Pamela Cooper-White - The Psychology of Christian Nationalism: Why People Are Drawn in and How to Talk Across the Divide

Praise for The Psychology of Christian Nationalism

This timely book takes on the dominance of Christian nationalism and the influence of its false moral narrative on larger society (not only on or coming from an isolated group of Christians, nor solely under the influence of Donald Trump). For anyone concerned with building a social justice movement rooted in moral and constitutional values of equality, truth, peace, and abundance for all, Cooper-Whites diagnosis of and prescription for such religious nationalismrooted in psychology, history, and Christian understandingsis a must-read!

Liz Theoharis, director, Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice, New York, and cochair, Poor Peoples Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival

This brilliant and courageous book is the best treatment we have of the complex psychological dynamics of the dangerous Christian nationalist movement in America. Without losing sight of the humanity of even the most racist and sexist of our fellow citizens, Pamela Cooper-White has given us a powerful and needed text on just how close we are to losing our democratic experiment.

Cornel West, Union Theological Seminary

In The Psychology of Christian Nationalism: Why People Are Drawn In and How to Talk Across the Divide, Pamela Cooper-White turns our attention to one of the greatest tasks facing the United Stateshow to stop the tide of Christian nationalism in this country. Hers is a nuanced analysis of the rise of Christian nationalism and its relationship to white supremacy. Cooper-Whites contribution to these concerns is her adeptness at navigating the psychological, conscious, and unconscious motivations that lead many to identify with sociopolitical groups that, on the face of it, contradict their religious and moral values. A practical theologian to the core, Cooper-White brings a tempered hope while arguing that the way forward is the simultaneous pursuit of justice and love.

Phillis Isabella Sheppard, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Associate Professor of Religion, Psychology, and Culture, Vanderbilt Divinity School, and director of the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements

Pamela Cooper-White

Fortress Press

Minneapolis

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM

Why People Are Drawn In and How to Talk Across the Divide

Copyright 2022 Fortress Press, an imprint of 1517 Media. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Email or write to Permissions, Fortress Press, PO Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209.

All Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Cover image: Torn American Flag by David Crockett, Getty Images

Cover design: Kristin Miller

Print ISBN: 978-1-5064-8211-8

eBook ISBN: 978-1-5064-8212-5

While the author and 1517 Media have confirmed that all references to website addresses (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing, URLs may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared.

O n January 6, 2021, a violent mob attacked the US Capitol in a shocking effort to stop the certification of the election of Joe Biden as the next president of the United States. Members of the crowd, many heavily armed and wearing military fatigues, broke through the inadequately guarded barricades, scaled the walls of Congress like commando fighters, and shattered doors and windows to enter the Capitol building. The marauders paraded into the building, destroying property that many Americans revere as sacred symbols of democracy; threatened the lives of members of Congress, their staff members, and journalists; and killed and severely injured members of a poorly equipped and overwhelmed Capitol police force.

Horrifying video footage shows the extreme violence against a Washington, DC, Metropolitan police officer who was crushed in a doorway.

This mob was made up of disparate but equally enraged groups who coalesced around a false belief that Donald Trump had actually won reelection as US president and that the election of Joe Biden, which Congress was about to certify that day, was the result of widespread electoral fraud and manipulation of the facts by the liberal media and the machinations of an elite left-wing deep state. They were spurred on by a rally near the White House where Trump told the crowd, We fight like hell and if you dont fight like hell, youre not going to have a country anymore. He exhorted the crowd to take matters into their own hands and stop the steal, instigating the violent insurrection.

Vice President Mike Pence and members of Congress pleaded with the president to send in the National Guard, but it was hours before they were deployed. Trump was observed pacing his quarters in the White House, appearing to take pleasure in the rioting as it unfolded. Pence became a special target of the mob after he refused to stop the routine certification of Bidens election. Hang Mike Pence! became a war cry among the insurgents as Secret Service agents hustled him and his family into hiding. Despite Pences loyalty throughout Trumps term in office, the former president did nothing to defend his own vice president.

Even as investigations continue probing the many causal factors, organizers, and funders of the insurrection, there is no doubt this antidemocratic protest was planned and fueled by Trump and his minions across the country. The mobs size and fever testify to the impact of conservative social media, such as the right-wing site Parler, and other platforms then or still operating openly or underground.

Despite warnings received weeks in advance, national security and local police forces did not take nearly adequate precautions. Many commentators concluded that this was because the expected protest crowd would be largely white and was therefore perceived as posing minimal threat. By contrast, massive police presence and violent crowd-control measures were unleashed against mostly peaceful participants in earlier Black Lives Matter protests.

Deep in the midst of this preplanning and the violence on the day itself was a loose-knit band of religiously motivated individuals who see themselves as devout Christians. Some of the most disturbing images on display among the crowds during the attack on the Capitol were the numerous flags and signs with Jesus Saves in bold letters and other Christian symbols proudly displayed alongside numerous blatantly racist ones. Those included a Confederate flag paraded through the halls of Congress and a noose hanging from a makeshift scaffold on the Capitol grounds. A photo that went viral showed a group of men before a seven- or eight-foot-high crossone with his forehead pressed against it in apparent fervent prayer. One group among the mob called themselves a Jericho March called by God to bring down the walls of government.

Most surprising for many of us was Trumps appeal for millions of Christians whose stated values of honesty, fidelity in marriage, humility, charitable speech about others, and a general spirit of dignity are the exact opposite of all that the former president represents. That appeal goes far beyond certain conservative policies (about abortion, immigration, welfare, etc.) that Trump championed, which are congruent with the convictions of a broad swath of Christianity often called evangelical. He tapped into a deep and broad reservoir that has been accumulating for decades, a large pool of Christians who feel they are being persecuted and are called by God to rise up and defend themselves against their enemies. And not only must they regain equal footing with others in society, many believe, but they must dominate and be in controland all this in the blessed name of Jesus. This growing movement of desperate would-be Christian conquerors is referred to as