EXTREMISMThe Genesis of Christian Nationalism
Christian Nationalism may seem like a phenomenon born out of our current political moment, but it represents the culmination of various movements with roots that trace back decades. The more extreme elements – waging a battle to win America from Satanic forces and Christianize it — didn’t just materialize a few years ago. They’ve been there from the start.
In recent years, the Christian right has become an increasingly powerful force in American politics. The belief that God has called on conservative Christians to rule over society has extended into all levels of government, from school boards to the White House.
Many pundits call this movement Christian nationalism. But while it may seem like a phenomenon born out of our current political moment, it represents the culmination of various movements with roots that trace back decades. The more extreme elements didn’t just materialize a few years ago. They’ve been there from the start.
The New Christian Right
In the beginning — in this case, the 1970s — some Christians feared their influence in society was waning. The Supreme Court had outlawed school-sponsored prayer and Bible readings and had legalized abortion.
In response, religious figures began to organize around the idea that they had a duty to bring Christianity back into public life. Several Christian-influenced organizations, including Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority and James Dobson’s Family Research Council, were soon formed and went on to shape Republican policies for decades to come. Evangelical Protestants of different denominations joined forces and united with conservative Catholics, like Paul Weyrich, the founder of the think tank the Heritage Foundation, to advance their shared political goals. Under the banner of “pro-family politics,” the New Christian Right movement fought against abortion access, feminism and gay rights as attacks on traditional family values.
Jerry Falwell: Televangelist who founded the Moral Majority, which mobilized conservative Christian voters for the Republican Party. Falwell, who died in 2007, also founded Liberty University.
James Dobson: Prominent evangelical leader and founder of Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council, which helped shape the politics of family values. Dobson is 88.
Paul Weyrich: Founder of several organizations in addition to the Heritage Foundation, Weyrich helped craft a coalition between conservative Catholics and evangelical Protestants that would extend into the present. Weyrich died in 2008.
Evangelicals Become a Voting Bloc
The National Affairs Briefing Conference, Dallas, Texas, Aug. 22, 1980
Inside a red-rimmed sports arena, more than 15,000 evangelicals gathered with conservative activists to discuss how to get Christians more involved in politics.
