Carlos Camargo, Ph.D.’s Post

White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy  - PDF: https://lnkd.in/gXenrNjx  The most radical partisans of WCN, and the tip of the spear on the religious right today are the loose networks of “independent charismatics” known as the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). Their radical political theology is fundamentally incompatible with American liberal democracy. Its three core tenets are “spiritual warfare”, “seven mountains” and “kingdom now.” Followers of the NAR believes that they are engaged in an ongoing battle between the forces of good and evil, all around us, all the time; that people and places can be, and often are, possessed by demonic forces; and that Christians must join the battle and deploy “spiritual weapons”, and maybe physical ones, too. They also believe that modern societies are comprised of “seven mountains” of influence (business, media, education, government, religion, family, and the arts); and that Christians are commanded to take control over each mountain, by whatever means necessary. Finally, they believe that the Second Coming of Christ will commence once the seven mountains are under their control; that “end times” are imminent, and that Christians can bring them about through political action. Needless to say, this reduces democratic politics to a mere means to authoritarian ends. #whitenationalism #christiannationalism #SecondComing #NewApostolicReformation #spiritualwarfare #charismatics

This is the first in a series on measuring Christian nationalism, getting much mor specific about who is saying what about whom. Gotta get behind the smoke to the real fire. Measuring Christian Nationalism, Part 0 https://lnkd.in/gcSV8fQJ

#bradleybonishi #bradonishi #preparingforwar #uspoliticalcommentary #usreligioncommentary #uselection2024 #christiannationalism #ussocialcommentary #whitechristiannationalist #uscivilwar #uscivilwar2024 - Preparing for war : the extremist history of white Christian nationalism--and what comes next by Bradley B. Onishi The insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, was not a blip or an aberration. It was the logical outcome of years of a White evangelical subculture's preparation for war. Religion scholar and former insider Bradley Onishi maps the origins of White Christian nationalism and traces its offshoots in Preparing for War. https://lnkd.in/gd4aqjPH Combining his own experiences in the youth groups and prayer meetings of the 1990s with an immersive look at the steady blending of White grievance politics with evangelicalism, Onishi crafts an engrossing account of the years-long campaign of White Christian nationalism that led to January 6. How did the rise of what Onishi calls the New Religious Right, between 1960 and 2015, give birth to violent White Christian nationalism during the Trump presidency and beyond? What propelled some of the most conservative religious communities in the country--communities of which Onishi was once a part--to ignite a cold civil war? Through chapters on White supremacy and segregationist theologies, conspiracy theories, the Christian-school movement, purity culture, and the right-wing media ecosystem, Onishi pulls back the curtain on a subculture that birthed a movement and has taken a dangerous turn. In taut and unsparing prose, Onishi traces the migration of many White Christians to Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming in what is known as the American Redoubt. Learning the troubling history of the New Religious Right and the longings and logic of White Christian nationalism is deeply alarming. It is also critical for preserving the shape of our democracy for years to come. Worldcat Links - Preparing for war : the extremist history of white Christian nationalism--and what comes next by Bradley B. Onishi https://lnkd.in/g_pE9XFJ

This article explores the contemporary wars facing the Christian church in America amid increasing cultural and moral challenges. #Christianity #CultureWar #MoralIssues #AmericanChurch #SpiritualRevival

JMC faculty partner Mark David Hall has recently released a book about Christian nationalism in America titled Who’s Afraid of Christian Nationalism: Why Christian Nationalism Is Not an Existential Threat to America or the Church. Order the book today! #newbook #newbookrelease #newbookalert #americanhistory #civiceducation

The Church in Poland, when there is a need, calls for actions stemming from faith. And when there are people who are wronged or are suffering, it wants to testify to them, it comes to their aid as the Church! Not for any political reasons! Only for the reasons of Christian love, Christian solidarity!" (Card. Karol Wojtyła, Sermon delivered in the Church of St. Stephen in Krakow, December 26, 1976) Cardinal Karol Wojtyła's words express the essence of the Church's mission, which motivates it to act in the spirit of love and solidarity, while remaining independent of political interests. The Church serves society and defends the suffering and needy out of a genuine impulse of faith and Christian compassion. This Christian solidarity, which Cardinal Wojtyła spoke of, is an attitude of openness and empathy towards other people, especially in problematic and crisis situations. The Church, out of the spirit of solidarity, approaches people in need, sharing their difficulties with them, regardless of the person's political or material situation. For Karol Wojtyła, Christian solidarity is an obligation towards neighbors, rooted in the evangelical values, where love is active and expressed through concrete actions. Cardinal Karol Wojtyła clearly emphasized that the Church does not engage for political reasons, but only for those reasons resulting from its mission entrusted to it by Christ. This point distinguishes the actions of the Church from the actions of state institutions or political organizations, which are often guided by interests. Conversely, the Church is guided by the message of love and solidarity. It avoids entanglement in political conflicts, which allows it to maintain its credibility and moral authority in society. #wojtyła #wojtyla #johnpaulii #popejohnpaulii #society #societal #authority #morals

“The late Dr. Larry Hurtado, historian of early Christianity, in his wildly celebrated book Destroyer of the Gods, told the story of how a tiny Jewish sect of Jesus followers overcame the bastion of paganism and won over the Roman Empire in only a few centuries. His thesis was that it wasn't the church's relevance or relatability to the culture but its difference and distinctness that made it compelling to so many. The church was marked by five distinctive features, all of which made it stand out against the backdrop of the empire: 1. The church was multiracial and multiethnic, with a high value for diversity, equity, and inclusion. 2. The church was spread across socioeconomic lines as well, and there was a high value for caring for the poor; those with extra were expected to share with those with less. 3. It was staunch in its active resistance to infanticide and abortion. 4. It was resolute in its vision of marriage and sexuality as between one man and one woman for life. 5. It was nonviolent, both on a personal level and a political level. Now, if you plot those five features onto the map of modern American politics, the first two sound like liberal positions, as they are dealing with race and class; the second two sound like conservative positions; and the last one doesn't jibe with either. No political party or intellectual ideology outside the church of Jesus-that I'm aware of-holds all five together. Yet all five positions are basic, historic Christian orthodoxy. Nothing in the five is fringe or off center for a disciple of Jesus. If you lean Left in your politics, you will likely feel an overwhelming pressure to prioritize the first two and ignore the rest; and if you lean Right, to prioritize the third and fourth. But if we capitulate to either side, we let the name of Jesus become chaplain to the world rather than stand as a compelling alternative to the status quo. As far back as the 1970s, Lesslie Newbigin -a seminal thinker on post-Christianity from the UK-predicted (or maybe prophesied?) that as the West secularized, religion would not go away; it would redirect to politics. He warned of the rise of the political religions.” - Live No Lies, John Mark Comer

On the rise of Christian Nationalism in the U.S. (in lieu of our great and historical tradition of Patriotism + separation of Church and State): If pro-abortion supporters are biblical murders, what about pro-hatred supporters? Colossians 3:8 “But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” Once we accept a new citizen to the U.S., by birth or by naturalization, are we not all national brothers and sisters irrespective of religious denomination? 1 John 3:15 “Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.” Is economic inequality biblically justified? Ecclesiastes 5:8 If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them. I personally don't believe abortion is only a woman's right to choose. I also don't believe a woman who has been raped or subject to incest or whose life is in danger should be forced to bear the child. Christianity should not be about screaming biblical verses at the top of one's lungs and calling for war against others. Christianity should be about deep reflection on how to build positive bridges during challenging times. Most especially, SELF CONTROL Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” https://lnkd.in/dfsPT7Wa

Is Christianity greening? Many scholars argue that, ever since Lynn White’s devastating critique, Christianity has engaged with environmentalism. Many scholars also argue that this is only superficially so. These conclusions are often based on the case of the United States. Suzanne Ros and myself studied the case of the Netherlands between about 1960 and 2020 in an Open Acces article published in BMGN in June 2024. We analysed newspapers, annual reports of RNGOs and public surveys and discovered that Dutch Protestant Christianity is indeed greening, if slowly and chequered. We also found that this process occurred in four historical waves. Our article raises questions about the dynamics of this process and future developments. https://lnkd.in/ebp5aZBh

If you have followed political news at all over the last few years, then you've heard a lot about "Christian nationalism." Mark Hall's new book gives a clear-eyed assessment and evaluation of the size, scope, and significance of Christian nationalism, offering a corrective both to breathless critics and to pugnacious advocates. https://lnkd.in/e-kR8qie