What’s Happening in the UCC

Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO) is excited to announce Encountering Christian Nationalism, a FREE seven-week course about Christian nationalism in our communities.  

As a national collaborative project of 12 state ecumenical organizations called Faith, Freedom and the Common Good, this course will explore the way Christian nationalism impacts our society, while trying to better understand the people, and not just the leaders, following the rhetoric.

Class meetings will be held weekly on Thursdays, 7 to 8:30 p.m., starting Aug. 6, 2026.  They will not be recorded, and attendance at all seven is not mandatory. 

About one-quarter of Oregonians sympathize with Christian nationalist views, according to data from Pew Research Center’s 2024 American Values Atlas. EMO has been working for years to combat Christian nationalist sentiment in public forums and within faith communities. This course seeks to understand and perhaps undo the damage caused by these movements.

Structured around the extremely influential movement within Christian nationalism, the Seven Mountain Mandate, and primarily discussion-based, this class will help Oregonians explore the impact of Christian nationalism and polarization in their communities. While rooted in the idea that religious nationalism is inherently dehumanizing, we will strive to meet in the theological middle ground to recognize the humanity of adherents. Participants will be given the chance to produce reflections through writing, art and short-form video – both on their personal experiences and on faith communities working towards a common good. The reflections will later be shared by EMO.

You can register for this workshop HERE.