By Rev. Robert (Bob) Murphy
The year 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. History will happen this Fourth of July.
Donald Trump will be presiding over this year’s Fourth of July festivities. Expect military parades with celebrations of American imperialism, Christian nationalism and Donald Trump. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is scheduled to take place on the lawn of the White House. This seems fitting for an administration that shares Rome’s imperial aspirations. Keep in mind that most gladiators were slaves or prisoners of war. And others who volunteered to fight did so due to debt from lack of class advantage. This year, the President of the United States will preside over the carnage and trauma.
What will Unitarian Universalists do on the Fourth of July?
Of course, different folks will behave in different ways. The UUA General Assembly will take place in June, where much will be discussed about moral behavior and resistance to injustice. After that, some UUs will roll up their sleeves and continue the work for class justice For many Unitarian Universalists, however, the tradition is to relax for two months or longer. Some churches will close for July and August.
Here is the explanation: during the 1800s, wealthy people retreated to Saratoga Springs for “the races,” or to the White Mountains and similar locales for long vacations. In urban congregations where the wealthy were dominant, they suggested a minimum of church services. If problems developed – well, maybe someone else could manage the situation.
Today’s critics mention the “bougie response.” The term “bougie” refers to class privileged people who enjoy a bourgeois lifestyle. When the Fourth of July arrives, the “bougie people” retreat into their comfortable places. At dinner parties, there may be polite discussions about recent floods and forest fires. Concern may be expressed about military actions and the loss of democracy. And perhaps there will be another book to read or a video suggested.
For many working class people, the working poor and those living in poverty (in the richest nation in the world), the situation is different. Life can be hard during the summer months. There have always been heat waves and hurricanes, but climate change and the new cruelty and classism in American culture and politics have combined to make the situation worse. The sea continues to rise, fires and hurricanes rage, and one disaster follows another.
What will our response be?
Watch what happens on Independence Day and during the days that follow. People living on the streets will beg for adequate shelter. ICE raids will continue, and the people detained, the majority with limited class advantage, will be sent to concentration camps. Racial profiling and police brutality will persist. Workers will ask for drinking water and protection from extreme heat. (Imagine what it is like to work in a commercial kitchen or with a construction crew.)
Listen to what is being said by working class people. “Affordability” is now the primary concern for most voters in the United States. Working class people have long known that it is difficult to find affordable medical care, housing and emergency services.
There is a suspicion that the “bougie people” do not care about such things. If you look beyond the liberal bourgeois, you will find churches where much is said about prosperity and the American Dream. In some of these churches, preachers announce that working class problems will be solved by Christian nationalism’s Prosperity Gospel.
The need for the American Revolution continues. It is still a work in progress. Back in the 1700s, religious liberals joined with their neighbors in support of the American Revolution. It is still possible.
There is a need to march with the “No Kings” demonstrators. There are actions by congregations across our beloved community that are resisting fascism and Christian nationalism. Learn about them. Adopt them locally. Be like our early religious liberal ancestors and work for the side of class equity and justice this Independence Day and far beyond.