrast to the narratives of Christian nationalism, exclusion, and violence promoted by MAGA and Russian World ideology…
The Incarnation is the ultimate testament to God’s love for humanity. As Jürgen Moltmann writes, “In Christ, God does not remain ‘enthroned above’ in sublime indifference; he humbles Himself and takes upon Himself the eternal death of the godless and the godforsaken” (The Crucified God, 1974). Jesus became human not to exalt abstract values but to restore the broken relationship between God and humanity… It is the foundation of the Mission that has not changed, friends… His life, death, and resurrection demonstrate that the way of the Kingdom is not one of power, domination, aggression, and murder… but of self-giving love and solidarity with the suffering… And our Mission has not changed…
The MAGA movement and Russian World ideology represent a distortion of Christian values that prioritizes tradition over human life… You may comfort yourself that it is not your life… However, it is about our life… that has the same color of blood… red… Its depersonalized and dehumanized understanding of faith has led to violence, oppression, and the erosion of human dignity… As followers of Christ, we are called to resist these distortions and bear witness to the true message of the Gospel – one that affirms the inherent worth of every person and seeks to build a world of justice, compassion, and peace regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, and language…
In the words of St. Oscar Romero, “The Church must suffer for speaking the truth, for pointing out sin, for uprooting sin. No one wants to have a sore spot touched, and therefore, a society with so many sores twitches when someone dares to touch it and say: ‘You have to treat that. You have to get rid of that’” (The Violence of Love, 2004)… Yes, the Church must suffer for speaking the truth…
As the Body of Christ, we must have the courage to confront the false ideologies of our time and proclaim the radical, life-giving message of the Kingdom of God… Our Missio has not changed…
—
Taras Dyatlik, Ukraine
777 days of the ongoing full-scale war of Russia against Ukraine to make Russia great again and to protect so-called traditional Christian values which demand that our lives have no value… for MAGA… for MRGA…. Peace be with you and keep your children away from the war…
Resources:
- “America has a simple ideology”: how one of Russia’s top US experts tries to explain America (https://www.vox.com/2015/5/4/8535963/russia-putin-america)
- MAGA movement: United States political movement (https://www.britannica.com/topic/MAGA-movement)
- PUTIN’S ASYMMETRIC ASSAULT ON DEMOCRACY IN RUSSIA AND EUROPE: IMPLICATIONS FOR U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY (https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CPRT-115SPRT28110/html/CPRT-115SPRT28110.htm)
- The unexpected relationship between U.S. evangelicals and Russian Orthodox (https://www.christiancentury.org/article/features/unexpected-relationship-between-us-evangelicals-and-russian-orthodox)
- The Unexpected Theologian: The Rise of Religious Messaging in Putin’s Re-making of Russian State Identity (https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Wild-Blue-Yonder/Articles/Article-Display/Article/3511835/the-unexpected-theologian-the-rise-of-religious-messaging-in-putins-re-making-o/)
- Trumputin: Disturbing parallels between Trump and Putin (https://macleans.ca/facebook-instant-articles/trumputin-the-disturbing-parallels-between-donald-trump-and-vladimir-putin)
- United States and Russia (https://kennedy.byu.edu/alumni/bridges/features/united-states-and-russia)
- Why America’s Far Right and Far Left Have Aligned Against Helping Ukraine (https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/07/04/us-politics-ukraine-russia-far-right-left-progressive-horseshoe-theory/)
- Why the MAGA Movement Loves Putin (https://www.messageboxnews.com/p/why-the-maga-movement-loves-putin)
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