There were white Christian nationalist flags and symbols present at the January 6th violent insurrection incited by Donald Trump to overthrow our free and fair election. Justice Alito’s wife flew one of these flags at one of their properties. Trump’s most ardent and loyal base has been white Evangelical Christians who have refused to leave his side even though he’s now a convicted criminal, has been held liable for sexual assault, and is a known fraudster and liar.
The more vulgar, racist, misogynist, and cruel he becomes, the more they love him. At an October rally in Georgia, Tucker Carlson told the MAGA crowd that Trump was their “Daddy” and he’d give America the “spanking” that it needs. “Dad comes home. And he’s pissed. Dad is pissed. He’s not vengeful,” he told the crowd who responded with applause and cheer. Religious women, especially a majority of white women, continue voting for a man whose incoming Cabinet picks feature individuals with a sordid history of sexual assault allegations and misdeeds against women.
One of these individuals is his pick for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. He is a thoroughly unqualified man who has written a book entitled “American Crusade,” where he aligns with extremist ideologies and movements. He was also against women being in the military, and he has multiple allegations of sexual misconduct to the point where his mother wrote him an email shaming and criticizing him for his behavior. Oh, he also allegedly yelled, “Kill all Muslims!” in a bar in 2015. Lovely.
But, he’s also a man of God who takes his Christian faith very seriously, so there’s that.
I invited my friend Rev. Susan B. Thistlethwaite to explain how violent Christian nationalism, which is explicitly rooted in misogyny and toxic patriarchy, is now part and parcel of MAGA’s understanding of Christianity. Rev. Thistlethwaite has spent her life exposing how religion has been used and abused by some men - and women - as a means of authoritarian power and control over the most marginalized communities. She is a scholar, editor of a fantastic Substack, and author of a new novel, “Surfacing,” which she describes as a work of fiction acting as “stealth feminist ideology.”
It’s a sobering but important conversation! This is what we’re up against, folks.
Share this post