Mastodawn

William Lindsey

"When President Bush invaded Iraq, evangelical leaders argued the war was justified morally. When Trump went to war with Iran, evangelical leaders simply cheered. ...

In 2003, evangelical leaders at least tried to bring religious and theological principles to bear in their public thinking and arguing about Bush’s war."

~ John Fea

#Trump #Iran #war #WhiteEvangelicals #WhiteChristianNationalism #HolyWar #authoritarianism #morality
/1

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/evangelicals-moral-case-just-war-bush-iraq-trump-iran-military-ethics

Do Evangelicals Still Care to Make a Moral Case for War?

When President Bush invaded Iraq, evangelical leaders argued the war was justified morally. When Trump went to war with Iran, evangelical leaders simply cheered.

The Bulwark

William Lindsey

"In all of this, we see a prominent recurring theme for evangelical leaders during the Bush era: the attempt to make a theological case for American power, both to the public and to those who directly wielded it. ...

The evangelical leaders and celebrity pastors who support Donald Trump do not appear to have a strong interest in building a moral world order" (continued in /3)

#Trump #Iran #war #WhiteEvangelicals #WhiteChristianNationalism #HolyWar #authoritarianism #morality
/2

William Lindsey

"through international coalitions and a foreign policy rooted in what the Christian tradition teaches about war, peace, and human dignity, as their forebears who supported Bush did. Instead, they seem guided by a desire to punish their enemies now, rejoice in the victory, and worry about the rest later."

#Trump #Iran #war #WhiteEvangelicals #WhiteChristianNationalism #HolyWar #authoritarianism #morality
/3

William Lindsey

"A good number of Trump’s supporters see him in sacralized terms. ...

The appeal of this religious rhetoric also involves a psychological attraction to brutality, cruelty, and domination. Amongst Trump’s base, many adhere to an idea of religion that, properly understood, is one of domination, of crushing of foes, of iron will, a celebration of hypermasculine violence."

~ Katherine Stewart

#Trump #WhiteEvangelicals #WhiteChristianNationalism #authoritarianism
/4

https://writekaths.substack.com/p/is-this-really-a-holy-war

William Lindsey

"We now take for granted that, at a whim, Trump can unleash the tremendous power of the U.S. military on anyone – and also withhold it. This is a message that he wants to convey to his internal political enemies along with his supporters.

The language of reactionary religion is a useful tool for consolidating power. In the end, it is about replacing American democracy with a corrupt, kleptocratic, authoritarian order."

#Trump #WhiteEvangelicals #WhiteChristianNationalism #authoritarianism
/5

William Lindsey

"The number of people who embrace this heresy [of Christian nationalism] in the United States hasn’t actually increased over the past decade. It is a minority position –two thirds of Americans reject it, as do most Christians. (Again, it isn’t Christian at all)."

~ William J. Barber and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

#Trump #WhiteEvangelicals #WhiteChristianNationalism #authoritarianism
/6

https://ourmoralmoment.substack.com/p/we-need-more-than-light-to-expose

We Need More Than Light To Expose Evil. We Need A Fire That Draws Us Together

It’s not enough to expose so-called “Christian nationalism.” We have to heal the wound this heresy aims to anesthetize by building a moral movement

Our Moral Moment w/ Bishop William Barber & Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

William Lindsey

"But the latest polling from PRRI shows that more than half of Republicans embrace this ideology, and its influence in our public life has been supercharged by Trump’s rise to power. ...

Religious nationalism isn’t new in American public life. Our colleague Phil Gorski calls it a 'deep story' – a trope Americans have come back to again and again."

#Trump #WhiteEvangelicals #WhiteChristianNationalism #authoritarianism
/7

William Lindsey

"Religious nationalists distort both Christianity and Judaism in American public life to persuade people who feel like they are losing control that Trump is the strongman who can save them. In the face of so many uncertainties, they have presented Trump as 'God’s chosen one' to assure people that everything is going to be alright."

#Trump #WhiteEvangelicals #WhiteChristianNationalism #authoritarianism
/8

William Lindsey

Wajahat Ali and Sarah Posner discuss how "Christian nationalists and pro-Israel extremists are uniting to burn The world." Ali says,

"We're not allowed to say white Christian nationalism. ... Meaning [not allowed by the] corporate media. You're just not. I was told, Can you say religious nationalism? Let's just say religious nationalism. Don't say Christian."

#Trump #WhiteEvangelicals #WhiteChristianNationalism #authoritarianism #media
/9

https://thelefthook.substack.com/p/how-christian-nationalists-and-pro

How Christian Nationalists and Pro-Israel Extremists Are Uniting to Burn The World

A recording from THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali's live video

The Left Hook with Wajahat Ali

William Lindsey

"And Robbie [P. Jones] and I are like, Nah, it's Christian nationalism. [The media say], Don't say white Christian nationalism, because it offends two powerful groups, white people and Christians. And so we still don't have a conversation about it in the mainstream, even though we're literally at war right now, thanks in part to a white Christian nationalist cheerleader cabal that is surrounding Donald Trump."

#Trump #WhiteEvangelicals #WhiteChristianNationalism #authoritarianism #media
/10

William Lindsey

"It is pretty clear that 'Christian nationalism' is the popularly accepted term for 'Trump-Christianity' or 'MAGA Christianity' or the most-recent-form-of-a-form-of-fundamentalist-Christianity that has been present in the United States for a very long time (under a variety of monikers!)."

~ Diana Butler Bass

#Trump #WhiteEvangelicals #WhiteChristianNationalism #authoritarianism #media
/11

https://dianabutlerbass.substack.com/p/no-kings-and-prodigal-protestants

No Kings and Prodigal Protestants

Some white Christian are finally showing up

The Cottage

William Lindsey

"In the first Christian worship service at the Pentagon since the start of the strikes against Iran, Pete Hegseth, who likes to call himself the 'Secretary of War,' used prayer and several Bible passages to cast the conflict as a holy war against God’s enemies."

~ Brian Kaylor

#Trump #PeteHegseth #Iran #war #WhiteEvangelicals #WhiteChristianNationalism #HolyWar
/12

https://publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/at-pentagon-worship-service-hegseth

At Pentagon Worship Service, Hegseth Casts Iran Conflict as Violent Holy War Against God’s Enemies

In the first Christian worship service at the Pentagon since the start of the strikes against Iran, Pete Hegseth, who likes to call himself the “Secretary of War,” used prayer and several Bible passages to cast the conflict as a holy war against God’s enemies.

A Public Witness

William Lindsey

"He prayed that God would pour out righteous wrath by helping 'break the teeth' and kill the 'wicked' enemies 'who deserve no mercy' and should be 'delivered to the eternal damnation prepared for them.'"

#Trump #PeteHegseth #Iran #war #WhiteEvangelicals #WhiteChristianNationalism #HolyWar
/13

William Lindsey

"And he did so during the service on Wednesday (March 25) while carrying up to the podium what looked like his Bible that’s stamped on the cover with a Jerusalem Cross and the phrase 'Deus Vult,' thus matching the controversial Crusader tattoos on his body."

#Trump #PeteHegseth #Iran #war #WhiteEvangelicals #WhiteChristianNationalism #HolyWar
/14

William Lindsey

Lyz Lenz says that it's impossible to talk about what's happening politically in the US now without noting the role religion plays in US politics and culture:

"As I travel around reporting on my next book, I am noticing once again that churches and religious leaders continue to be powerful voices in this American moment, both for good and for ill."

#Trump #MAGA #WhiteEvangelicals #WhiteChristianNationalism
/15

https://www.patreon.com/posts/why-is-religion-153858743

William Lindsey

"Joe Biden went to church more than Donald Trump, but it’s Trump who is seen as a 'Christian president.' This is because he embraces the branding of Christianity more than its tenets."

#Trump #MAGA #WhiteEvangelicals #WhiteChristianNationalism
/16

HarriettMB 17h ago

@wdlindsy It is clear the Hegseth and his associates have a minimal association with the Ten Commandments - namely ‘Thou shalt not kill, and Thou shalt not commit adultery, or Thou shalt not covet their neighbours wife etc…’
While the Bible is a brutal and horribly cruel book is many ways, the Ten Commandments were supposed to the the future of ‘Christianity’.

JeremyJupiterJones

Assuming Hegseth’s not a satanist like other members of the Epstein cult, I wonder if Pete Hegseth is familiar with these wise words from Christ appearing as passages in the Bible?

Matthew 5:44-45 (ESV): "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven."

Luke 6:27-28 (NIV): "But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."

Luke 6:35 (ESV): "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great..."

Matthew 5:46-47 (NIV): "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?"

Luke 6:31 (NIV): "Do to others as you would have them do to you."

@wdlindsy War Prayer, Mark Twain.pdf https://share.google/NJGKVTvsTUUZTXLwS