Right-wing news outlet Newsmax reported Nov. 7 that, in reaction to Zohran Mamdani’s election as mayor of New York City, Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama predicted the city will be “completely Muslim in three or four years.”
I’m sure Tuberville didn’t intend that as good news, but it’s fair to say if his behavior reflects the Christianity in New York City, its conversion to Muslims like Mamdani would be an improvement.
Brad Bull
Mamdani was born in Uganda in 1991 to parents originally from India. His Muslim father was an academic and his Hindu mother a filmmaker. They immigrated to the U.S. when Mamdani was 7, and — maintaining dual citizenship — he became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2018.
Tuberville made his comments on the “War Room” podcast hosted by felony-convicted adviser to President Donald Trump Steve Bannon. Of Mamdani’s election, Tuberville said: “I’m a traditionalist and, you know, I come up here, 60 votes, hey, that sounds great, but we’re in a different country. This is a different time. We just saw what happened in New York. We lost New York. It will be completely Muslim in three or four years. That’s what they want. They’re gonna have everything free there for them and they’re just going to spread throughout the country. We better wake up and smell the roses.”
Lord, have mercy.
“Muslims in particular need an apology from American Christians.”
Muslims in particular need an apology from American Christians. People of all faiths need to hear an unfettered condemnation of the behavior of Christian-identifying people like Tommy Tuberville and those who repeatedly vote for him to promote so-called “Christian values.”
Notice Tuberville does not merely take issue with political ideology the way dear friends Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neal or John McCain and Barack Obama butted heads. No, the biggest chunks of Tuberville’s word vomit are formed of religious bigotry.
We can hear his word “traditionalist” as an admission to holding the silly Leave-it-to-Beaver mindset that longs for the mirage of a rose-colored past and fears the loss of a cultural Christianity that makes life easy for those in a Christian majority. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! What if Christianity actually became an act of faith again instead of a country club?
And that brings us to one of the many all-but-forgotten pieces of the history of Christianity: The violent response of so-called Christians to Michael Sattler, a former Catholic priest turned radical pacifist Protestant. Sattler led the Taufer movement that had ties to the Anabaptist dissenters who gave rise to Baptists who favored local congregations over papal hierarchies.
Eugene Sensenig is a Mennonite who has served for many years in the Middle East as a professor in the Faculty of Law and Political Science at Notre Dame University in Louaize, Lebanon. In his very readable academic journal article, “A Turk by Any Other Name: Michael Sattler, Martin Luther, the Radical Reformation, and the Middle East,” he provides an informative analysis of how Sattler and his group give us insights for today.
“The biggest chunks of Tuberville’s word vomit are formed of religious bigotry.”
In the 1500s, European Christianity faced the rise of the Muslim Ottoman empire. Among Christians, conflict arose over the relationship between Christianity and the government, specifically over Christian engagement in war. One branch promoted “staff-bearing” pacifism. The other two-part branch promoted the “sword-bearing” view of the “just war” theory. The first fork of this branch promoted the notion of a theocratic Christian government. The other fork advocated for a nuanced secular government composed of Christians with the duty to serve as soldiers but in the name of the state, not in the name of Christ.
Sensenig points out a great paradox about another aspect of the historical context. Earlier in Christian history, in the 200s, two simultaneous events collided. First, the Roman Emperor Decius ordered everyone but Jews to worship Roman gods and pray for the emperor’s well-being or be executed. Simultaneously, an epidemic — the Plague of Cyprian — started. Christians provided care for their pagan neighbors often at the expense of their own health.
Sensenig agrees with the analysis of history-of-religion scholar Rodney Stark who asserted the reputation of Christians’ kindness caused Christianity to grow. Thus, the gentle response to an effort to suppress Christianity paradoxically helped Christianity flourish.
It was in this tradition of kindness to enemies that Sattler and his group sought to peacefully engage the invading Ottomans. Sattler and his dovish congregation angered the hawkish majority favoring military action.
In 1527, Sattler, his wife, Margaretha, — a former nun — and several others of their group were arrested and charged with a list of alleged heresies which included denying the authority of the Church and rejecting both the validity of infant baptism and the celibacy of clergy.
During the trial, Sattler was pressed on his refusal to take up arms against the Ottomans. He replied:
If the Turks should come, we ought not to resist them; for it is written: “Thou shalt not kill.” We must not defend ourselves against the Turks and others of our persecutors, but are to beseech God with earnest prayer to repel and resist them. But that I said, that if warring were right, I would rather take the field against the so-called Christians, who persecute, apprehend and kill pious Christians, than against the Turks, was for this reason: The Turk is a true Turk, knows nothing of the Christian faith; and is a Turk after the flesh; but you, who would be Christians, and who make your boast of Christ, persecute the pious witnesses of Christ, and are Turks after the spirit.
“This inhumanity was not carried out by Muslims but by traditionalist Christians whose hateful words became hateful actions.”
Of course he was found guilty. The sentence was read aloud:
Michael Sattler shall be delivered to the executioner, who shall lead him to the place of execution and cut out his tongue, then forge him fast to a wagon and thereon with red hot tongs twice tear pieces from his body; and after he has been brought outside the gate, he shall be plied five times more in the same manner.
This horrific sentence was carried out around May 20, 1527. Within a few days, refusing to recant, Margaretha was drowned.
This inhumanity was not carried out by Muslims but by traditionalist Christians whose hateful words became hateful actions. It was carried out by traditionalist Christians who liked the soft couch of their cultural Christianity. It was carried out by traditionalist Christians like Tommy Tuberville.
Christians of the United States: I commend to you Michael and Margaretha Sattler and their courage.
Given the choice between a neighbor like Tuberville or a neighbor like Mamdani, please give me Mamdani. But should Tuberville fall ill, may we nurse him back to health, that he taste the fruit of true faith.
Brad Bull has served as chain-factory worker, UPS delivery helper, hospital chaplain, pastor, university professor and therapist. At Southern Baptist boys camp while growing up, he stared into a campfire and pledge through song, “Though none go with me, still I will follow.”