When Fascism Came to America

America is going fascist, and it’s doing so with the help of religious zealots...This will sound alarmist to some, but the truth is that no country ever thinks it is going fascist until it wakes up one day to the indisputable reality. Then the people will say, “How did this happen?” And the answer is, “One day at a time, and with the blessing of the church.” — Robin Meyers

For six hours on January 6, 2021, America went fascist. A riot broke out in God’s name.

The insurrection at the Capitol Building wasn’t a spontaneous decision by rogue militants to commit treason, this day was decades in the making. Without a network of pastors, politicians, religious organizations, and devoted disciples, former President Donald Trump’s baseless election fraud lies would have been ignored. But those itching ears. Radicalized by evangelical leaders like Robert Jeffries, Eric Metaxes, James Dobson, and Franklin Graham, as well as organizations like Focus on the Family and The Family Research Council, white evangelicals joined forces with neo-Nazis and white supremacists in an act of domestic terrorism. It looked like a NASCAR race gone bad.

The New York Times reported that during the siege, the presence of white conservative Christians was unmistakable. One group prayed around a large wooden cross. The crowd held signs proclaiming “Jesus Saves,” and one sign read, “Jesus is my Savior, Trump is my President.” And for so many people, those two allegiances are synonymous. Jerry Falwell, Jr., the former president of Liberty University, claimed Trump to be an evangelical’s “dream president,” a strange endorsement for a lewd, profane man on his third marriage, who’s spent his life dodging sexual assault charges and convering up extra-marital affairs. But he’s right. Trump was the ideal candidate for a movement that would rather rule than serve. 

And though the insurrection failed, Christian nationalism is far from being defeated. Yale historian Willie James Jennings traces its roots all the way back to America’s founding, believing colonialism, racism, and Christian nationalism are the three driving forces that have shaped the evangelical imagination for hundreds of years. In the decades following World War II, white evangelicals began flocking to the Republican party due to its responses to particular social issues, like denouncing the sexual revolution, catalyzing the pro-life movement, and supporting segregation. But the genesis of this movement, which culminated in the siege of the Capitol, is entrenched in fear and the desire to control culture. 

Think about it, evangelicals have been peddling fear for generations in their ardent desire to bend America to their own will. During the 1960s, socialists and feminists were the enemy. In the ‘70s, it was homosexuals. In the ‘80s? More homosexuals. The ‘90s brought us the Clintons as Public Enemy Number One. Suddenly in the 2000s, Muslims were given that honor. In the 2010s, the Clintons were back on top, along with those God-hating liberals. And today? Socialists, BLMers, and transgender youth are the great enemy of the people. In a recent letter to his constituency, Dr. James Dobson wrote: 

Joe Biden and the Democrats also support open borders. So much for the wall! That means that people around the world will be invited to enter this country legally and take up permanent residence within it. From the day of their arrival, they will be entitled to free welfare, free legal services, free medical care, free education, and who knows what else...America is about to be over-run by the most leftist regime in history.

Interested in learning more about the Church’s sordid relationship with power? Check out our podcast episode “Unholy Trinity: Power”!

He’s not even trying to hide the racism, or his contempt for immigrants, especially the brown ones. So much for welcoming the stranger. But this movement has never been about compassion; it’s always been about conformity, control, and power. And what better way to control culture than through Christian nationalism.

Espoused by millions of Americans, Christian nationalism is the fatal syncretism of God and country, uniting evangelical and American identities under one militarized purpose. It is founded in fear and insecurity, and almost always makes an enemy of anyone who is “other.” Yet as Reverend Elizabeth Eaton warns, “Christian nationalism identifies a human government with God’s will and seeks privilege for Christians from the state.” This scandalous federation fuses gospel and government, joining the United States with the cause of Christ. It’s personified each Sunday in thousands of churches as the Christian flag and Old Glory stand side by side in a less-than-perfect union. Which by the way, now is as good a time as ever to remove the American flag from the sanctuary. Is it any wonder evangelicals are unprepared to choose between God and country since most of our worship spaces have affirmed the adoration of America alongside the praise of God? 

In simple terms, Christian nationalists believe America is a Christian nation and must be defended as such. And what better way to unite a political party than to link your platform with God. As Pastor Robin Meyers asked, “How on earth did followers of Jesus who counseled us to pray for our enemies, love the stranger, protect orphans and widows, how did they become the voting base for a major political party in America who can be depended on to pray for the death of our enemies, to exploit our fear and mistrust of the stranger, to cut programs that help orphans and widows, and to make life miserable for gays and lesbians?” 

The answer? Christian nationalism. May we look back on January 6 as the final day of Christendom, and the beginning of a new spiritual movement free from fear, exclusion, power, and violence.

Amen.

For a deeper dive, check out our Holy Heretics Podcast for more conversations about Christianity, political power, and the revolutionary way of Jesus.