They believe they are the chosen ones. Destined to rule. Take power by force if necessary. To hold dominion over all that is. They cherry pick scripture to claim moral authority, convince themselves they are doing God’s bidding, and condemn all who dare oppose them.
This is Christian Nationalism. And it’s sweeping the nation. It’s a fundamental principle of the notorious ReAwaken America Tour of White Supremacists, Hitler Admirers, Christo Fascists, Conspiracy Theorists, and QAnon Influencers. It’s behind attacks on school boards across the nation, movements to stop the teaching of any K-12 curriculum addressing slavery and race, and the increasingly violent protests against Pride Parades. You’ll find it in domestic terrorist groups like the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and Three Percenters. It was on full display during the the storming of the Capitol.
Christian Nationalism ideology is central to the mission of Awaken Church of San Diego, which vows to “take territory” by building sixteen campuses throughout the city and, in the words of founder and lead pastor Jurgen Matthesius, order us to “Come out with your hands up, we have you surrounded!”
This heresy has been with us throughout our history
Manifest Destiny, a phrase coined in 1845, held that the expansion of the United States was divinely ordained, justifying the genocide carried out against Native Americans.
White Christian slaveholders argued that slavery was a necessary evil because it would control the sinful, less humane, black race. They went so far as to say opponents of slavery were opposed to God.
The Ku Klux Klan and the fascist preaching of Father Charles Coughlin relied on the same heresy. The John Birch Society, which arose in the late 1950s, embraced right wing religious views as it opposed civil rights and women’s equality.
The goal of modern day nationalists is to replace our democracy with a fundamentalist theocracy that would give its proponents ultimate power and control over all aspects of our society.
San Diegan John Fanestil is an ordained minister, historian, and Rhodes Scholar. In his upcoming book, American Heresy: The Roots and Reach of White Christian Nationalism, Fanestil writes:
“To understand white Christian nationalism in this broader sense, we must recognize it as a religious movement with deep roots in American history. We must confront the truth that dramatic displays of white resentment, radicalism, and racism like those we have witnessed in recent years reflect deep convictions that are neither marginal nor novel to American culture.”
We will run the “demoniacs” out of town
Awaken’s Jurgen Matthesius promotes torture and public execution on social media, calls people satanic and vile, vows to “take territory,” and calls Coronado residents who oppose his plans to establish a branch of Awaken here “demoniacs” while threatening to drive us out of town.
This is typical of Christian Nationalist demagogues who always seeks to drive a wedge between us with scriptural misrepresentations, self righteousness and the exploitation of ginned up fears, prejudices and hatreds.
This existential threat to our democracy calls on us to be vigilant. To remember that ours is a secular nation by design. To actively support liberty and justice for all… not just a self-anointed few.
Resources:
It’s No Big Deal, We Just Want to Take Over the World
Conspiracies, Crackpots and Crazies
Awaken Pastor Vows to Drive Coronado Residents Out of Town