Samuel L. Perry and Philip S. Gorski, authors of a new book called The Flag and the Cross, recently wrote an
opinion piece in WaPo that should be required reading for every thinking person in our great nation. Finally, a couple of briliant academicians have connected
all the dots of Trumpism, and illuminated why so many American voters believe so fervently in its lies.
White Christian Nationalism (WCN) appears to be something larger than (and mutated from) the sum of its parts. According to Perry and Gorski, the holy trinity of WCN (i.e. its animating principles) are freedom, order, and violence. If you are connecting your own dots by surmising that these three aspirations have been part of America’s lore since the founding, you would be on the verge of answering the biggest “why” question — Why on earth would 74 million people vote for Trump in 2020 after having first-hand awareness of his scorched-earth presidency the prior four years? The mythology of America (kinda, sorta) does put a high value on liberty (Declaration, inalienable rights), obedience (Mother may I?, Law and order), and military might (ok, we can skip Vietnam and Afghanistan, but the Revolution, Civil War, and two World Wars were legendary benchmarks of America’s military prowess).
The problem with WCN is that it has perverted the American tapestry into something entirely lacking the rich and royal hues our popular songwriters had bestowed upon it. According to Perry & Gorski...
- The WCN version of freedom doesn’t offer liberty to anyone other than people who look and think like the White Christian Nationalists themselves.
- Order is what is unleashed upon the “others” whose fortunes don’t align with the ruling class. Strict and swift orderliness is especially handed down to those who are uppity enough to want a better life for themselves than their caste permits.
- And finally, when necessary, ”righteous” (sneer quotes added) violence is meted out to the troublemakers, foreign or domestic — even if their (authentically righteous) version of trouble is inspired by the late John Lewis himself.
Perry & Gorski also tie in the seemingly disjointed WCN ideals about embryo rights, gun rights, death penalties, and police impunity. They clarify as follows:
“...the battle over abortion is just one front in a wider war to make America Christian again — by any means necessary. They are not pro-life so much as pro-control. We know this because the Americans who hold the strongest antiabortion stances are not consistently “pro-life.”
The authors even cite the manifesto of the Buffalo murder suspect as evidence of the WCN emphasis on White Christian culture more than the actual religion of Jesus. The accused shooter stated his belief that the white and western ways of life need defending — by law or by violence.
In my view, this is a silly thing for (religious) Christians to believe. Perhaps you have often wanted to ask your red-voting and religious friends or family members why they support someone so obviously anti-theistic as Donald Trump. Try this approach next time you see them: “Do you think God really needs your support of a corrupt politician like Donald Trump to carry out His will for America? Aren’t you putting your nationalism ahead of your faith by supporting someone so vile? What would Jesus do?”
But there’s another question that begs even more loudly for an answer. Why do these MAGA culture warriors favor Confederate and Nazi flags? Didn’t they read the same History books I read, where those two political movements were ruthlessly castigated with epithets such as inhumanity, unadulterated evil, and humiliating defeat? Now is a great time to make the obvious case to our red-hatted neighbors and friends that fascism and enslavement are far more dangerous (and far more unpopular) than a few bits of regulation and social engineering emanating from Washington DC whenever the Democrats are in power.
After we make the point that Bernie Sanders is not a danger to the American way of life like Trump is, we must be prepared to shower ridicule on anyone who finds themselves on the side of Nazis and Enslavers. Once upon a time, ridicule was a powerful motivator, and it can be again if we use it relentlessly where appropriate.
We will know that we have won the fight when even Republican politicians and pundits refuse to pretend that Nazism is a necessary step along the path to preserve cultural White Christianity.
I am hoping for the day when Tucker Carlson realizes that it’s ok for America to replace White Christian Nationalism with a new type of culture that enhances everyone’s life, liberty and pursuit of happiness — be they white or black, Christian or Muslim, and capitalist or democratic socialist.