OMNI
WHITE CHRISTIAN, PLUTOCRATIC, OLIGARCHIC, THEOCRATIC, FUNDAMENTALIST
NATIONALISM ANTHOLOGY, #2
February 20, 2025
Compiled by Dick Bennett for a Culture of Peace, Justice, and
Ecology
What’s at Stake:
“Christian nationalism radically
shapes what Americans think about who they are as a people, what their future
should look like, and how they should get there.” Andrew Whitehead.
CONTENTS
Local Connection: FFRF
Chapter Actions.
History
Whitehead. Taking
America Back for God.
Onishi. Preparing
for W ar: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism.
Seidel. “The Shadow Network,
Project 2025….”
Seidel. “Church-state separation and. . .Christian Nationalist
abuse of power.”
Taylor. The
Violent Take It by Force.
Du Mez. Jesus
and John Wayne.
History, Analysis, Action
American Christian Nationalism: Neither American nor
Christian by Michael W. Austin.
Andrew Whitehead. American Idolatry.
Scott Robinson.
The Three Main Enemies of Democracy.
3 books on the Republican Party, Christian Nationalists, and the
Oligarchy.
Plutocracy
and CN
Nicholas Powers
. “Wealthy
Donors Bankroll Christian Nationalists to Sustain Unregulated Capitalism.”
Bruce Gourley. “Plutocratic
Theocracy: How an alliance of extreme market capitalists and Christian Nationalists is working to
remake American society.”
Supreme Court
Gourley. “Supreme Theocrats.”
TAKING ACTION
Ajoy. Star-Spangled Jesus.
Katherine Stewart, The Power
Worshippers
How
to End Christian Nationalism By Amanda Tyler.
Bruce Gourley. “Authentic Dialogue….”
Robert Edwards. Resisting the
Right.
Christian
Nationalism Anthology #1
TEXTS
Local Connection
FREEDOM FROM RELIGION
FOUNDATION, A NATIONAL AND LOCAL BULWARK
AGAINST Plutocratic, Oligarchic Fascism with an Ozarks Chapter, February 2025
Newsletter.
Ozarks Chapter of
Freedom From Religion Foundation <contact@zeffy.com>
Feb 17, 2025
Hello Dick, and Happy
President's Day,
Whew....where to
start....Legislators are trying to ramrod religion (chaplains) into classrooms,
the US President is allocating resources to root out anti-Christian bias
(what!?!?) and politicians are drafting policy to make it near impossible for
citizen led ballot initiatives. In my 43+ years, I've never seen the
pillars of Democracy come under such intense pressure, and it feels like the
time we're living in now is a tipping point. I hope that by connecting
with reasonable and rational citizens, including those who embrace religion, we
can coalesce and stamp down the Christian Nationalism that is being injected
into our lives daily. Secular citizens must be proactive in this effort!
PLEASE TAKE ACTION!!!
BEGINNING THIS WEEK, FEBRUARY 17th:
Six bills are running
through the Arkansas General Assembly that would add even more barriers for
citizens to take part in direct democracy. Please leave a message for
your Senator at 501-682-2902 and your Representative
at 501-682-6211 and ask them to vote against Senate
Bills 207 through 212.
· SB207 would scare away people from signing ballot measure petitions by
requiring canvassers to talk about criminal penalties for fraud. People already
know fraud is illegal.
SB208 would require that canvassers check the ID of voters before
allowing them to sign. This is merely an attempt to slow the signature
gathering process.
SB209 would throw out legitimate signatures of
voters for wrongdoing by canvassers. Two wrongs don’t make a right.
SB210 would require canvassers to watch a voter read the ballot measure
or read the ballot measure out loud to a voter before collecting the signature.
Canvassers are already required to carry copies of the measure that people can
read. The Secretary of State’s office said the reading of the longest recent
ballot measure would take eight minutes — another strategy to deter people from
signing a ballot measure petition.
SB211 would create red tape that would make it harder for ballot
measure campaigns to collect signatures. There is already a dizzying amount of
red tape in the signature collection process.
SB212 would create a “Document Validity Division” — a law enforcement
agency of the Secretary of State. But the office already reviews the validity
of documents and can refer potential lawbreakers to prosecutors. It would just
create more bureaucracy and complicated legal questions.
Speak up for the
constitutional rights of voters. Call your Senator and Representative now ask
them to vote against Senate Bills 207 through 212!
Senate at 501-682-2902
House of Representatives
at 501-682-6211
In other news, the Ozarks Chapter continues to
put together an exciting lineup of events, activities and speaking engagements.
Last month, our chapter contributed over 16 man hours to help the NWA Women's Shelter Thrift Store sort through incoming donations, rack clothing
and assist with light cleaning duties. The employees were very
appreciative of our help, and the GM reached out afterwards to let me know how
valuable our work is in protecting the separation between church and state
HISTORY
Taking
America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States by
Andrew L. Whitehead. Oxford UP, 2020.
Abstract
Taking America Back for God conclusively reveals that understanding the current
cultural and political climate in the United States requires reckoning with
Christian nationalism. Christian ideals and symbols have long played an
important role in public life in the United States, but Christian nationalism
demands far more than a recognition of religious heritage. At heart, Christian
nationalism fights to preserve a particular kind of social order, an order in
which everyone—Christians and non-Christians, native-born and immigrants,
whites and minorities, men and women—recognizes their “proper” place in
society. The first comprehensive empirical analysis of Christian nationalism in
the United States, Taking America Back for God illustrates
the scope and tremendous influence of Christian nationalism on debates
surrounding the most contentious social issues dominating American public
discourse. Drawing on multiple sources of national survey data collected over
the past several decades and in-depth interviews, Whitehead and Perry document
how Christian nationalism radically shapes what Americans think about who they
are as a people, what their future should look like, and how they should get
there. Regardless of Americans’ political or religious characteristics, whether
they are Ambassadors, Accommodators, Resisters, or Rejecters of Christian
nationalism provides powerful insight into what they think about immigration,
Muslims, gun control, police shootings, atheists, gender roles, and many other
political issues—even who they want in the White House. Taking America Back for God convincingly shows how
Christian nationalists’ desire for political power, rigid social boundaries,
and hierarchical order creates significant consequences for all Americans.
Keywords: Christian nationalism, religion, politics, United States, race, gender, Donald Trump, immigration, sexuality
War on Democracy: Origin of INSURRECTION JANUARY 6, 2021, Civil
War?
Bradley Onishi.
Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian
Nationalism. 2023.
The events of January
6, 2021, shocked the nation and the world. But to those who lived through White
Christian nationalism, consumed its media, and practiced its teachings, the
Insurrection was the logical outcome of a seventy-five-year war on American democracy.
Despite a growing body of literature that analyzes
White Christian nationalism in the United States, there are no works that bring
together firsthand accounts of the decades-long culture wars that set the
stage for the violent White Christian nationalism plaguing the country with
historical analyses of the events, leaders, and communities that prepared the
troops and led the charge. PREPARING FOR WAR uses Onishi’s
lived experience as an Evangelical insider as a prism for understanding the
violence and extremism of the White Christian nationalists at the center of our
current political moment. It asks: How did the rise of the Religious Right,
from 1964-2015, eventually give birth to violent White Christian
nationalism during the Trump presidency and beyond? What are the foundational
components of the “alternative” worldview that propelled some of the most
conservative religious communities in the country to ignite a cold civil war?
How can the history of the Religious Right provide a basis for anticipating how
White Christian nationalism will bear on our public square in the years to come?
In this compelling and scholarly mix of memoir
and cultural and political history, Onishi brings to bear his experience as a
former Christian nationalist movement insider to expose the radicalism behind
the January 6th insurrection. Gripping and essential reading for anyone who
wants to understand the threat that This movement poses to American
democracy.” – Katherine Stewart, Author of The Power
Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous World of Religious Nationalism
n Preparing
for War, Bradley Onishi traces the history of White Christian Nationalism
from the John Birch Society to the Big Lie and the January 6 terrorist assault
on the U.S. Capitol, a narrative enlivened by the author’s own occasional
intersections with the movement. This is an excellent and important book, both
chilling and prophetic.” – Randall Balmer Professor of Religion, Dartmouth College and
Author of Bad Faith: Race and the Rise of the Religious Right
Onishi
takes us on a sweeping yet personal journey through modern American religious
and political history to understand the violent, extremist strains of white
Christian America that led to the January 6th insurrection. With insight from
hundreds of interviews, deep scholarship, and his own escape from white
Christian Nationalism, Onishi’s Preparing for War is a clear
account of what happened and clarion warning about what is coming. Compelling
and timely.” –
Andrew Seidel, Constitutional Lawyer at Americans United and author of American Crusade: How the Supreme Court Is Weaponizing Religious
Freedom.
The Shadow Network of Christian Nationalism “is spreading into
every facet of American life.”
Andrew Seidel. “The Shadow Network,
Project 2025 and the Humongous Fungus.” Church
and State (Nov. 2024).
Alliance Defending Freedom.
Family Research Council
First Liberty Institute
American Center for Law and Justice
Andrew Seidel. “Church-state
separation and the Big Lebowski: The Christian Nationalist abuse of power.” Church and State (Nov. 2024). Reports the work of Americans
United for Separation of Church and State, integral to “defending our
democracy.”
TRUMP AND CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM
The Violent Take It by
Force: The Christian Movement That Is Threatening Our Democracy By Matthew D. Taylor. Broadleaf, 2024.
Publisher’s description:
"Required reading for anyone seeking to
understand Christian nationalism." —Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of Jesus
and John Wayne
A propulsive account
of the network of charismatic Christians that consolidated support for Donald
Trump and is reshaping religion and politics in the US.
Over the last decade,
the Religious Right has evolved. Some of the more extreme beliefs of American
evangelicalism have begun to take hold in the mainstream. Scholar Matthew D.
Taylor pulls back the curtain on a little-known movement of evangelical Christians
who see themselves waging spiritual battles on a massive scale. Known as the
New Apostolic Reformation, this network of leaders and believers emerged
only three decades ago but now yields colossal influence, galvanizing support
for Trump and far-right leaders around the world. In this groundbreaking
account, Taylor explores the New Apostolic Reformation from its inception in
the work of a Fuller Seminary professor, to its immense networks of apostles
and prophets, to its role in the January 6 riot. Charismatic faith provided
righteous fuel to the fire that day, where symbols of spiritual warfare blazed:
rioters blew shofars, worship music blared, and people knelt in prayer. This
vision of charismatic Christianity now animates millions, lured by
Spirit-filled revival and visions of Christian supremacy.
Taylor's unprecedented
access to the movement's leaders, archives, internal conference calls, and
correspondence gives us an insider account of the connection between charismatic
evangelicalism and hard-right rhetoric. Taylor delves into prophetic memes
like the Seven Mountains Mandate, the Appeal to Heaven flag, and the Cyrus
Anointing; Trump's spiritual advisor Paula White's call for "angelic
reinforcements"; and Sean Feucht and Bethel Music's titanic command of
worship styles across America. Throughout, Taylor maps a movement of magnetic
leaders and their uncompromising beliefs--and where it might be headed next.
When people long to conquer a nation for God, democracy can be brought to the
brink.
Endorsements
"Matthew D. Taylor's work is a gift. He has given us an empathetic,
fair-minded, highly intelligent, and eminently readable story that explains one
of the most important religious movements in modern America. Most people don't
even know what the New Apostolic Reformation is, much less that it has been a
driving force of Christian Trumpism. The Violent Take It by Force will
change that." --Jon Ward,
author of Testimony and Camelot's End
For more endorsements go to: https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506497785/The-Violent-Take-It-by-Force
Kristin Kobes Du Mez. Jesus and John Wayne:
How
White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation. Liveright, 2020.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The
“paradigm-influencing” book (Christianity Today) that is fundamentally
transforming our understanding of white evangelicalism in America.
Jesus and John
Wayne is
a sweeping, revisionist history of the last seventy-five years of white
evangelicalism, revealing how evangelicals have worked to replace the
Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian
nationalism—or in the words of one modern chaplain, with “a spiritual
badass.” As acclaimed scholar Kristin Du Mez
explains, the key to understanding this transformation is to recognize the centrality
of popular culture in contemporary American evangelicalism. Many of today’s
evangelicals might not be theologically astute, but they know their
VeggieTales, they’ve read John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart, and they
learned about purity before they learned about sex—and they have a silver ring
to prove it. Evangelical books, films, music, clothing, and merchandise shape
the beliefs of millions. And evangelical culture is teeming with muscular
heroes—mythical warriors and rugged soldiers, men like Oliver North, Ronald
Reagan, Mel Gibson, and the Duck Dynasty clan, who assert white masculine power
in defense of “Christian America.” Chief among these evangelical legends is John
Wayne, an icon of a lost time when men were uncowed by political
correctness, unafraid to tell it like it was, and did what needed to be done.
Challenging the commonly held assumption
that the “moral majority” backed Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 for
purely pragmatic reasons, Du Mez reveals that Trump in fact represented the
fulfillment, rather than the betrayal, of white evangelicals’ most deeply
held values: patriarchy, authoritarian rule, aggressive foreign policy, fear of
Islam, ambivalence toward #MeToo, and opposition to Black Lives Matter and the
LGBTQ community. A much-needed reexamination of perhaps the most
influential subculture in this country, Jesus and John Wayne shows
that, far from adhering to biblical principles, modern white evangelicals have
remade their faith, with enduring consequences for all Americans.
Kristin Kobes Du Mez is a professor of
history at Calvin University and the author of A New Gospel for Women.
Learn More
INTRODUCTION: HISTORY, ANALYSIS, ACTION
American
Christian Nationalism: Neither American nor Christian by Michael W. Austin. Foreword
by Marlena Graves. Eerdmans, 2024.
130 Pages. DOWNLOAD BOOK FLYER
Description Contents Author Praise
Publisher’s Description
Michael
W. Austin shows how nationalism is contrary to American values and Christian
virtues—and offers us a better form of civic engagement.
In this brief, thought-provoking book, Michael W. Austin turns his keen mind
for ethics toward the crisis currently facing our democracy: the rise of
American Christian nationalism. Austin first accessibly explains the meaning
and history behind nationalism. He then systematically shows how the ideology
contradicts American values like liberty, equality, and justice as well
as Christian virtues like humility, faith, hope, and love. Ultimately, he
argues that the Beloved Community, first developed by Martin Luther King
Jr. and others, offers a better model for an authentically Christian and
American community. Readers frustrated by partisan strife will find a
faithful guide in Austin’s thoughtful volume.
CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM V. GOSPEL CHRISTIANITY
Andrew Whitehead. American Idolatry: How
Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church. Baker Books, 2023.
What the book is about
Explores how Christian nationalism harms
American Christianity.
Identifies three idols of Christian
nationalism that Whitehead believes corrupt American Christianity: power,
fear, and violence. He argues that these idols threaten the spiritual
lives of American Christians and the church.
What the book's arguments are
Christian nationalism weakens the church by
stirring up fear of others instead of encouraging peacemaking, hope, and love.
Violence is a natural result of constantly
stoking fear and threat.
The use of violence signals a distrust of
God's work in the world and seeing the image of God in all people.
Review of American Idolatry. Foreword
Reviews https://www.forewordreviews.com ›
... › Religion. Aug 15, 2023 — Sociologist Andrew L. Whitehead's American Idolatry is a fascinating
investigation of politics and racism in American Christian evangelicalism.
ANALYSIS OF 3 ANTI-DEMOCRATIC FORCES
They
Long to End Democracy . 3 book series by Scott
Robinson. Paperback Edition 2024.
There are three organizations in the United
State that have all, in recent years, signaled and even said outright that
Democracy's day is done in the United States - and each is poised to replace
it.
These groups include the Grand Old Party - US Republicans, who have
declared for almost two decades now their desire to install a "permanent
majority"; the Christian Nationalists, Evangelicals who have
believed since the mid-Seventies that the United States should be a theocracy,
not a democracy, with their own people in charge; and the oligarchy, a
network of ultra-wealthy citizens - the top 1% of the top 1% - who have labored
for decades to supplant the New Deal framework of the United States with a
neoliberal one more favorable to their interests.
This series of short books presents overviews of all three of these groups -
who they are, what they're about, and how they intend to go about implementing
their own visions of American governance.
All titles below are free to borrow with a
Kindle Unlimited subscription. View the Kindle
Edition of this series
to see the eligible titles.
Books in this series
(3 books)
They Long to End Democracy:
The GOP by Scott
Robinson.
They Long to End Democracy:
Christian Nationalists
They Long to End Democracy:
The Oligarchy
PLUTOCRATIC, OLIGARCHIC TAKEOVER OF US
“Wealthy
Donors Bankroll Christian Nationalists to Sustain Unregulated Capitalism” By Nicholas Powers. Truthout (August 15, 2022).
Funded by a 1 percent of megadonors and corporations, the religious
right has grown to a grotesque size.
[This is a wide-ranging report on the Republican Party values and behaviors
of the ultra-wealthy. --D] “The reality is that some of the richest
people and corporations in the world bankroll Christian nationalists who, in
turn, attack the already limited freedoms of poor people, people of color,
women and LGBTQ people in the name of God. Yet the wealthy and the politicians
they pay often break the very biblical codes they make into law. Now the danger
has intensified. A Republican White House, Senate, House and Supreme Court can
overturn democracy and replace it with a Christian nationalist state, fueled by
ultra-wealthy donors who see attacks on fundamental rights as handy tools in securing
their power.”
Plutocratic Takeover of US, Project 2025, Versus Jesus, Adam Smith,
FDR, via Christian Nationalism
Bruce Gourley. “Plutocratic
Theocracy: How an alliance of extreme market capitalists and Christian
Nationalists is working to remake American society.” Church and State Magazine (December 2, 2024)
Americans United, while not taking a
position on economic policies, is actively fighting against the Shadow Network,
a “clandestine web of Christian Nationalist organizations, conservative
billionaires and powerful political allies at all levels of government” working
to “upend democracy and equality by undermining the separation of church and
state.” This is the backstory of the economic and Christian currents that
ultimately produced the Shadow Network.
In the heart of the Great Depression in 1934, Dr. Eli Ginzberg, a
young economics professor, weighed in on President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s
transformative fiscal agenda. Overwhelmingly elected to the presidency two
years earlier and already beloved by a great majority of Americans, Roosevelt,
during a period of 25% unemployment, had steered the federal government into
previously uncharted territory: the creation of federally funded social safety
nets for financially disadvantaged citizens, including public service works
jobs and housing assistance. He had also announced his intention to establish a
social safety net for aged citizens. (This would come to pass with the Social
Security Act of 1936). Big business interests and many wealthy Americans
complained that FDR had abandoned capitalism for socialism or even communism.
Ginzberg, though, knew better.
During the 1920s, Presidents Calvin
Coolidge and Herbert Hoover had essentially turned the federal government over
to corporations, dramatically cutting taxes on wealthy Americans and declaring
victory, even as some one-half of all Americans remained in poverty.
Corporations drove up profits by creating installment plans for middle-class
customers, driving consumer debt to unprecedented levels.
The resulting inequality led to the stock
market crash in 1929 and the Great Depression. Confident that inequitable
capitalism would correct the economy, Hoover nonetheless bailed out banks and
railroads. At the same time, he turned a cold shoulder to ordinary Americans,
ignoring pleas to use federal coffers to ease the dire plight of the millions
of unemployed, homeless and destitute. Trounced in his 1932 re-election bid,
Hoover argued that his failed economic policies adhered to Adam Smith’s
classic 1776 tome, Wealth of Nations.
In 1934, economist Ginzberg in a New York Times article set
the record straight. Smith’s Wealth of Nations,
Ginzberg admonished, “is not a justification of modern [plutocratic]
capitalism.” In addition, the economist continued, “[H]ad Adam Smith been
afforded the opportunity to review the problems of corporate enterprise in
1931,” he wrote in his book The House of Adam Smith,
“there is little doubt that his general approach would have been the same as in
1776: namely, a preoccupation with the public welfare.”
In fact, Smith, considered the father of capitalism, approached economics from
the perspective of the common good. In Wealth of Nations he
identified greed as the greatest impediment to national prosperity. Seeking to
banish extreme wealth inequality, Smith advocated for higher tax rates for
wealthy persons, government regulations of businesses and banks, and
restrictions on how much family wealth could be passed from generation to
generation. He also advocated for what we now call living wages. “A man must
always live by his work, and his wages must at least be sufficient to maintain
him,” Smith wrote. “They must even upon most occasions be somewhat more;
otherwise it would be impossible for him to bring up a family, and the race of
such workmen could not last beyond the first generation.”Smith was critical of
excessive commercial profits: “[Businessmen] complain much about the bad
effects of high wages in raising the price, and thereby lessening the sale of
their goods, [but] they, say nothing concerning the bad effects of high
profits.” To level the economic playing field, “[t]he rich should contribute to
the public expense, not only in proportion to their revenue, but something more
than in proportion.”
In short, Smith opposed unfettered capitalism, instead proposing an empathetic
system of capitalism that prevented massive, nation-destroying wealth gaps
between the rich and the poor. For his part, Ginzberg in 1934 noted that
Smith’s Wealth of Nations “like the
New Deal … seeks a general redistribution of wealth.” Smith’s empathetic
capitalism was designed to prevent poverty. In his own words, Roosevelt noted
his objective in emulating Smithian capitalism was to “save the people and the
nation” from the economic failures of the plutocracy-focused [rule by the
wealthy] presidencies of Coolidge and Hoover. . . . MORE https://www.au.org/about-au/people/bruce-gourley/
In the intertwined world of plutocracy and
Christian Nationalism that is today’s United States, the empathetic
capitalism of Adam Smith and Franklin D. Roosevelt is no more.
Absent, too, from Christian Nationalism is the inclusive, compassionate and
empathetic Jesus of the gospels.
In 2025, plutocratic theocracy is poised to assault America’s
constitutional foundation of church-state separation as never before through
the implementation of their extremist Project 2025 agenda.
AND CONTROL OF THE SUPREME COURT
SIX
JUSTICES OF THE US SUPREME COURT
Bruce Gourley. “Supreme Theocrats:
Christian Nationalists on the Nation’s Highest Court.” Cover story of Church and State (Sept.
2024). “Supreme theocrats:
The anti-freedom, anti-life, biblical worldview of the Christian Nationalist
majority on the nation’s highest court.”
The Six:
Alito, Coney Barrett, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Thomas—and Roberts, who voted to
reverse Roe. [Excellent summary
plus analysis of each. –Dick] https://www.au.org/the-latest/church-and-state/articles/supreme-theocrats-the-anti-freedom-anti-life-biblical-worldview-of-the-christian-nationalist-majority-on-the-nations-highest-court/
TAKING ACTION
Star-Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding A True Faith By April Ajoy.
Hatchette, 2024.
Publisher’s Description
A hilarious and eye-opening account of leaving
Christian Nationalism behind to follow Jesus better.
April Ajoy wouldn’t have called herself a
Christian Nationalist when she performed her original song “America Say Jesus”
on the Jim Bakker show, or when she participated in Jesus Marches across
America, or when she posted cringe-worthy videos on YouTube to campaign for
Mitt Romney. April just considered herself a good Christian: faithful,
Republican, and determined to make America a Christian nation once again.
But as her view of the world widened, Ajoy began to see cracks in her steadfast
beliefs and recognized the ways her conservative politics and religion were
intertwined in her mind. Did God really bless America? Is it actually by His
red, white, and blue stripes that we are healed?
Ajoy, content creator and podcast host, shares funny stories from her time deep
within Christian nationalism, exploring how aspects of evangelical culture
such as product boycotts, Satanic panic, and end-times theology have all been
exploited to advance the Christian Nationalist narrative. She also illuminates
the ways nationalist thinking has infiltrated our churches and political
arenas, shaping not only modern evangelical culture but also American public
policy and international relations.
Part memoir, part guidebook, part call to action, Star-Spangled Jesus explores
how the fight to make America a “Christian nation” has damaged us all and shows
how one woman left Christian Nationalism and why America should too.
Katherine
Stewart, The Power Worshippers
Guide to Action Recommended by John
Hubbel Weiss
On Sun, Jan 12, 2025,
9:33 PM John Hubbel Weiss <jhw4@cornell.edu> wrote:
For at least the
second time since September, the national media have warned about the threat of
Christian nationalism. It’s time to
inform ourselves and take action, folks. . . .
I offer the
excellent guide to action published by Faithful America, Christian
nationalists’ major adversary, as you will find in the link below. I recommend especially the book by Katherine Stewart, The Power
Worshippers ($13.49 from Thriftbooks). https://act.faithfulamerica.org/signup/christian-nationalism-resources/
Below that is a CNN
story featuring the most recently published work on the movement by Kristin Du
Mez. Haven’t read that one yet, but it does bring to mind that Trump’s current
candidate for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, is an active Christian nationalist.
As is Michael Flynn, Trump’s national security advisor in his first term.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/12/us/white-christian-nationalism-du-mez-cec/index.html
Bruce Gourley.
“Authentic Dialogue….” Church
and State (Nov. 2024).
“You probably know
someone ensnared in Christian Nationalism.
Real communication is the first step to guiding them out.”
How
to End Christian Nationalism By Amanda Tyler. Broadleaf Books, 2024.
Publisher’s description:
The essential guidebook for Christians alarmed
by the rising tide of Christian nationalism yet unsure how to counter it.
Christian nationalism
is a powerful and pervasive ideology, and it is becoming normalized. From Amanda
Tyler, lead organizer of the Christians Against Christian Nationalism campaign,
comes How to End Christian Nationalism, your vital companion for
countering this dangerous ideology. Tyler draws on her experiences, conversations
with pastors and laypeople, research, Scripture, her Baptist convictions, and
her work as a constitutional law expert to help us confront Christian
nationalist fervor.
You'll learn how to
distinguish Christian nationalism from the teachings of Jesus and to
demonstrate how the former perpetuates white supremacy. This book also unpacks
key truths we can share with others: Patriotism is not the same as nationalism.
Religious freedom means little if it's not for everyone. Christians follow a
gospel of love, not the idol of power.
Here, you'll find
stories of what Christians are doing to resist Christian nationalism in their
churches and communities, plus ideas for your own work. From strategies for
faith-rooted organizing to guidance for holding hard conversations with loved
ones, Tyler offers practical ways to protect faith freedom for all. With
precision and compassion, Tyler offers cogent arguments for the separation of
church and state, a timely call to action, and an urgent case for replacing a
twisted, fearful version of faith with one that is good and right and true.
We've all seen what Christian nationalism can do. Now is the time for
Christians to reckon with its harm. Now is the time to end it.
Endorsements
"White Christian nationalism is the
greatest threat to democracy and the witness of the church in the United States
today. But we are not powerless, and How to End Christian Nationalism is
a potent tool for taking action." Jemar
Tisby, New York Times bestselling author of The
Color of Compromise.
"Amanda Tyler gives all Americans--but especially serious Christians
like herself--the means of constitutional, theological, political, and
psychological self-defense against the toxic ideology of white Christian
nationalism. Anyone who has wondered about the relationship between this
surging fanaticism and what happened on January 6 should look no further." Jamie Raskin, US representative for
Maryland's 8th cong. District.
"How to End Christian Nationalism is the perfect book for
anyone confused about Christian nationalism and wondering what they can do
about it. All American Christians who love their country would do well to read
this book and take its lessons to heart."
Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of Jesus and John Wayne.
"Amanda Tyler is a powerful sister who has led Christians in a
movement to counter the religious nationalists who do so much evil in God's
name. May this resource help others learn from her experience and wisdom." William J. Barber II, co-chair of Poor
People's Campaign and author of White Poverty and other books.
"An indispensable tool in renewing civic engagement and democracy in
America in these polarizing times. With the rise of theocratic and
authoritarian organizations, How to End Christian Nationalism is
a foundational text for anyone who cares not only about America's past but
about its future." Anthea Butler,
author of White Evangelical Racism and chair of religious
studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
"To achieve our potential as a country, we must welcome the contributions
of people of all faiths and none, and strengthen the bonds between them. To do
that, we must defeat the scourge of Christian nationalism. This book will show
you how." Eboo Patel,
founder and president of Interfaith America and author of We Need to
Build.
"With the precision of an attorney and the practicality of an
organizer and advocate, Amanda Tyler helps us see what we can do to defeat the
biggest threat to American democracy today: white Christian nationalism. This
timely and insightful book does more than just sound the alarm; it passionately
lays out a call to action." Robert
P. Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The
Hidden Roots of White Supremacy.
"Essential reading for those of us who
seek to follow Jesus in the Way. Amanda Tyler is clear, focused, learned, and
passionate in defining Christian nationalism as the threat it is--to democracy
and to the faith of Jesus--and providing a map to end the grip it has on too
much of our nation. White Christians are a key audience here, but Christians of
every ethnicity can learn from this important text." Jacqui Lewis, senior minister and
public theologian at Middle Collegiate Church.
"Amanda Tyler seamlessly weaves history
with modern statistics and polling data to illustrate how Christian nationalism
perverts Scripture into a tool to build power and justify political violence.
The book offers a sound prescription for challenging the extremist ideology
that has infected America's politics in a particularly critical time."
Mary B. McCord, executive director of the Institute for Constitutional
Advocacy and Protection.
"Using stories from her own life and insight gained from decades of
political activism for a gospel based on justice and equality, Tyler offers a
plea to all Christians to do the work of joining diverse coalitions of
Americans who will stand together against Christian nationalism. There is no
one more equipped to offer strategies for combating one of the gravest threats
to our democracy." Bradley
Onishi, author of Preparing for War and president of the
Institute for Religion, Media, and Civic Engagement
Reviews
"[An] energetic debut. . . . Tyler
effectively sounds the alarm on the rising threat of Christian nationalism and
its harms to both the church and the country." Publishers Weekly
"Tyler fervently advocates for dialogue in undoing the possibly
destructive influence of a fundamentalist ideology. Each chapter provides a
tactful approach to rolling back the harm (and potential harm) done by words
and actions guided by Christian Nationalism. . . . A significant book for 2024
and beyond." Booklist
Robert Edwards. Resisting
the Right: How to Survive the Gathering Storm.
OR Books, 2024. “Edwards gives us an invaluable ‘survey of
pro-democracy measures” (Carroll in his Foreword). 19 chapters survey the expansion of right
wing politics and what is needed to block each breach of the democratic
idea. Chapter 15, titled “In Gods We Trust,”
describes the merging of authoritarian politics with national religious
identify and how we might resume and even widen their separation.
OMNI Anthology #1: https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2024/02/omni-white-christian-nationalism.html
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