I am a committed follower of Jesus. I use that term instead of “Christian” because so many people associate “Christian” with white Christian nationalists who are against a woman’s right to bodily autonomy, against equal rights for LGBTQI+ people, against admitting migrants into the United States unless they are of European descent, and against voting rights for all.

Unlike Christian nationalists, most churches and other religious traditions see the value of living in a pluralistic society that is sanctioned by the U.S. Constitution. People of goodwill recognize beauty and truth in other religious traditions, ethnicities, and world views. The reality is that Christian nationalist beliefs are antithetical to the teachings of Jesus. Jesus held up a Samaritan, a person considered an outsider, as one who modeled the loving kindness and generous spirit of God. Christian nationalists do not embrace an outsider as godly.

In case you aren’t familiar with the term “Christian nationalism,” I should tell you. Christian nationalists believe that America was founded as and must remain a “Christian nation.” Christian nationalists believe that their brand of Christianity should enjoy a privileged position in the public square. This is a significant problem because when nationalists go about constructing a nation in their own image, they have to define who is and who is not part of the nation.

The trouble is there are always nonconformists and outliers like some of us and the people we love who do not or cannot conform to the nationalists’ cultural template. In the absence of legal or moral authority, nationalists can only establish themselves by force, as they did on Jan. 6, 2021 in their attempt to overturn the results of the U.S. presidential election.

If you think that Jan. 6 was an isolated event, you might have missed the words of right-wing activist Jack Posobiec, who opened last weekend’s conference of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) outside Washington, D.C., with words that Christian nationalists praised: “Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely. We didn’t get all the way there on Jan. 6, but we will endeavor to get rid of it and replace it with this right here.”

He held up a necklace with a cross on it and continued: “After we burn that swamp to the ground, we will establish the new American republic on its ashes, and our first order of business will be righteous retribution for those who betrayed America.”

Here’s the thing that should concern you about that sentiment: Most of us would not pass the purity test of Christian nationalists. We may vote the wrong way. We may go to the wrong church, synagogue, mosque, or temple. We may not be part of any religious tradition. We may be queer. We may belong to a racial or ethnic group that defies the CPAC party line. We may be a government worker. We may be in the United States on a VISA or green card. We may advocate for greater regulation of industry to curb greenhouse gas emissions. We may be pro-abortion. We may be pro-union. We may understand that the 2020 election was fairly decided by the majority of those who cast their vote for the president of the United States.

If you are among any of the above groups, heed the warning of the prominent German pastor Martin Niemöller, who spoke openly about his complicity in Nazism that led to the Holocaust, saying: “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Whether you consider yourself political or not, now is the time to speak out and vote against candidates who promote or embrace Christian nationalist views. Your life and the lives of those you love may depend upon it. So, too, the United States of America depends upon your voice and vote.

The Rev. Mark Seifried is the pastor of Haydenville Congregational Church and lives in Northampton.