To Understand Christian Nationalism, Read These Two Articles

Two important articles have just been published about Christian nationalism and the political goals of its adherents.

At Salon, writer Paul Rosenberg has an insightful piece about the latest news concerning Project Blitz, a Christian nationalist effort to pass repressive, theocratic laws in as many states as possible.

As Rosenberg notes, exposure of Project Blitz by Frederick Clarkson, a longtime AU ally and researcher, and a coalition of groups including AU has led its backers to try to engage in stealth tactics. But when your goal is to pass bills in states, you can only be so quiet about it. Rosenberg also gives a shout-out to AU President and CEO Rachel Laser, quoting Clarkson who lauds Laser for making opposition to Project Blitz “a signature campaign of her presidency.”

Rosenberg’s story is lengthy, but it’s packed with useful information, including an important historical analysis that puts Project Blitz in context with the current backlash against critical race theory and outlines what we might expect next from these religious extremists.

The second must-read is an interview with Robert P. Jones, founder of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), at Religion Dispatches. PRRI regularly publishes compelling research that helps us understand white Christian nationalism and the people who cling to it.

Jones, author of the recent book White Too Long: The Legacy of White Sup­remacy in American Christianity, points out the profound demographic trends under way in America – and how they might push Christian nationalists to embrace even more extreme views.

“We’ve gone from 54% white Christian to just 44% since Obama was first elected, or a drop of about 1% per year,” Jones told Religion Dispatches. “Previous generations of white Christians had the convenience of being able to support participation for all, at least at the rhetorical level, because their dominance wasn’t under threat. Today the question is whether these Christians only support democracy in instrumental ways. And the answer we are getting from many quarters is that they were supportive of democracy as long as they were in charge.”

(Jones penned a powerful article for Church & State recently, which you can read here.)

Knowledge is power. Read these articles to get both.