Jemar Tisby and Wendell Griffen on White Christian Nationalism: "Uses Christian symbolism to create a permission structure for the acquisition of political power and social control"

Photo by Tyler Merbler from January 6 attempted insurrection

Several days ago, I told readers about a new a new series of videotaped/podcast discussions about white Christian nationalism being offered by historian and religion scholar Jemar Tisby. The series is entitled "White Nation Under God." The first episode in this five-part series was broadcast on Wednesday, 11 November and is now available online. Its thematic focus:

White Christian nationalism is an ethnocultural ideology that uses Christian symbolism to create a permission structure for the acquisition of political power and social control.

In related commentary, Arkansas judge and Baptist pastor Wendell Griffen comments on the choice of nearly 9 in 10 white evangelical "values voters" in Georgia to vote for Herschel Walker, and of the large majority of white evangelicals  in Arkansas to vote overwhelmingly for Sarah Huckabee Sanders, both with well-proven track records of lying boldy and publicly: 

The principle that motivates white evangelical Christian conservatives is power, not democracy, justice or peace. White evangelical Christian conservatives worship white supremacist power. White patriarchal power. White capitalist power. White militarist power. White homicidal and genocidal power.

White evangelical Christian conservatives fear democracy. That is why they oppose voting rights for people of color, immigrants and other marginalized persons.

White evangelical Christian conservatives fear human diversity. That is why they mistreat gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and other persons.

White evangelical Christian conservatives fear truth. That is why they censor educators, defund public schools and libraries.

White evangelical Christian conservatives fear democracy, equity and justice. That is why they want to ban women from deciding when and whether to bear children.

White evangelical Christian conservatives are not driven by faith in God, democracy or justice. They are driven by fear of losing the power of white supremacy, patriarchy and authoritarianism.

For a valuable resource examining the role white Christian nationalism played in the attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election, see "Christian Nationalism and the January 6 Insurrection," published this past February by Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and the Freedom from Religion Foundation. See as well "Uncivil Religion: January 6, 2021," produced by University of Alabama's Department of Religious Studies and the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, documenting the centrality of Christian symbols in the attempted insurrection on January 6.