SIX NETWORKS OF FAITH LEADERS AND FOLLOWERS
The following is an excerpt from Who are the Christian nationalists? A taxonomy for the post-Jan. 6 world January 6, 2023 See the entire article in this link which provides a global view of how Christian Nationalists relate to each other.
For the record, sociologists Andrew Whitehead and Samuel L. Perry describe Christian nationalism as “a cultural framework that blurs distinctions between Christian identity and American identity, viewing the two as closely related and seeking to enhance and preserve their union.” But not everyone who meets the definition claims the moniker “Christian nationalist,” and some who do are only barely recognizable as traditional Christians.
Here are six loose networks of faith leaders and followers who fit some part of the definition:
These largely unorganized faithful Americans are in many cases your friends, family and neighbors who hold dear a vision of the country rooted in nostalgia for a past that is more aspirational than historical. A recent Pew Research Center survey captured many of this group in the 45% of Americans who believe America should be a Christian nation, including 81% of white evangelicals, 67% of Black Protestants and 54% of nonevangelical Protestants. Almost half of Catholics (47%) also fall into this group, though Hispanic Catholics (36%) are less likely to do so than white Catholics (56%). Only 16% of Jews think America should be a Christian nation, along with 17% of the unaffiliated and 7% of atheists and agnostics.However, Pew found that half of Americans (52%) said the federal government should never name any religion as the country’s official faith. Only 24% said the government should make Christianity America’s official religion. 2. Religious right’s old guard While their heyday came under the Reagan administration, they can claim a new generation in such politicians as Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano and Colorado’s U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert. 3. MAGA/QAnon 4. The extremely online 5. Trump prophets Some of this group overlaps with the New Apostolic Reformation, a network of preachers who believe that church leaders have been given spiritual authority over Christian nations and seek to develop ties with leaders abroad. While allegiance to Trump has become a point of debate in the NAR community, and some members have disavowed Christian nationalism, others, such as South Carolina pastor Dutch Sheets, who reportedly visited the White House hours before the attack on the Capitol, have stood by their prophecies. The belief that the 2020 election results could be overturned by prayer and spiritual warfare connects the above with conservative commentators such as Michele Bachmann and Eric Metaxas. The latter, a former Trump critic, headlined a Jericho March event in the lead-up to the insurrection, emceeing an assembly that included addresses from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, Flynn and Stewart Rhodes, founder of the far-right militia group Oath Keepers. 6. Patriots and theocrats Religion News Service national correspondent Jack Jenkins contributed to this report. |