WASHINGTON (AP) – The Christian images and rhetoric seen during this month’s Capitol uprising spark renewed debate over the societal effects of merging the Christian faith with an exclusive race of nationalism.
The rioters who violated the Capitol on January 6, which have so far led to federal charges against more than 130 people, included several people carrying signs with Christian messages, and in a video, one man is wearing a fur hat and horns led in a prayer in the Senate Hall. They also included several current or former members of the U.S. military or law enforcement, as well as a legislator in West Virginia.
The rise of what is often called Christian nationalism has long led to the setback of leaders in multiple denominations, while the Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Freedom formed the Christian Coalition Against Christian Nationalism in 2019. But in the immediate aftermath of the uprising, other Christian leaders spoke out. to announce what they saw as an abuse of their faith to justify a violent attack on a seat of government.
Russell Moore, president of the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, said that when he saw a sign “Jesus Saves” displayed near a gallows built by rioters, “I was furious to some extent that I “not angry in my mind. It is not only dangerous and unpatriotic, but also blasphemous, and provides an image of the gospel of Jesus Christ that is not the gospel, and instead is exactly the opposite.”
Dwight McKissic, a leading Black Southern Baptist pastor who publicly criticized the leaders’ handling of racial justice, encouraged them in a tweet to also denounce “this blatant display of White Christian Nationalism” by insurgents.
However, in order to alleviate what both liberal and conservative clergy see as a misuse of their faith, they must first take on the challenge of defining Christian nationalism for a broad audience. Christians Against Christian Nationalism describes it as an ideology that ‘demands that Christianity be privileged by the state and implies that one must be a good American’.
During a virtual panel held by the coalition this week, one prominent leader stressed that love for country and God can coexist without making a person a Christian nationalist.
It is ‘very important to understand that we are not condemning patriotism,’ said Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, who leads the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Christians “can still be active participants in the public square” while remaining true to their faith, she added.
Rev. Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, made a similar remark in an interview, referring to the biting consequences of “a merging of a nationalist identity and a Christian identity”.
“I definitely love our country, and as the son of immigrant parents, I am very grateful for the hope this nation represents,” Kim said. “But as a Christian, my greatest faithfulness is to Christ.”
However, some supporters of former President Donald Trump say that denials of Christian nationalism are a way to attack them politically. Former Texas GOP Representative Allen West told a panel of other religious conservatives sponsored by the group My Faith Votes on Tuesday that the term was used against those who “do not meet a progressive , socialist ideological agenda. ”
Another twist in efforts to steer Christians away from an openly nationalist outlook on their faith is QAnon, the conspiracy theory whose believers were at the forefront of the January 6 rally in support of Trump’s unfounded allegations of widespread electoral fraud. as the riot that followed.
In the video shot by a New Yorker reporter during the siege, the fur hats Jacob Chansley – known as the “QAnon shaman” for his involvement with the conspiracy theory as well as his self-described spiritual handrails – offered a prayer in which he thanks “for allowing the United States of America to be reborn.” While Chansley was speaking, other rioters became silent on apparent participation.
Robert Jones, chief executive of the Independent Nonprofit Institute for Public Religious Research, said QAnon focused on a “very apocalyptic, good-for-evil” set of false assumptions linking Trump’s party to piety and Democrats to paganism.
“The fact that we have seen QAnon, white supremacy and white Christianity brought together in a violent attack on the Capitol, means that especially white Christians have a good soul-searching to do,” said Jones, author of two books on white Christianity in America.
Christian author Jemar Tisby said in an email that the elements of Christianity present during the riots were a sign that ‘violent nationalists have developed ways to use such religious symbols in the service of their malicious purposes’.
“Christians who want to get rid of Christian nationalism can leave their churches because the ideology is so deeply ingrained that meaningful change is not imminent,” said Tisby, CEO of The Witness, a black Christian organization.
Meanwhile, Moore said he has started talking to pastors about reducing QAnon’s potential influence in congregations and he plans to do more to provide resources for that.
“One of the obstacles to talking about these conspiracy theories is that many pastors and leaders rightly consider these things crazy, so they assume there is no need to talk to them,” he said. “But we live in a crazy time.”
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