LGBTQ+ Catholic Group to Host Webinar on Countering Christian Nationalism

The LGBTQIA+ Catholic organisation Dignity has announced it is collaborating with other queer Christian groups to confront what it terms the menace of white nationalist and fundamentalist religious movements. This effort includes a forthcoming webinar, "Confronting Christian Nationalism: A Faithful Response," organised by the Lavender Interfaith Collective.

Scheduled for 12 February at 7pm ET (4pm PT), the online event aims to examine the threat posed by Christian nationalism to LGBTQ communities and to highlight responses from people of faith. The session will be co-moderated by Bishop Tonyia Rawls of The Freedom Center for Social Justice in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Reverend Dr. Neil Thomas of the Cathedral of Hope UCC in Dallas, Texas.

The webinar will feature a panel of faith leaders and experts, including the Reverend Dr. Rebecca Voelkel, the Reverend Dr. Stephen G. Ray, and Dr. Heidi Beirich. According to the organisers, the discussion will draw from theology, history, and lived experience to explore how Christian nationalism distorts core religious values, replacing ideals of love, justice, and inclusion with exclusionary ideologies that marginalise LGBTIQ+ people.

Structure and Aims of the Event

The first hour will consist of a moderated panel discussion focusing on three key areas: challenging the claim that Christian nationalism represents authentic Christianity; exploring its historical roots in colonialism and its use as a weapon against LGBTIQ+ people; and creating space to highlight religious traditions centred on love, compassion, and justice.

The final half-hour will offer a practical training session led by Tahil Sharma, the Faith Work Director at the National LGBTQ+ Task Force. This segment is designed to equip participants with a deeper understanding of the intersections between faith, power, and identity, and to provide tools for engaging in what is described as "faithful resistance and radical inclusion."

Dignity and its partners frame the webinar as a timely opportunity for learning and reflection, intended to help faith leaders and communities respond with courage and clarity to a movement they say manifests in legislation, education, and religious rhetoric