The Republican Party’s incessant reliance on evangelical Christianity as a worldview has given the game away, revealing that the rollback of the progress of the 20th century would be achieved using the faith as the means and rationale. Eventually, with enough momentum, the usefulness of evangelicalism would mix with the political project and give rise to Christian Nationalism.
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After years of the GOP embracing Trumpism, during which the white evangelical community doted on Donald Trump and treated him as an agent of God or an impure messiah, we have reached a moment where the political divide is now considered a holy conflict between Good and Evil.
The crux of Christian Nationalism as an existential threat is this: by embracing a politicized faith, the wielders are able to justify any action, any oppression, any act of violence.
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As this is a conflict between “revealed” (information handed down from God in the form of revelation or dictate) and empirical knowledge (measurable, objective information), even the most obvious facts and figures are rendered moot in comparison. It is, to put it mildly, an airtight and absolute power.
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What ideologues are interested in isn’t just a Christian regime, but what the story and mythology of Christianity can accomplish. For some, this is about true belief. There are evangelicals who believe, without question and with full faith, that a Christian-based America is necessary should we not descend into a hellish, apocalyptic existence. And then there are others, including wealthy donors obsessed with destroying the “scourge” of democracy itself, who see the faith and its assorted features as incredibly useful in preparing a base of supporters to accept any and all reactionary options.
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This new push for Christian Nationalism echoes previous moments in our history, including the evangelical drive in the 1980’s that partnered with Ronald Reagan to radically transform the nation. This iteration, however, is playing for all the marbles.
Jared Yates Sexton @ Substack
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