Brian Ernst // City Hall (June 18, 2024)

What. A. Week.
Here’s my speech at City Hall yesterday. I also want to thank Pastor Terry for reaching out to me after the Commissioners Meeting last night. We just had lunch together and I feel like I walked away with a new friend.

Why am I breaking bread and building relations with people who hold some beliefs that compel me to direct resistance? Because I think it makes us and our community stronger. I also think it makes our nations stronger as well.

Pastor Terry and I are both very passionate and deeply convicted people and even though we disagree on some things, we can still be break bread together, and, even be friends. That’s the culture of this town.

What we are talking about here is ideas.
America is a nation of ideas. (We’ve had some good ones and some bad ones but we’re a young nation and we’re trying our best).

I have much more to say, share and do with regards to this struggle but I’m going to defer to The Record right now so I can get back to work. Wanishi (thank you).

——-

This is the script of my statement:

My name is Brian Ernst and I am a dual Citizen of the United States and the Lenape Nation, and I am very proud of that.

Many moons ago, I signed a Treaty with Jesus and I'm proud of that too.

When I learned of the Christian American Parade and public proclamation in our town; that was calling me in.

I tried to apply to the parade on the website of the First Baptist Church of Fernandina Beach but then I saw I had to pass a religious test to participate in the parade. I politely asked the church if "I could still be in the parade even if some of our deeply held Christian convictions don't completely align." I asked because I don't have to agree with all of my neighbors' beliefs to walk side by side with them. But the church didn't get back to me. I tried the next day with the same results and so on the third day, I knew what I had to do. The deadline was the next day so I walked into the church and politely asked if I can still celebrate our mutual love for America and Jesus, and the answer was no.
Which is their right.

I did this because it's critical that we understand what the implications are for our community.
First, it anoints the First Baptist Church as our community gatekeeper of who is and who isn't American or Christian enough to be in our town's parade.

And second, it's keeping out proud Americans and Christians like myself and others in our community.

There are multiple videos of the pastor saying that Christian Nationalism is "a measured risk we have to take."

The stated goal is to "leverage Jesus Christ in all forms of government, including the city." He's on record, correctly saying the US Constitution does not separate the church and the state.
And he's right. I wish he wasn't, but he is!

So even though we as Christians have the constitutional standing to implement Christian Nationalism into public law, I believe the record shows that we do not have the credibility, merit or biblical standing to continue imposing our laws in the public square.

Me being systematically denied celebrating my Christian American Heritage is a local implication of Christian Nationalism. To further exemplify my point, I respectively ask how we as Christians reconcile "honor thy word" with honor thy Treaties, pursuant to Article 6, Clause 2 of the US Constitution?

I respectively ask how "thou shall not steal" reconciles with the Doctrine of Christian Discovery? Which is still the current cornerstone of US Property Law? Native Americans still cannot hold the title to our Treaty Land because the Supreme Court said our land was "discovered" by Christians and the Supreme Court upheld that argument in 2005. This is Christian Nationalism without even looking at the historical record.

Where's our credibility?

Me getting rejected from the public square is just the tip of the iceberg.

This being the 1st Annual Christian American Heritage Parade, I feel it's appropriate to leave you with the language of my Peoples. The Lenape. It's a language that Christian Nationalism tried to beat out of us [time is up sentence not completed].

Làpìch knewël (I will see you again)
Wanishi (thank you)u