Nearly three dozen faculty and staff members, as well as others associated with the university and former and current members of the university’s Board of Trustees, have signed an open letter resisting the rise of “Christian nationalism” and “Christian dominionism.”

The open letter, by a group called The Salt & Light Resistance, was started by Collin Packer, the director of strategic development of Let’s Talk Race Ministries in Allen, who received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from ACU; Jerry Taylor, retired associate professor of Bible, missions and ministry; and Dr. Mark Hamilton, professor of biblical studies.

Among those who have signed the document are Dr. Cliff Barbarick, chair of the Department of Bible, Missions and Ministry; Josh Ross, one of the newest university board members; and Dr. Barry Packer, a former chair of the Board of Trustees. The signers also include more than 1,000 people associated with Churches of Christ across the U.S.

The letter warns against Christian nationalism and highlights the mistreatment of people of color in the U.S.

“This movement confuses the gospel with a political agenda and makes us susceptible to the death-dealing designs of corrupting leaders. It disguises venomous hatred with pious words. It uses the precious name of our Savior, the saving symbol of the cross, and the music by which we celebrate our redemption to mask the great harm done to large groups of our fellow human beings,” the letter said.

Collin Packer said the letter is specifically for Church of Christ members because they had seen responses from many other denominations and wanted there to be a way for the Church of Christ, which has no governing body, to be on record.

He said that although he believes the issue of Christian Nationalism is not directly correlated with one administration, recent policies regarding immigration have raised concerns for him and the other supporters.

“We see Christian nationalism as a blending of our Christian identities and  our American identities,” Packer said. “[Christian nationalism] expects that if you are going to be American, that you are a particular kind of Christian that advocates for Christian perspectives, laws and ways that are not inclusive as our democracy.”

He said that when the Christian faith is tied to nationalism, then it does not properly reflect the teachings of Jesus or the goals of Christianity.

Packer said that he hopes the letter causes people to speak out against injustice.

“I would agree that partisanship is not helpful in church,” said Packer. “But what it means to love our neighbor and to do that publicly is to seek justice.”

Hamilton said that for a long time, the idea that the church and state should be connected was a marginal idea; in the last several months, he has seen it become much more mainstream.

The idea that “Christians are supposed to be in charge of everything. Christians make all the decisions … It’s not a few odd people out somewhere. It’s a view that’s elected people to high office,” Hamilton said.

He said that on the surface, the idea that the goals of the Church and the goals of the state aligning may sound nice, but in practice, it results in the state taking over the church and political agendas are confused with the gospel.

Hamilton said he’s seen these Christian nationalist views appear in a variety of different ways, such as, when Pete Hegseth read a prayer from the movie “Pulp Fiction” last month. He said ge’s heard from people who want the current war in Iran to continue because they believe it will hasten Jesus’ return. He’s also seen others supporting the posting of the Ten Commandments in public schools.

“We construct this narrative that somehow, before some in some date, sometime in the ‘50s or ‘60s, we were a Christian country, and then suddenly we weren’t,” Hamilton said. “ I think that the date, the facts, just don’t support that claim at all.”

Hamilton said that before the letter was signed, he and many of the others who signed felt like they were the only ones who believed what was happening was wrong, but he’s been encouraged by all the support the letter has gotten.

“I thought I was alone, I thought I was going crazy,” he said. “Now I see I’m not alone. I may be going crazy, but I’m not doing it alone.”

Beyond the letter, the Salt and Light Resistance also has classes and articles where people can read more about their beliefs, and Packer said he hopes they will also have in-person classes in the future where people can learn more.