TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2026

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RECLAIMING CHRISTIANITY: An Urgent Mission

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IN A POWERFUL HOMILY delivered last December, Rev. Anne Marie Witchger of St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery declared:
 

I worry every day about raising my own kids in a world like this—a world where public language dehumanizes, where violence can be ordered casually, where people seeking refuge can be turned away, where detention can stretch on without justice, where saying simple things like “Diversity matters,” “All people deserve to have food,” “Everyone should be able to afford medication,” or “God loves everyone” have become divisive political statements.

 
How did this happen? How did America become a country where the affirmation of universal human dignity is considered controversial? And most disturbing, how has this cultural transformation been driven in the name of Christianity?
 
At REPAIR, we’ve been examining the dangerous force of Christian Nationalism—the doctrine that the United States is a white, Protestant nation defined by a narrow set of political and social ideals ordained by God, and that any actions, even violence, can be justified in the name of those ideals. Experts like Robert P. Jones and Rev. Pamela Cooper-White have helped us learn about the theological and morality evils of this doctrine as well as the dangers it poses to democracy. (You can see Cooper-White’s presentation on the REPAIR YouTube channel.)
 
Now the organizing committee of REPAIR has dedicated the coming year’s programming to the theme of RECLAIMING CHRISTIANITY. We’ll be exploring how Christians and others of good faith are called to respond to hateful acts and policies supposedly justified by religious teaching. And we’ll be discussing concrete actions we all can take to embody the values of love, compassion, and forgiveness in a world where hatred, anger, and revenge often seem to dominate.
 
We’ll begin this work on TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, at 7:30 p.m., when REPAIR will host an online gathering to discuss the difficulties and promise of Reclaiming Christianity in today’s America. Priests from three of the Episcopal churches that sponsor REPAIR—Rev. Gareth Evans of St. Barnabas, Irvington; Rev. Bill Baker of Christ Church San Marcos, Tarrytown; and Rev. Jessie Turnier of All Saints, Briarcliff Manor—will offer their perspectives, and audience members will be invited to share their questions, concerns, and ideas. REPAIR leaders Dennis Parker and Karl Weber will moderate.
 
Whatever your background, you’re invited to join us for an evening of conversation that promises to be challenging, tough, and ultimately inspiring!

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Meeting Date: Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Meeting Time: 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Zoom Link: Here

Recommended Readings: Click on link at right

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