The Christian nationalist ideology sits at the core of Trump's plans for America. From cutting DEI programs to stripping away reproductive freedoms, Trump is privileging one, specific group.
Thanks for this article- you laid out a truth that I don’t believe has been covered extensively enough. Christian nationalism is the root of the anti-democratic, anti-science, antisocial MAGA agenda. The Fellowship believes in ministering, not to the poor, but to the powerful, and they have tentacles into autocracies all over the world.
It was a HUGE mistake when the Jan 6th Congressional Committee agreed to Liz Chaney's request that they not investigate the role of Christian Nationalism in the insurrection. It lies at the heart of this effort to end American democracy...and they've been working towards this for more than 50 years. We're very late to the game to try to stop them.
What many of us have believed more or less in private for years, we now need to start shouting from the rooftops. Exactly as you said: They Are Neither. From a former street radical who was saved on the street, and modified some - not all - of my former beliefs.
It goes much deeper than the simple term “Christian Nationalism.” I’m Matthew Taylor’s book, “The Violent Take It by Force” he traces the roots of the new apostolic reformation whose ultimate goal is to destroy our democracy and replace it with a theocracy. Trump is just a tool to be used to be used to facilitate their goals. The Atlantic had a recent article “The Army of God” that covers this topic. This would be a good topic for the Contrarian to cover.
Yes, that's all very true. I develop the same arguments in my books, The Good News Club (2012), Power Worshippers (2020), and my forthcoming book, Money, Lies, & God (2025). The fastest growing religious movements in the U.S., like independent charismatic & Pentecostal movements, are prone to exploitation by authoritarian political movements. I would, however, like to make clear that this kind of anti-democratic religious nationalism isn't an invention of the new apostolic reformation or the religious right of the past few decades. It draws on a much longer history, and repeats earlier patterns. It is anticipated in many ways by the proslavery theology of the early American republic.
I look forward to reading Money, Lies, and God (I've also read the Power Worshippers). The Christian Nationalist movement has been operating in plain sight yet remained invisible to many. I've been reading Taylor's new book for the last few days. No horror story can compare with the terror it inspires. I'm so obsessed now with Christian Nationalism I'm searching on the names of those who wrote the 2025 manifesto. Thank you for putting it under the microscope. And as a side-note, Google Chrome has frozen up about a dozen times today, the last time, when I searched on whether the funding freeze would affect Medicare. Thank you for all the hard work you put into your research.
Thank you for writing about this. It is important that people understand what is going on. My project 2025 book club group turned to Andra Watkins to learn about Christian Nationalism and through her we could see what was embedded in the text was a plan to make over the US into a Christian Nationalist Theocracy, so a version of Iran with a Christian Nationalist framework.
Here Andra summarizes Christian Nationalist beliefs
This is the deep heart of the matter. Until we confront the idea that there is a supernatural god who listens to certain people, has a plan, and rewards featly and submission we will never be able to meet this terrible movement on a fair playing field. There is a strain in American history that understood this, starting with "Nature and Nature's God" in the Declaration of Independence, but that strain is being swamped by the strain of "Christianity" that was the bulwark of enslavement. We secularists need to get serious.
I'm in for the fight against this horror. What can we do? And when I say "fight" I mean the methodical dismantling of these people's righteousness and power. Are there precedents -- historical or contemporary?
The Appeal to Heaven flag that flies over Sam Alito’s vacation house in New Jersey and Speaker Mike Johnson’s office is a Christian nationalist flag that was carried around on J6 by many of the Capital insurrectionists. A lot of conservatives are using this symbol to make a statement whether they are of the Catholic faith or an Evangelical Protestant faith. We can see who they are. Both the SOTH and Alito should have to remove these flags or face impeachment. A judge or justice or any representative of the United States government should not be allowed to display religious symbols especially on public property or buildings. If they want to display a flag then they can fly the American flag 🇺🇸
A lot of stink tanks have contributed to Project 2025 and many of them you would be surprised. If the United States were to become an authoritarian state many people would not want to immigrate here and those who are here already probably wouldn’t want to stay. These people hate freedom and they hate America.
“Lucas Miles, head of Turning Point USA Faith, the sponsoring organization’s faith outreach arm, said, ‘We have to decide which Jesus … is the real Jesus.’”
How about we start with Matthew 25:40 and go from there?
Thanks for making clear what is THE biggest threat to our country. The focus on Trump Trump Trump is of course necessary but for a decade the media has decided that christian nationalism is pretty much untouchable (are they afraid of lawsuits claiming the christonationalist religious freedom rights have been violated?)
But it's the media (and the Dems as the opposition party) to connect the dots for the American people and that is something this article did superbly.
Let's not forget that the far right members and supporters of the MAGA crowd take direction and inspiration from Viktor Orban, who has established a creaking mess of an oligarchy in Hungary. In some respects it seems to me the thinnest of disguises for an effort to keep white Christian males at the top of a heap composed of women, people of color and religious 'minorities--and so is fueled by sheer panic as well as greed.
Thanks for this article- you laid out a truth that I don’t believe has been covered extensively enough. Christian nationalism is the root of the anti-democratic, anti-science, antisocial MAGA agenda. The Fellowship believes in ministering, not to the poor, but to the powerful, and they have tentacles into autocracies all over the world.
It was a HUGE mistake when the Jan 6th Congressional Committee agreed to Liz Chaney's request that they not investigate the role of Christian Nationalism in the insurrection. It lies at the heart of this effort to end American democracy...and they've been working towards this for more than 50 years. We're very late to the game to try to stop them.
The so-called "Christian Nationalists" are neither. Their words and actions undermine both Christ and our Nation.
What many of us have believed more or less in private for years, we now need to start shouting from the rooftops. Exactly as you said: They Are Neither. From a former street radical who was saved on the street, and modified some - not all - of my former beliefs.
It goes much deeper than the simple term “Christian Nationalism.” I’m Matthew Taylor’s book, “The Violent Take It by Force” he traces the roots of the new apostolic reformation whose ultimate goal is to destroy our democracy and replace it with a theocracy. Trump is just a tool to be used to be used to facilitate their goals. The Atlantic had a recent article “The Army of God” that covers this topic. This would be a good topic for the Contrarian to cover.
Yes, that's all very true. I develop the same arguments in my books, The Good News Club (2012), Power Worshippers (2020), and my forthcoming book, Money, Lies, & God (2025). The fastest growing religious movements in the U.S., like independent charismatic & Pentecostal movements, are prone to exploitation by authoritarian political movements. I would, however, like to make clear that this kind of anti-democratic religious nationalism isn't an invention of the new apostolic reformation or the religious right of the past few decades. It draws on a much longer history, and repeats earlier patterns. It is anticipated in many ways by the proslavery theology of the early American republic.
There is nothing more dangerous to the country than the dismantling of the separation of church and state.
I look forward to reading Money, Lies, and God (I've also read the Power Worshippers). The Christian Nationalist movement has been operating in plain sight yet remained invisible to many. I've been reading Taylor's new book for the last few days. No horror story can compare with the terror it inspires. I'm so obsessed now with Christian Nationalism I'm searching on the names of those who wrote the 2025 manifesto. Thank you for putting it under the microscope. And as a side-note, Google Chrome has frozen up about a dozen times today, the last time, when I searched on whether the funding freeze would affect Medicare. Thank you for all the hard work you put into your research.
Thank you for writing about this. It is important that people understand what is going on. My project 2025 book club group turned to Andra Watkins to learn about Christian Nationalism and through her we could see what was embedded in the text was a plan to make over the US into a Christian Nationalist Theocracy, so a version of Iran with a Christian Nationalist framework.
Here Andra summarizes Christian Nationalist beliefs
https://open.substack.com/pub/andrawatkins/p/what-is-a-christian-nationalist?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Here she explains the difference between the end of days views of old school CNs, and The New Apostolic Reformation.
https://open.substack.com/pub/andrawatkins/p/what-is-the-new-apostolic-reformation?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
This is the deep heart of the matter. Until we confront the idea that there is a supernatural god who listens to certain people, has a plan, and rewards featly and submission we will never be able to meet this terrible movement on a fair playing field. There is a strain in American history that understood this, starting with "Nature and Nature's God" in the Declaration of Independence, but that strain is being swamped by the strain of "Christianity" that was the bulwark of enslavement. We secularists need to get serious.
I'm in for the fight against this horror. What can we do? And when I say "fight" I mean the methodical dismantling of these people's righteousness and power. Are there precedents -- historical or contemporary?
Shouldn't we call this what it is. It's a christian-fascist alliance. BTW, those folks are not actual Christians, who follow the teachings of Christ.
The Appeal to Heaven flag that flies over Sam Alito’s vacation house in New Jersey and Speaker Mike Johnson’s office is a Christian nationalist flag that was carried around on J6 by many of the Capital insurrectionists. A lot of conservatives are using this symbol to make a statement whether they are of the Catholic faith or an Evangelical Protestant faith. We can see who they are. Both the SOTH and Alito should have to remove these flags or face impeachment. A judge or justice or any representative of the United States government should not be allowed to display religious symbols especially on public property or buildings. If they want to display a flag then they can fly the American flag 🇺🇸
A lot of stink tanks have contributed to Project 2025 and many of them you would be surprised. If the United States were to become an authoritarian state many people would not want to immigrate here and those who are here already probably wouldn’t want to stay. These people hate freedom and they hate America.
“Lucas Miles, head of Turning Point USA Faith, the sponsoring organization’s faith outreach arm, said, ‘We have to decide which Jesus … is the real Jesus.’”
How about we start with Matthew 25:40 and go from there?
Thanks for making clear what is THE biggest threat to our country. The focus on Trump Trump Trump is of course necessary but for a decade the media has decided that christian nationalism is pretty much untouchable (are they afraid of lawsuits claiming the christonationalist religious freedom rights have been violated?)
But it's the media (and the Dems as the opposition party) to connect the dots for the American people and that is something this article did superbly.
Let's not forget that the far right members and supporters of the MAGA crowd take direction and inspiration from Viktor Orban, who has established a creaking mess of an oligarchy in Hungary. In some respects it seems to me the thinnest of disguises for an effort to keep white Christian males at the top of a heap composed of women, people of color and religious 'minorities--and so is fueled by sheer panic as well as greed.
Thank you Katherine Michelle
Spell check: Christian’s should be Christians. Hahahaha, kind of a true statement. Christians should be christians. Peace. I’m a None, now.