Venn diagrams of right-wing belief (or, Ottawa Impact is not the only problem)

 Below is my column in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune. 

There is much happening in our society right now, much of it interrelated. And it is essential for us to be clear about connections and relationships.

Yes, Christian Nationalism is on the rise, as I said in my column back in February. (If you share my concern, join the Unifying Christians event happening at the end of this month – information and tickets are online here: unifyingchristians.com/nationalism). But not all forms of right-wing belief are Christian Nationalism.

Take Ottawa Impact (OI), for instance. While some of their views are clearly Christian Nationalism, others are just wrong. Cutting millions of dollars from the Ottawa County Department of Public Health clearly has nothing to do with Christianity. Indeed, fighting against public health – even refusing to receive grants that would help people because the word “COVID” appears somewhere within them – this is clearly the opposite of Christian values, right?

The difficulty is that all of these areas are like overlapping Venn diagrams. Certain views and groups and people overlap in one area but not exactly in another. And so, it becomes difficult to put your finger on the difficulty, the concern, that is gnawing at our collective values and community consciousness.

This is happening in Grand Haven right now, and the Venn diagram illustration may be helpful. Given the toxicity associated with OI, we now have a situation where candidates run for local office, insist they are not associated with OI, but still holding concerning views. I’m speaking of City Council candidates DeAnna Lieffers and Steve Skodack.

I want to be clear. I can believe Lieffers and Skodack when they tell us they are not affiliated with OI. (It would surprise me for any smart conservative to choose to align with that group at this point.) But at the recent City Council debate, Mayor Pro-Tem Ryan Cummins raised an essential point. He noted that it is not enough to ask if someone is affiliated with OI, you must also dig into their actual ideas.

When you do that, it becomes clear that Skodack or Lieffers may not be OI candidates, but they exist in an overlapping Venn diagram of far-right conservative beliefs.

For example, when discussing the proposed charter change in the debate itself, Skodack insisted that more government doesn’t make things more efficient (a strangely anti-government view for someone who wants to serve on City Council). When you dig into his social media, the overlap becomes clearer. Skodack clearly aligns himself with Restoring Ottawa and their attempts to ban books in our schools. He reposted Ukraine conspiracy theories involving the Bidens, along with posts questioning the integrity of our last election. And he posted that he thinks welfare should be as difficult to get as veteran benefits. Why would anyone think either should be difficult to get?

To his credit, Skodack talked with me a couple times, but it didn’t make me feel much better. He decried OI in one breath and then supported the ending of grants with COVID in them with the next. When I asked him about the Pride Festival I helped lead, he suggested we should tone it down a bit next year, perhaps putting any drag shows behind closed doors. I asked if he wanted to put walls around the boardwalk, where you can see far more skin on a given summer day, and he said that was different.

Yes, because one idea is hiding people who do not fit gender stereotypes, queens who fought for the LGBTQ community and who helped start the Pride movement as we know it. The other is impossible without ending Grand Haven’s status as a beach-town destination.

Lieffers, for her part, articulated in the debate her own belief that climate change does not affect our city on a local level (a rather shocking idea in our waterfront community and one that was not, thankfully, shared by any other candidate). When you dig into her social media, it becomes even more concerning. In addition to pro-Trump posts and vaccine skeptic posts, Lieffers posted a video of someone shooting at a case of Bud Light with the caption “Kid Rock speaks for me” (likely in response to Bud Light’s brief connection with trans activist Dylan Mulvaney). How can someone post a video like that in an age of rising violence against trans people?

Sure, Skodack and Lieffers are not OI candidates, but the diagram of overlap is concerning. And you see that overlap in the current debates surrounding charter change. The fact that so many of those who support OI and their brand of “transparency” and “good governance” is one of the reasons I got involved with charter change in the first place. That’s not to say that everyone opposed to charter change supports OI, because that’s not how a Venn diagram works. The correlation, though, is noteworthy.

The correlation is also there between those who support OI and those fighting once more against two needed millage proposals that would give our kids the schools they need. I know I am not the only family who lives in Grand Haven precisely for our schools. But groups like OI and Restoring Ottawa are bent on doing whatever they can to block needed resources to our schools.

All of these things have a lot in common. They involve fear of the other, the desire to control those who do not fit within your viewpoint, and dangerous attacks on the marginalized and vulnerable.

No matter your own beliefs, I hope you’ll take the time to vote next Tuesday. But before you do, dig into the views of the candidates running for office. Read the details of questions like charter change and the public school millage proposals. And ask yourself: What choice will advance the common good of all residents, and not just protect the privilege of the few?

About the writer: The Rev. Dr. Jared C. Cramer serves as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Grand Haven. Information about his parish can be found at www.sjegh.com. The views in this column are his alone as a private citizen. They do not necessarily reflect the views of his church.

City Council, the BLP, and an investigation

 Below is my column in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune. 

This has been quite a few weeks for Grand Haven, our City Council, and the Board of Light & Power (BLP). As what happened over the past week is already being spun by the BLP and their allies, it is important to take a step back and ensure we are all clear about what became public on Thursday, Sept. 14, and the process behind it.

Before anything with the whistleblower, on Aug. 16 all City Council members were provided written attorney opinions and clear documentation of wrongdoing related to the BLP’s campaign to stop the charter amendment. This includes notification the full board received from the city attorney on Aug. 25 that they had crossed the line on election law. The City Council did not release this, but held it for consideration at a closed session on Sept. 5. At that meeting, City Council was prepared to make public the city attorney’s written opinion, but then things became more challenging.

At this closed session, the city attorney shared the news that a BLP whistleblower recently approached him with new and further allegations of misconduct by the BLP administration and board. The whistleblower claimed that the BLP attempted to delete records after a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, made false and misleading statements to employees regarding the charter amendment, attempted to avoid compliance with the Open Meetings Act, and pressured employees to sign the so-called “unanimous letter” along with pressuring them to contribute funds and distribute door signs in opposition to the charter amendment.

Based upon this new information, the city attorney suggested that council not yet release the likely violations of election law he had found, but to give time for a preliminary investigation of the new whistleblower allegations. The gravity of the allegations and the suspected involvement of both the BLP management and the board required careful attention to check their veracity.

It is important to be crystal clear that no deliberation nor voting can take place in a closed session of City Council because of the Open Meetings Act. Rather, the general and preliminary approach agreed to by the council members was to check out the whistleblower allegations and then to figure out how to handle both the original city attorney report and also the new whistleblower allegations.

On the following Sunday, Sept. 10, the alleged misconduct at Michigan State University (including the issues with how it was kept under wraps for months) hit the news. The following day, with that issue of an improper (and not impartial) investigation fresh on his mind, Mayor Pro-Tem Cummins met with the city manager to see if there was an update on the whistleblower allegations. The city attorney was brought into the discussion, and he shared an update on obtaining and reviewing records. Mayor Pro-Tem Cummins reached out to Councilmember Lowe, who noted that she shared his concerns about the need for this to be done efficiently and impartially and that the City Council needed to make that decision sooner rather than later. They began working with the city attorney on a resolution formally to move the investigation from the hands of the city to an independent party to be considered at the next meeting.

On Wednesday, a few days later, the city attorney informed Mayor Pro-Tem Cummins, Councilmember Lowe and the city manager that the sheer volume of emails provided by the whistleblower’s attorney would make a quick analysis of the material impracticable. The city attorney suggested instead a better approach would be for him to meet with the whistleblower and their attorney to get a better handle on the allegations.

After the meeting, he circled back to Mayor Pro Tem Cummins and Councilmember Lowe on their resolution, suggesting some edits given what he had learned from his investigation. With his edits included, the resolution was placed on the agenda for consideration at the next scheduled City Council meeting on Sept. 18. The city attorney also updated all of the councilmembers on what he had learned from his investigation.

The goal of the resolution considered by the City Council this past Monday was to deal in a timely and open manner with the serious whistleblower allegations, and to do so external to all the politics and personalities that had already muddled so much of the City Council-BLP relationship. Mayor Pro-Tem Cummins and Councilmember Lowe had no conversations with Mayor McNally nor with councilmembers Fritz and McLaughlin in advance as that would have constituted a violation of the Open Meetings Act. The next soonest opportunity to have a conversation with all members of the council was at their next meeting. On Thursday afternoon, when making the council aware of what he learned during his investigation, the city attorney did share a copy of the resolution with all of council prior to the meeting packet going out.

At the City Council meeting on Sept. 18, it became clear that both Mayor McNally and Councilmember Fritz were opposed to the resolution. However, they gave different explanations for their reasoning.

The big frustration for Mayor McNally (and somewhat for Councilmember Fritz) seemed to be that this resolution was different than what was first agreed to in the closed session and that there wasn’t another meeting to change course. What they seem to miss is that nothing was technically agreed to in the closed session (remember, that would have been a violation of the Open Meetings Act) and that Monday’s City Council meeting was precisely the new meeting, the first one where they could now discuss openly and make a decision, given the results of the city attorney’s investigation thus far, regarding the best path forward.

Councilmember Fritz also said he believed that the investigation should be conducted only by the Ottawa County prosecuting attorney or the Michigan Attorney General’s Office. This, however, would have been an escalation of the steps proposed in the resolution and could have pushed the investigation out for years. The resolution considered by the council did require the city attorney to also inform the attorney general of the whistleblower allegations and of possible campaign finance or election law violations. That way her office can decide whether and how to conduct their own investigation alongside the one the city launched. But the city’s external investigation will provide answers sooner that can hopefully clear up — in an impartial manner — many of these questions we now all have.

One last point on the process. BLP allies are claiming that the City Council, by approving this resolution, did not follow the legal advice of the city attorney. That is patently false. The city attorney worked on the drafting of the resolution itself. At no point during the meeting did the city attorney advise council against passing the resolution. Quite the opposite. At the meeting, the city attorney explained to City Council the difficulty with further internal investigations.

Don’t let the spin by the BLP and their allies distract from the truth.

BLP officials were angered that the full board was not briefed on the developments by the city attorney. They even suggested they should have been allowed first to do an investigation — of themselves. This is smoke and mirrors at best, or delay and obfuscation at worst. The full board had been informed weeks ago on Aug. 25 of the city attorney’s own written report. Within a day of the city attorney’s meeting with the whistleblower, the general manager and the chairperson of the Board were informed. Why would the City Council need to wait for a full meeting of the BLP Board before investigating a whistleblower complaint against the board? Does anyone think the BLP Board should investigate its own alleged wrongdoing?

If the BLP has nothing to hide, they should welcome an investigation. They should be grateful that those on the City Council who called for one didn’t wait, they didn’t hold it as an internal matter and have the city attorney investigate it further. They didn’t schedule more meetings of the City Council or with the BLP Board to talk about it — running the risk of this all spilling out closer to Election Day. They said this needs to be investigated promptly, impartially, and as soon as possible.

The BLP officials’ real anger behind all of this is that the continued misconduct of the BLP when it comes to FOIA requests, the Open Meetings Act, and their unethical (and perhaps illegal) use of ratepayer funds and electric utility employees to sway a ballot question is all finally coming to light. The fact that they are fuming and on the attack only indicates to me that the claims of the whistleblower are likely going to be substantiated.

So, I would like to express my gratitude to the City Council members who tried their hardest to do right by the residents of Grand Haven, the whistleblower and the BLP. They refused to allow these extremely serious allegations to be kept secret from all of us who truly believe the public’s business is public. They have been met with personal attacks, which is all the more unfortunate. But perhaps we can now get to the bottom of these concerning issues and determine the best way forward.

About the writer: The Rev. Dr. Jared C. Cramer, Tribune community columnist, serves as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Grand Haven. The views in this column are his alone as a private citizen whose employer is a BLP ratepayer. They do not necessarily reflect the views of his church.

The BLP governance structure is broken; let’s fix it

Below is my article in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune. 

Last month I joined a secret cabal.

Well, I would guess some of you are sure I’m already a member of several – and it’s true, I am one of those who was waiting with bated breath for the premier of the new “Ahsoka” television show in the “Star Wars” universe … but stay with me here.

Like many of you, I’ve been tremendously disappointed with the lack of accountability and responsiveness the Board of Light & Power (BLP) has shown to the city, the ratepayers, and members of the community. A couple months ago I wrote a column about the pressing issues of climate change – one that did not even mention questions of energy generation – only to be greeted the next day by a multi-page critical email (that included personal attacks) from the BLP General Manager. I expressed confusion as to why he was writing to me with such biting criticism on a column that did not even mention his organization – particularly from his work email and clearly in his role as a municipal employee. He responded with several more pages which, I confess, I did not read.

But even I can be cranky and verbose, and so that’s not the real issue. Instead, this kind of combative behavior is symptomatic of the deeper problems with the way the BLP is governed. The fundamental role of a board is to exercise what’s known as its fiduciary duty – basically its obligation to its mission and clients or customers. This means keeping the mission at the forefront and making good decisions that fulfill that mission, using resources well, and being responsive to the community. That’s not what the BLP has chased after for several years now.

It took a grassroots movement of over 1,000 people to stand up and say no to putting a fossil- fuel burning power plant on the environmentally vulnerable Harbor Island. When contamination was found on the island – not only from its former use as a city landfill but also from half a century of coal-burning power production, BLP fought every step of the way to investigate and remediate the damage, refusing to work with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) or engage collaboratively with the city. Instead, they hired their own lawyer and public relations firm – at the cost of ratepayers’ hard spent dollars – to protect themselves instead of what truly needs protecting: the beautiful and amazing community in which we all live. When a member of our City Council sought to ensure the fragile waterfront ecosystem of our community could be protected through an amendment proposed to the Planning Commission, the BLP fought that as well.

And lest anyone think they have heard your voice and turned back from fossil-fuel based power generation, they recently renewed the permit that allows them to build on Harbor Island.

So, when I got a phone call inviting me to join the Board of Light and Power Charter Change Coalition (BLPCCC), I was curious to see what this group was – given the claims made by letters in this newspaper and at City Council meetings about back-room machinations and that this is all about trying to steal BLP money. Imagine my surprise when I found myself in a small room in a public library with around a dozen people from all ages who simply cared deeply for Grand Haven and wanted to stop the continued damage BLP is doing – damage the current governance structure has not put an end to on their own, despite their duty to the community.

And it really is – despite the nearly half a hundred thousand dollars BLP is using to fund this battle – a simple and clear question of governance. Energy management was overseen by the City Council for over 60 years before 1959, when a new coal-fired power plant was constructed and a different structure was called for. Hence, the original charter change was approved which established the BLP as we know it. But that governance structure isn’t needed anymore. The BLP doesn’t generate any power; it purchases it from the grid. It’s half the size it was when it was a power generating utility. Other city departments are the same size in our city governance and function quite well. And, no, despite the (slightly misogynistic) claims from the BLP (in an insert sent to customers) that our City Manager is not qualified to be in charge – she wouldn’t be the one running things. Instead, the City Manager would appoint a qualified director to lead the new Department of Energy. Just like she does for Public Safety. Just like she does for Public Works.

Like I said, it all comes down to governance. Originally, I thought working to get new people elected to the BLP was the way to change things. However, whereas our City Council members serve four-year terms and the mayor serves a two-year term (and thus they all have to be responsive and responsible to the people or they won’t last long), members of the BLP board serve six-year terms – meaning that when things go off the rails it takes far too long to set them right.

And when the community does elect someone to stand up and be a voice for the community – which they did when they elected Andrea Hendrick to the board – that person is met with discrimination and sexism. Though the BLP touted the Human Relations Commission as vindicating them entirely, that’s far from the case. The report itself reads, “What this investigation has determined is that there is a pattern of highly concerning behaviors not only by members of the Board of Directors but also by the administrative staff, and those behaviors have served to undermine and silence a board member who often holds a minority opinion on the board.”

This governance clearly does not serve our community well. And the grass-roots folks who are a part of BLPCCC are putting their heart and souls into protecting Grand Haven. The BLP can write checks for tens of thousands of dollars, while at our meetings we have counted the cost of copies down to a partial penny. When we were short of what we needed to get the word out, members literally offered to write a check to help get us over the finish line.

Don’t believe the BLP propaganda. Spend some time on the BLPCCC website at http://blpccc.org. So far, I’ve discovered being a part of cabal means spending two hours weekly with people who print out emails and take notes on every minutia to ensure they are doing it right. If only the BLP put as much effort into serving Grand Haven and listening to the community as this group does, we’d be in a different place entirely.

The Rev. Dr. Jared C. Cramer, Tribune community columnist, serves as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Grand Haven. Information about his parish can be found at www.sjegh.com. The views in this column are his alone as a private citizen whose employer is a BLP rate-payer. They do not necessarily reflect the views of his church.

Outside smear attacks beneath our city politics

Below is my column in today’s edition of the Grand Haven Tribune.

Residents of the Grand Haven area received an unexpected surprise over the Coast Guard weekend. As we were focused on celebrating those who serve the common good in the Coast Guard, a right-wing PAC called “Conservative Michigan” spread leaflets defaming the character of mayoral candidate Andrea Hendrick.

Ironically, one of their complaints is that Hendrick has received funding from people who are not local to Grand Haven. This is ironic because “Conservative Michigan” is based in Holton, Michigan, not Grand Haven, and so is also an outside group seeking to sway the election. Top contributors include Malinda Pego, the co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party and someone who, with Zach Lahring, caused nothing but far-right hateful havoc in Muskegon County. Pego went so far as to compare vaccine mandates to Nazi Germany.

The claims in this leaflet are beneath anyone who is truly seeking to contribute to an informed and engaged electorate. They repeat the smears of former mayor Geri McCaleb, who claimed in this paper that communication between members of those working to change the structure of the Board of Light & Power and members of our City Council are evidence of a conspiracy. Because they communicated. If these claims were valid or were, perhaps, a violation of the Open Meetings Act or any other legal standard, then they should be adjudicated in a court of law. They should not be used to smear public servants seeking to engage and communicate with constituents on a variety of issues.

Former Councilmember Denny Scott repeats his continued accusation that he was attacked personally by Hendrick, claiming she said he was poisoning our children. What did happen is that Hendrick, as a mother, expressed her deep concerns about the potential for PFAS and arsenic leaching into our drinking water due to the contamination on Harbor Island. His own approach to Harbor Island, she believed (and rightfully so, in my opinion) would lead to increased risk of contamination and health consequences for all residents of Grand Haven, including our children. (Of course, Councilmember Scott also voted against the first Pride Worship Service my church put on three years ago, so it is unsurprising he wants to find ways to attack someone like Hendrick who has explicitly supported that service and the Pride Festival this past year.)

There are some horrific claims from someone who claims to be a licensed child-care provider. And yet, this person does not show up in the LARA database as a licensed child-care provider. Furthermore, if these claims were true this person is a mandated reporter who should have reported them. To attack someone’s character as a parent, and to do it so viciously, is shameful.

It is clear that the reasons for these attacks on Hendrick is because she has been transparent and clear in her opposition to the efforts of Ottawa Impact to influence the lives and future of Ottawa County. She is transparent that she is a progressive who believes progressive policies are the approach needed for the issues facing Grand Haven in our time. But instead of engaging with her policies, they are attacking her character.

This transparency can be compared to the other mayoral candidate, Benjamin Genser, who raised the second-highest amount of funds in his mayoral campaign. Those same people attacking Hendrick have insisted that claims that Genser is associated with Ottawa Impact are smears. Genser himself has repudiated the connection. And yet, when residents of the city asked Genser for his position on a variety of issues in that same post, he did not respond. When asked about the Grand Haven Pride Festival at a local meeting, he evaded and neither condemned nor endorsed the festival. And the former child-care provider who is now slandering Andrea Hendrick has social media connections with Genser. And, despite the outrage on the flyer that Hendrick has funding from outside the city of Grand Haven, only 2 percent of the money Genser has raised in his filing came from voters who are eligible to vote in the Grand Haven mayoral election.

If you follow the money and the energy, one thing becomes very clear: Supporters of Ottawa Impact want Genser to win this election. Campaign filings reveal that one of his largest donors is Robyn Brodie, who also donated to the Ottawa Impact Education PAC and to the campaigns of Ottawa Impact candidates in other elections. The Ottawa Impact candidate who failed to win the County Commission seat in Grand Haven, Jenni Shepherd-Kelley, has posted her own support for him on social media.

And you just have to drive through town and look at the signs – see how many “Genser for Mayor” signs used to have Ottawa Impact signs. Or, even more telling, see how many yards that have the “OI” crossed out sign – standing for “against Ottawa Impact” – also have a “Genser for Mayor” sign. Call me suspicious, but it seems bizarre that many of the people insisting he is not in any way affiliated with Ottawa Impact are often those who have defended the actions of Ottawa Impact.

Full disclosure: One of Genser’s supporters asked if I’d meet with him, which I agreed to. The appointment was then canceled, and rescheduling it was delayed until after the primary.

Is Hendrick a progressive who believes in progressive solutions? Yes, and she’s not afraid to say what she believes even as her opponent equivocates. As a progressive myself, I naturally support Hendrick: because my views are also public and always tied to my own name. And if you don’t believe in progressive solutions, there are other candidates on the ballot to choose from who are willing to make their views (and financial connections) clear.

We will see who Grand Haven has to choose from after the primary election today. Regardless, my own hope is that Genser (and all other mayoral candidates) will repudiate this attack on Hendrick as beneath what mayoral politics should be in our city.

About the writer: The Rev. Dr. Jared C. Cramer, Tribune community columnist, serves as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Grand Haven. Information about his parish can be found at www.sjegh.com.

Independence Day: Time to set the planet free from our destruction

Below is my column in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune. 

The weather certainly made for a less-than-perfect weekend in the lead-up to the Fourth of July.

When the smoke from the Canadian wildfires first reached us, I was walking outside to get the mail from the day before and confused by the sweet smell in the air and the haze hanging in the air. At first, I thought it might be the smell of ozone in advance of an approaching storm. I had known, of course, of the smoke from Canada and its impact upon New York City, having seen photos and video of the haze that descended. But I hadn’t thought it had been blown in our direction as well.

However, as the news soon reported, I realized that the scent and the haze was indeed the smell of Canadian wildfires burning. I was struck by how this experience made manifest how very interconnected we truly are, no matter the boundaries of nation state. What affects one, eventually, will almost always affect us all – particularly when it comes to climate and the environment.

The wildfires are, of course, just the latest in a string of disasters and extreme weather events this year. This past January was the sixth-warmest January on record. My family had bought some new skis for the year and were looking forward to spending some time on the slopes. While we had one pretty good trip up north, anything local was far from ideal – a big blow on the winter tourism so many depend on in our state. In February, the temperatures across the country flipped between extremely cold and unusually warm.

The warmer-than-usual weather encouraged more tornado formation, with storms devastating some areas. In March, Cyclone Freddy hit Madagascar and Mozambique, lasting for more than a month, making it one of the longest-lived tropical cyclones on record, killing at least 400 people. A bomb cyclone hit California, killing two and leaving more than 100,000 without power. Hurricane-level winds affected 35 million people, resulting in the strongest March storm ever recorded in the Bay Area. Tornadoes continued, killing at least 25 people in Mississippi.

Another storm system moved through the country as we moved into April, killing at least 32 people. In fact, April 7 almost as many people had been killed by tornadoes in 2023 as are normally killed in an entire year. As April continued, we saw heat waves in Asia and the Mediterranean, with several Southeast Asian countries seeing their highest-ever recorded temperatures. In Spain and Morocco, the temperatures surpassed 101° Fahrenheit. In April.

And then, May arrived and Canada started burning. While wildfires in Canada are common in this time of year, this level of destruction in May is far from normal. Over five hundred fires have been reported, with nearly half of them burning uncontrollably – unable even to be responded to by firefighters due to location, severity, or some combination of both. A combination of record heat and drought is the cause and, with spring weather increasingly coming earlier and fall weather increasingly coming later means the wildfire season is also extending. Experts believe it is likely that this will be the most destructive wildfire season ever recorded in Canada.

At the same as the fires raged in Canada, Cyclone Mocha smashed Myanmar and Pakistan in the middle of May, killing hundreds and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. A typhoon that was later classified as a Category 4 hurricane hit Guam resulting in a state of emergency declaration from President Biden. And, as we all know, in June the smoke from the Canadian fires began blowing into the northeast of our country before moving to the South, Midwest, and West as well, resulting in air conditions which made it dangerous for some people to even venture outdoors.

An article published by the American Meteorological Society early in 2023 described the way that these extreme weather events are caused and magnified by climate change. One author of the report who is also a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Stephanie Herring, noted “Extreme heat events are more extreme than ever. Research is showing they’re likely to become the new normal in the not-so-distant future.” Increasingly extreme weather events will be compounded by two events happening at the same time, making the devastation even more profound.

At the end of my ethics course for a degree I am doing at Nonprofit Administration at the University of Notre Dame, our professor had us watch and discuss the Netflix film “Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet.” Narrated by David Attenborough, it is a painstakingly researched film that highlights the various boundaries we have broken as a society by marching through climate change without halting the destruction being wrought on our planet. The film describes the science behind the planetary stability of the past 10,000 years and how that stability has enabled the development of human civilization as we know it. However, that stability is being undone by humanity as the natural processes we depend upon are increasingly eroded.

The Fourth of July holiday we celebrated yesterday commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence. As such, it is a day that celebrates the freedom upon which our country was founded. And yet, as our planet, our neighbors, our very civilization is increasingly threatened by climate change we should be reminded about what sort of freedom we mean. There are many today who think American freedom means I can do whatever I want without thought or regard for the consequences my actions might have on others.

The Roman Catholic author Gloria Purvis reminds us that freedom is not actually doing whatever you want. Instead, she says, “Freedom is the ability to do what is good.” The human race’s refusal to be limited in the way we live is increasingly the cause of death and destruction through events linked to climate change. It makes me wonder if we need a new Declaration of Independence, a statement declaring that we are cutting the ties we have bound ourselves, ways of life that are killing the planet. It is time to ask how we can set our planet free from the ways in which we have enslaved it, used it, and thereby brought increasing destruction and degradation.

In some ways, it’s too late. By inaction over the past 30 years, we are now seeing the impact of climate change upon civilization. We must walk back from this brink. We must turn from a selfish concern for our own comfort at whatever cost. Otherwise, there won’t be much left for the generations who follow us to celebrate.

The Rev. Dr. Jared C. Cramer, Tribune community columnist, serves as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Grand Haven. Information about his parish can be found at www.sjegh.com.

The importance of drag to the Pride movement (and the health of kids)

Below is my column in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune.

As so many are working hard to prepare for Grand Haven’s first Pride Festival, I have been struck by the outpouring of support and enthusiasm. We started with a fundraising goal of $20,000 and, as of this column, we have nearly $34,000 pledged from nearly 60 businesses, organizations, and supportive individuals. Nearly 150 people have reached out wanting to volunteer, ensuring this is a safe, fun, and affirming event for everyone who wishes to attend.

While the team working on the festival knew there would be some pushback, many of us have been shocked at the tone of the pushback. Christians have shown up at City Council meetings and not only spread patently false stereotypes about LGBTQ people (most perpetrators of child abuse are straight, not gay), they have also told lies about what our festival is planning (nowhere has a parade been a part of our plan or publicity).

As a Christian myself, I grieve for how these choices adversely affect the witness for Jesus in our community. On social media, we have been subjected to constant hate speech, some of it violent. One image which has been sent to us several times is a white stick figure kicking a rainbow stick figure in the gut, usually with some profanity attached. It is sickening to see.

A good portion of the vitriol has been because of the presence of drag performers at the festival. It is here I hope I can clear up not only some misconceptions about drag, but also be very clear about why the presence of drag performers is so often a key part of any pride festival or parade.

To start, it is important to know the history behind Pride month. In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, the New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village of New York City. In this very different world over a half a century ago, this was the only bar for gay men in New York where dancing was allowed. It had no running water behind the bar and was run by the Mafia, who regularly blackmailed the wealthier customers. There was a smaller room near the back for “queens” – more effeminate men who wore makeup and teased their hair – but very few people in full drag were allowed.

Four undercover cops entered the bar that June night, while the “Public Morals Squad” waited outside for their signal. When the raid began, things went off the rails. One of the standard practices was for female police officers to take customers dressed as women to the bathroom to verify their gender. If they were men dressed in drag, they would be arrested. Those who were dressed as women that night, however refused to go with the officers. Men began to refuse to produce identification. Some of the police who were frisking the lesbians touched them inappropriately. The police decided to arrest everyone.

As those arrested were loaded into wagons, a woman was struck by an officer on the head with a police baton. She shouted to those still gathered, “”Why don’t you guys do something?” and then was picked up and heaved into the back of the police wagon. The crowd became a mob, and the Stonewall Riots began. During the course of the riots, self-proclaimed drag queens Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera played a central role.

The following year, to mark the anniversary of the riots, the first pride marches were held in several U.S. cities, as LGBTQ people refused to hide in dark illegal bars, subject to persecution by the police and violence by society. They demanded the right simply to be who they were, without shame or fear. The movement spread and on the 30th anniversary of the riots, President Bill Clinton declared “the anniversary of [the] Stonewall [riots] every June in America as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.”

In the years since Stonewall, drag queens have raised millions of dollars with shows and fundraisers. They were particularly active in the early and dark days of the AIDS epidemic, when there were no corporate sponsors or major businesses supporting LGBTQ people.

Anyone who has spent any time around drag performers knows that the average drag queen wears more, not less, clothing than is typical of women in 21st century America. Indeed, one of the most telling comparison to me was a photo of several drag queens performing set next to the performance of several National Football League cheerleaders.

While some drag performances may include raunchy language and jokes, those are at adult performances. Think if it like the art form of standup comedy. Every performer knows the importance of ensuring your act is appropriate to your audience. As for the idea that drag includes nudity or stripping, neither are a part of drag shows.

Finally, the claim being put out there that drag performances are grooming is not only ignorant, but also a harmful misunderstanding of a real reality that does affect children. Grooming refers to the practices that child abusers use to entrap and manipulate children. There is no evidence that children who have attended a drag performance are in any way at a higher risk of abuse than other children. Indeed, by conflating the two, parents are not being accurately taught what real grooming is and how essential recognizing the signs of grooming are important for protecting children.

There is one final piece of drag that is important to know for the parents of kids and teenagers. Drag does not, of course, turn someone gay or transgender (that’s not how sexual orientation or gender identity work). However, seeing a drag performance can be reassuring to a kid who is already questioning their gender identity. In a recent essay in Psychology Today, therapist Joe Kort points out that through drag performances gender-nonconforming kids can have “other templates as they begin to sort out their feelings about who they authentically are.”

And, if they trust their parents (and their parents are safe people to be honest with) they can talk with them about what they see, questions it might provoke in their own mind. In the end, in all questions related to the healthy growth and development of children, having parents who are open and safe for questions is what is most important.

In the end, countless people who thought there was no place for them, that they were somehow wrong or broken, have gone to a Pride festival and (sometimes for the first time in their life) realized that they are not alone. Because no matter who God created you to be – straight, gay, bi, trans, or any of the other diverse and beautiful orientations and identities out there – you should not be afraid to go to a party downtown that celebrates who you know yourself to be.

Creating safe spaces, advocating for human rights locally and globally, in the end, is what all of this is about. And drag queens have long led the way in this congregation. I look forward to the shows this weekend – and I hope that all who come bring love, curiosity, and kindness in their hearts.

The Rev. Dr. Jared C. Cramer, Tribune community columnist, serves as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Grand Haven. Information about his parish can be found at www.sjegh.com. His church is hosting its third annual Pride Worship Service before the Pride Festival begins – all are welcome to join them for worship at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 10, at Waterfront Stadium. The Pride Festival will kick off at noon in the same location.

The Virtue of Pride

Below is the cover article in the June 2023 edition of our congregation's monthly Parish Page. 

In the weekly E-Newsletter for June 1, I wrote about the history and meaning of Pride Month for the LGBTQ community. In particular, I noted how the celebration of Pride has its roots in the Stonewall Inn riots of the late sixties, a time when LGBTQ people stood up and refused to continue to suffer the insults, violence, and discrimination that were prevalent in mid-twentieth century American society.  

We would like to think we were beyond the hate and discrimination that led to those riots over half a century ago. However, we have learned over the past several years that we have not advanced as far as we thought we had. Yes, marriage equality is the law of the land and we are seeing gender identity and sexual orientation being added to protected categories in non-discrimination laws, but that is not the only development over the past few years. As I noted in a sermon last month, hate crimes against LGBTQ people have increased 70% in the past three years alone. I have heard from gay members of our own parish who say that they once more are starting to feel uncomfortable, even afraid, to visit Grand Haven. 

Sometimes Christians, when considering pride month, will point out that pride is not a virtue but is actually one of the seven deadly sins. However, this confusion (as so many theological confusions are) is based upon a misunderstanding of translation from Greek or Latin and intot the English language. The Greek word for this vice in the fourth-century list compiled by Evagrius was Ὑπερηφανία, a word that is about seeing yourself as more than you truly are (a more accurate translation is self-overestimation). When John Cassian translated this list into Latin for Western Christianity, he used the Latin word superbia, a word that, once more, is about seeing yourself as more important than anyone else. 

This the profound irony of some Christians rejecting pride month. The fundamental reason for pride month is to advocate for human rights, to insist that to acknowledge your sexual or gender identity is good, that you carry the same worth as every other person. For Christians to attack LGBTQ persons celebrating pride month is for those Christians to participate in the true vice and sin of superbia—believing their cisgender and heterosexual experience is the one that should be privileged as normal, that those who do not conform should change to become cisgender or straight. 

So, I hope you will join me and the rest of SJE in combatting this false narrative with a different voice. In particular, I hope you’ll join us on June 10th as we participate in the pride festival. Because love needs action to overcome hate.

You can also find out more online here about the 2023 Pride Worship service at 10am, Saturday, June 10, right before the pride festival kicks off at noon! We hope you'll join us!

Lives are at stake in Ottawa County

Below is my column in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune.

Like many Ottawa County residents, I looked with trepidation to the swearing in of the new Ottawa Impact majority board of commissioners. I was sure I would disagree with some of their decisions, but was also hopeful they would stick with traditional conservative ideals of governmental transparency, limited overreach, and the other principals which have resulted in Ottawa County being such a successful and great place to live for decades.

I have been beyond disappointed.

I was shocked by the moves they made immediately upon taking office, without any opportunity for public input. I was offended that Chairperson Joe Moss has the gall to refuse any clergy to give the invocation at their meeting unless he personally approves of them (As a priest in the city of Grand Haven, I had offered to continue in that service as I had to the previous board, but was told that outside clergy were no longer able to pray before the meeting).

I was dismayed and deeply troubled when the new county administrator found himself so out of his depth on the job that he hired a high-priced assistant to do much of the work for him (work our previous administrator had no trouble handling).

I was floored when they actually leveled claims of unethical conduct against our Republican county clerk, Justin Roebuck, a dedicated public servant who has long had the respect of locals in both political parties. Those are just the lowest points of the past several months. Anyone who has been paying attention knows there has been much more.

However, all of this pales in comparison to the decision of the Ottawa Impact-led board to delay the funding agreement once more for our 2023 Community Health Needs Assessment. This is the nuts and bolt of what actually matters in county government – bringing local stakeholders together to meet the needs of citizens in doing work that doesn’t historically have any real partisan shade to it.

This assessment is something our county does in cooperation with Holland Hospital, Corewell Health Zeeland Hospital, Trinity Health Grand Haven, United Way of Ottawa and Allegan Counties, Community Mental Health and other organizations. It helps the three hospital meet the requirements they must meet in order to maintain tax-exempt status as nonprofit organizations. And it helps county officials in the Department of Public Health know what trends they should be watching for in Ottawa County.

Thankfully, the three hospitals are moving forward, whether or not the county partners with them in this work. They understand the importance of a community health assessment for any local area.

The refusal of the Ottawa Impact commissioners means the county cannot even pay the $29,000 invoice we’ve received (even though we have grant funds to cover it). Saying we won’t pay our bills is one of the choices that will directly and adversely affect what had previously been a stellar bond rating that we held as a county.

You may be curious why the majority of the commissioners continue to delay this agreement. It is because they do not believe in the conservative principle of limited government. Instead, they want the board of commissioners to micromanage tasks that are rightly done by trained professionals. The commissioners reject questions asking whether a respondent has contemplated suicide or had an adverse childhood experience (ACE), finding such questions potentially retraumatizing.

Our deputy health director patiently explained that the surveys are carefully crafted by trained professionals, all the participants are consenting adults and those who administer the survey are trained to explain the sensitive nature of some questions. No one is forced to answer anything and people can stop at any time. Respondents are also offered the opportunity to talk to someone from Community Mental Health, if they are having a difficult time.

But you cannot reason with people whose sole goal is to obstruct the work of the health department. They shouted in the hallways when the previous board noted that it is not the purview of a county board of commissioners to make public health decisions best made by trained and duly appointed professionals. They lost in the courtroom when they tried to interfere with best public health practices in Ottawa County.

So, they raised a heap of money and ran feigning conservative values, winning a majority in a primary that has historically very low turnout. And now that they have the power, they are using it no matter the cost.

But there will be a cost. If we do not know about the rates of suicidality and suicidal ideation in our county, we will not be able to respond adequately to help those at risk. If we do not know about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), we will not be able to build safety nets and support for the long-term impacts of those with ACEs. Why in the world would the commissioners not think this is important information for our Department of Public Health and our healthcare providers to know?

These commissioners need to get their hands out of these surveys. They need to let trained professionals do the work that we have already contracted to do, work that other counties do regularly to try and best serve those at the margins, those struggling in the community. If they do not, and because of this we cannot respond to issues like suicidality and ACEs, then the cost will be in human lives. Actual deaths that are preventable right here in our county.

I hope they will turn from this course and turn toward their fundamental call – serving the residents of this community. But so far, they seem content to play political football with people’s lives and livelihood. How much longer will the residents of Ottawa County let this continue?

The Rev. Dr. Jared C. Cramer serves as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Grand Haven. Information about his parish can be found at www.sjegh.com.

A Queer Place on Holy Week

Below is my column in today’s edition of the Grand Haven Tribune.

Last year, when our church started hosting the Lakeshore GSA – Gender, Sexuality, and Allies – Youth Group (find out more at sjegh.com/gsa), I had the delight of coming in a few times to offer some teaching and connection with aspects of queer theology. In particular, I spent some time one night reflecting with them about the idea of finding “A Queer Place in Holy Week.”

Queer theology comes out of the same sources of Liberation Theology. In the middle of the twentieth century, theologians in Latin America (first within the Roman Catholic Church but then spreading to other protestant denominations), started questioning some of the assumptions of mainline theology. In particular, it noted how Scripture is often read (and theology is often done) from the perspective of those with privilege, wealth, and power in society. However, when those same texts are read by the marginalized, they tend to be understood quite differently. In particular, the socio-economic and political liberation of the poor can be seen as a dominant theme in Scripture, running through the Deuteronomic code of the Torah all the way to the teachings of Jesus himself.

Liberation theology since then has developed several sub-streams, including black theology in the United States, Dalit theology in India, and Palestinian liberation theology. (The bishop of my diocese, the Rt. Rev. Prince Singh, did significant work in his doctoral program on the Dalit class in India. You can hear him discuss some of this in a couple of podcasts produced by our denomination: sjegh.com/caste and sjegh.com/caste2). In the late twentieth century, Marcella Althaus-Reid drew from the liberation theology she had learned growing up in Argentina and began working in and developing both feminist and queer theology.


The basic argument of queer theology is similar to the original argument of liberation theology. Liberation theology had argued that Scripture and theology is too often done from a place of economic privilege and so ignores the way that power and socio-economic class misuse Biblical texts to further oppression and protect the powerful. Similarly, much of mainstream theology reads Scripture and does theology from a heterosexist perspective which assumes a heterosexual and cisgender identity. Because of that, it has often missed the way Scripture speaks to and for those of other sexual orientations and gender identities.

Some of the best known queer theologians, in addition to Althaus-Reid, if you want to explore this further, include Bishop Hugh Montefiore (Anglican Bishop of Kingston and Birmingham), John J. McNeil (and openly gay Roman Catholic priest, psychotherapist, and theologian who was expelled from his Jesuit order), and Shannon TL Kearns (the first openly transgender man to be ordained into the old Catholic priesthood and the co-founder of the website QueerTheology.com).

When Queer theology begins to explore the experience of Holy Week, several powerful points come to the fore that are often missed by mainstream theology. On Palm Sunday, when Christ rides into the city on a donkey instead of an imperial horse (which is what would have been expected for a triumphal king), he identifies with the poor, oppressed, and outcast. He refuses to participate in the systems of the empire and instead lays claim to non-violent reign. From this perspective, Palm Sunday pushes to ask if we are those who cheer the empire or those who stand with the oppressed and who actively resist their oppression. The call to resistance is seen when, after riding into the city, Christ actively resisted oppression by flipping tables in the marketplace of the temple.

When we look at Holy Thursday, this is the night that we remember Christ’s command that we wash one another’s feet. It is also the night we remember the institution of Holy Communion. Queer theology looks at Holy Thursday and reminds us that love – not judgment and exclusion – are at the core of the Christian faith. Jesus washed everyone’s feet, even the feet of Judas, his betrayer. The washing of feet is a truly intimate and humble act. For many LGBTQ people, physical touch and intimacy can be scary until you have claimed your identity. We are reminded that the grace of the sacrament of communion is a gift we receive because of God’s love for us, not because we fit into the boxes other people put us in. At the end of the liturgy, it is tradition to strip the altar as a reminder that Christ underwent a brutal and humiliating stripping and torture. Christ does this in solidarity with all of those who suffer, but queer theology sees this particularly as an act of solidarity with those who are the subject of homophobic and transphobic violence.

We come to Good Friday and remember Christ’s death on the cross. Queer theology reminds us that Jesus was killed by religious and political extremism that saw his extravagant love as a threat to their power. We can name doubt and fear on this day, remembering that even Jesus’ closest friends ran away. Knowing that he welcomed them back with love on Easter should give us room to know that if we also run away for a season in our lives, that does not have to be the end of our story.

On Holy Saturday, the church traditionally rests in stillness as Christ’s body lies dead and buried in the tomb. We are reminded on Holy Saturday that Jesus followers turned from their failure and reclaimed the body of their friend for burial—a painful echo of the victims of AIDS whose loved ones often had to fight for the right of their bodies to be honored. We are also invited, as a church, to acknowledge that no matter our theological hope in resurrection, death and suffering are still a very present reality today. Queer theology notices that sometimes when we risk, we also meet pain. When someone comes out, or wears clothes that match their gender identity for the first time, or speaks up against the anti-gay perspective of their church … and instead of being celebrated, they are rejected … or worse. When this happens Holy Saturday reminds us that even if it feels like death and hate is winning, love is at work.

When we finally arrive at Easter Sunday, Queer theology invites us to recognize the subversive nature of the resurrection narrative. Women were the first witnesses to the resurrection—and their voice and belief was at first dismissed by the dominant male disciples. The reality that those on the margins, those who were excluded by society and religion, were the first to bring the good news pushes mainstream Christians to look to our Queer siblings and to ask what good news of God’s love and grace they might offer to us.

As you walk this sacred time over the next few days, perhaps consider your own perspective, the lenses and privilege you might bring to the narrative. Perhaps queer theology can help you experience God’s grace anew. And if you are a part of the queer community, I hope you also know how very much this week is for you. Because it is in this sacred week that Jesus Christ insists you are beloved exactly as you are. And even though religion and politics killed Jesus, he stands with you resurrected, inviting you to claim your place as God’s beloved child no matter what misguided religion or politics might say.

The Rev. Dr. Jared C. Cramer, Tribune community columnist, serves as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Grand Haven. Information about his parish can be found at www.sjegh.com.

More Pride Needed in Grand Haven

 Below is my column in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune. 

Two years ago, in the summer, I stood on the stage at Waterfront Stadium and looked out over a crowd filled with rainbows.

When my parish, St. John’s Episcopal Church, had planned to host the first-ever Pride Community Worship Service, we were not sure how many people would come. We hoped to see around 50 or so people – about as many as we were seeing at in-person worship at our church at that point in the pandemic.

We did not expect over 200 people to fill Waterfront Stadium, people who gathered on the morning of the last Sunday of Pride Month to celebrate all of God’s beloved children, especially those members of the LGBTQIA+ community who have experienced such marginalization and discrimination from the church.

After the second Pride Community Worship Service last summer, several of those who helped organize the event – along with participants – had a sense that we were ready for more. Ever since then, that group has been working to plan for the first Grand Haven Pride festival.

Our application is winding its way through the city processes, and we are hopeful that it will be approved soon so that we can begin planning in earnest. Because it is so very important to have a fully supported community celebration, one that is not just a worship service but one that is a full pride festival that everyone can be a part of.

One of the reasons this need has become clear to me is the work I’ve done with other community leaders in the Lakeshore GSA Youth Group. Hosted by our church, the Lakeshore GSA Youth Group (http://sjegh.com/gsa) meets every Thursday night and is for any LGBTIA+ teens in the Tri-Cities area and any kids who see themselves as allies to this community.

Though our church hosts it in our space, the programming is not religious, and the leaders are drawn from adults around the community – not just members of our parish. Once a month, we offer a special add-on book discussion that is religious for the kids who want to grow in that side of their identity, but it’s not required. Our goal is to provide a safe space for kids. That’s all.

Having run this group for two years now, let me just say that these kids are amazing. Absolutely amazing. Their strength of identity and character inspires me to no end. They are funny, smart, curious and tremendously interesting to spend time with on Thursday nights. They are a big reason we are pivoting from the Pride Community Worship Service on Sunday to a full Pride festival on a Saturday. They have a passion for speaking out, being clear about who they are, and being bold advocates for other youth whose families or faith communities might not support their sense of gender identity or sexual orientation.

If you have a kid that you think would enjoy coming, feel free to contact me at rector@sjegh.com – I’d love to add you to our email group and put you in touch with our leadership.

As many of you know, I grew up in Grand Haven. I have friends I know from growing up here who are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community and who have told me how massively difficult it was at times. When I was younger, a foolish middle school kid who should have known better, I know I was a part of making it hard for some kids. In some ways, as I work to support the Lakeshore GSA Youth Group, I feel like I’m trying to do penance for the sins of my more conservative and homophobic youth. I know God forgives me, but also know God calls me to make right the harm of the past.

My sense, from the crowds of people at our Pride Community Worship Services over the past couple of years, is that I’m not alone. There are lots of Christians out there who may not agree with their church’s position on this question and who want to be a bold and explicitly affirming voice. I also know that there are several business and organizations right here in Grand Haven who support the LGBTQIA+ community. And, most importantly, we have amazing LGBTQIA+ leaders in the Tri-Cities, people who already contribute so much to making this a great place to live.

My deep hope is that all of these people will come together and support the first Grand Haven Pride festival this summer. You can find out more about the planned festival at http://ghpride.org. The leadership team is still developing and, in addition to leads for a few programmatic areas, we are looking for a second member of the LGBTQIA+ community to serve as a co-chair alongside of our other co-chair, local social worker, educator, and minister, Jess Robinson.

To see what positions of leadership are open, go to http://ghpride.org/about. Our next meeting of the Steering Committee, where we will plan to lay the final groundwork for structure and planning, is next Monday, March 6. If you’d like information on joining, you can contact the committee at info@ghpride.org.

I am proud to call Grand Haven my home. I’m proud to have grown up here. I’m proud to be a Buccaneer. But I’ll be even prouder this summer when I see the many organizations, businesses and community leaders who I know will stand up and say Grand Haven is a place where you belong, no matter who you are, no matter who you love, and no matter your gender identity. You belong here.

About the writer: The Rev. Dr. Jared C. Cramer, Tribune community columnist, serves as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Grand Haven. Information about his parish can be found at www.sjegh.com.

Combatting the corrosive power of Christian nationalism

Below is my column in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune. 

A few years ago, before the current debates and arguments about the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners, I attended a meeting where they were considering the question of refugee resettlement in our county. As the priest at a church that had helped a Sudanese family resettle here, and with a strong commitment to refugees in my own faith, I wanted to speak in favor of this important work.

The room was packed to overflowing so much so that we were not in the normal meeting room. Person after person got up to speak, and I was surprised how many spoke against refugee resettlement. I had not expected many people at all to do that, as refugee work was something that is generally bipartisan and a shared commitment of religious groups across the spectrum. Sure, many residents also spoke in favor of refugee resettlement, both on humanitarian grounds and with the belief that immigrants make communities stronger not weaker.

What truly inspired me, though, was the pastors. Every single pastor – no matter the denomination, no matter how conservative or progressive – every single one got up and spoke in favor of refugee resettlement. I breathed a sigh of relief as I went home that day, after seeing the county commission affirm that Ottawa County truly is a place “Where you belong” – and that this included the refugee community.

Relief is not the emotion I have felt this year, watching the newly elected county commissioners take office and get directly to work doing precisely what they said they would do. Though I knew they would dismantle our office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (even though it was local businesses who had asked for it so we could attract diverse talent to the area), and though I knew they would take several actions to reshape Ottawa County in their own image, I did not expect it to be so brazen and so absolutely uninterested in the principles of transparency upon which they had campaigned.

Decisions were made in advance, outside of the meeting, with no opportunity for public input. The very important position of county administrator was given to a candidate immediately after firing the current administrator – with no public posting of the job, no opportunity for others to apply, and no chance for public consideration of the candidates.

I was shocked that so many of the new commissioners felt comfortable ignoring the basic rules and practices of governance. As they fumbled with how to deal with a consent agenda, I realized that they didn’t even have a basic understanding of Robert’s Rules.

But what has turned my blood cold has been the very clear display of Christian nationalism since these commissioners took office.

Christian nationalists believe that our country is fundamentally a Christian nation, and they seek to use their understanding of the Christian faith to shape public policy with no regard to the variety of faith traditions (and variety of views within Christianity itself). Studies have also found a concerning link between Christian nationalism and white nationalism, as many Christian nationalists also share anti-diversity and anti-immigration views.

Philip Gorski (a professor at Yale University) and Samuel Perry (a professor at the University of Oklahoma) are authors of “The Flag and the Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy,” have written, “We define white Christian nationalism and identify white Christian nationalists using a constellation of beliefs. These are beliefs that, we argue, reflect a desire to restore and privilege the myths, values, identity and authority of a particular ethnocultural tribe. These beliefs add up to a political vision that privileges that tribe.”

Those with Christian nationalist views twist the concept of liberty to make it mean their own freedom to discriminate or violate the law due to their religious beliefs. Thus, Christian nationalists believe they should not be bound by nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQIA+ people, women or religious minorities. The fact that Ottawa Impact started because the founders didn’t believe the government had the power to issue health orders during a pandemic, and that they based this freedom on their sense of faith, makes it clear that this is the viewpoint of this group.

And now, with their new proposed leader of our health department being someone who refused mask mandates and social distancing (and whose qualifications are woefully inadequate given the statutory requirements in Michigan for this position), there is a deep concern that the extreme views of this group may strike at the very core of the health of our community.

Amanda Tyler, an expert on religious freedom and a member of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, says that she believes the single biggest threat to religious freedom in our country right now is Christian nationalism. She is also clear that despite having “Christian” in the name, it does not have a lot to do with the actual teachings of Jesus Christ, “But the ‘Christian’ in Christian nationalism is more about identity than religion and carries with it assumptions about nativism, white supremacy, authoritarianism, patriarchy and militarism.”

If you don’t think that’s what’s happening in Ottawa County right now, listen to those who speak up to support the new commissioners. As reported by Sarah Leach in The Holland Sentinel, not only do we hear COVID-19 denialism and claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, but clear Christian nationalist ideas. They believe it is God who has put these commissioners in place to orchestrate their plans with comments like, “The power you have has been delegated by Christ.” In the opening prayer before a meeting by one of the pastors who support them, he prayed, “I pray for the chair and that you would bless him and the other council members, commission members. Again, knowing the only reason we’re here is to bring glory to you.”

The reason a county commission exists is not to bring glory to God. I say that as a priest who has taken lifelong vows to devote my life to God and his church. The reason a county commission exists is to enable the flourishing of all residents in an area through smart governance. It’s also clear that it’s not really about bringing glory to God anyway, it’s about enforcing their narrow view of Christianity and the government on all the residents of Ottawa County by destroying anything that stands in their way. And, let’s be clear, that certainly does not glorify a God who became human and who died at the hands of religious extremism and political cowardice.

I’m grateful that there are others increasingly joining the fight against this movement. People from the right and the left, from a variety of faith traditions and no faith traditions, are coming together as a part of the Unifying Coalition of Ottawa County (https://www.webelong-oc.org). Because this county should not be a place where freedom to discriminate rings. Together, we must work to restore it to a place where all people belong and can find home.

About the writer: The Rev. Dr. Jared C. Cramer, Tribune community columnist, serves as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Grand Haven. Information about his parish can be found at www.sjegh.com.