'God hath chosen the weak things of the world ...
and the base things of the world - things which are despised -
in order to negate the world' [2]
I.
Some readers may recall a post from earlier this year in which I noted how one of the ironic consequences of mass migration from sub-Saharan Africa is that there are suddenly lots of evangelical Christians on the street corners of Harold Hill, preaching the gospel and reaching out as missionaries [3].
And so it came to pass that this morning I was handed another little leaflet by two (always very friendly) black women wearing brightly coloured clothes and blasting out gospel music on their boombox, which posed a series of questions, including:
Are you a battered, broken, miserable member of society? Is your life empty and meaningless? [4]
Suspecting that I might be such and that the answer to the latter is almost certainly yes, I thought it would be instructive to read the leaflet and find out how God can, allegedly, not only save sinners, but also recycle those who find themselves on the human scrap heap; this includes not only those who are damaged and unhappy, but those who regard themselves as rejects and failures; those who are hated and abused by others.
II.
Actually, I don't regard myself as a victim; and emptying life of meaning is part of my philosophical project as an existential nihilist.
But what's amusingly ironic about the little leaflet I was given is how it confirms Nietzsche's view expressed in Der Antichrist (1895), that the church has always essentially recruited from amongst society's refuse; i.e., the weak and ill-constituted for whom sympathy is "more harmful than any vice" [5].
According to Herr Nietzsche, Christianity has always waged war on the higher type of human being; i.e., one who feels themselves strong and happy and develops virtù upon this feeling of wellbeing and superabundance [6] and it has always willed the triumph of precisely the opposite type of animal.
As he is quick to point out:
"That the strong races of northern Europe have not repudiated the Christian God certainly reflects no credit on their talent for religion - not to speak of their taste." [7]
But what really makes one sigh with despair is that, today, in the UK, there's a resurgent Christian nationalism [8] to contend with and not just a couple of rather lovely middle-aged African women handing out leaflets on a street corner.
We've got a bigger problem now, as Jello Biafra would say ... [9]
Notes
[1] The Redeemed Christian Church of God is a pentecostal megachurch denomination founded by Pa Josiah Akindayomi, in Nigeria, in 1952. With parishes in over 197 countries and more than nine million members worldwide, the RCCG affirms fundamental Christian doctrines, including the reality of evil, the Bible as God's inspired word, and salvation through Jesus Christ.
[2] Paul the Apostle, 1 Corinthians 1:27-28.
[3] See the post entitled 'Heaven and How to Get There' (1 July 2025): click here.
[4] From the RCCG leaflet pictured and discussed here.
[5] Nietzsche, The Anti-Christ (§2), trans. R. J. Hollingdale (Penguin Books, 1990), p. 126.
For Nietzsche, the real danger is that sympathy soon becomes pity - and pity has a depressive effect; it is the means by which suffering becomes contagious (see §7).
See also §51, where Nietzsche writes: "As a European movement, the Christian movement has been from the very first a collective movement of outcast and refuse elements of every kind ...", p. 178.
[6] Nietzsche borrows this morality-free concept of virtue from Machiavelli, who thought it necessary for the achievement of great things and the maintenance of society. For both thinkers, manly virtù includes pride, bravery, skill, strength, and an ability to be ruthless (or even cruel) when necessary.
[7] Nietzsche, The Anti-Christ (§18), p. 138.
[8] See recent articles on the websites of the National Secular Society - click here - and Humanists UK: click here.
Obviously, the term Christian nationalism is an oxymoron and is essentially a far-right political identity disguised as a form of spirituality; i.e., a movement made up of those who like "masturbating with a flag and bible" (see note 9 below) or a photo of Charlie Kirk.
[9] I'm referencing here the title of the Dead Kennedys track from their 1981 EP In God We Trust, Inc. (Alternative Tentacles) - a rewritten version of their earlier song (and first single release) 'California Über Alles' (1979). In note 8 above I am quoting from the lyrics to another track - 'Moral Majority' - on the same EP. As this song is as relevant now (if not more so) as when recorded over forty years ago, I invite readers to click here to watch the band playing it in the studio.
