hogfiddle anti-Semitism, Augustana, church&state, culture wars, immigration, racism, Swedes

Tucker Carlson’s ‘replacement theory’ rhetoric, white Christian nationalism and the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol

Let’s connect some dots that could help bring a couple of disparate strands of my immigration history project together. (Spoiler alert: I think some of the difficulties Swedish Lutheran immigrants experienced in the 1850s were similar to those confronting Buddhist, Hindu or Sikh immigrants today, and I think the “great replacement theory” of today is … Continue reading Tucker Carlson’s ‘replacement theory’ rhetoric, white Christian nationalism and the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol

hogfiddle Augustana, church&state, culture wars

Jan. 7 opinion piece blames white Christian nationalism, leaders for Jan. 6 Trump supporters’ riot

A day-after guest column in the evangelical magazine Christianity Today on the Jan. 6 riot when an angry mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building and tried to stop certification of the 2020 presidential election returns. That mob action brought into sharp focus several of the themes I’ve been trying to track in … Continue reading Jan. 7 opinion piece blames white Christian nationalism, leaders for Jan. 6 Trump supporters’ riot

hogfiddle Augustana, church&state, culture wars, diversity, immigration, racism, Swedes

Whitehead and Perry: (white) Christian nationalism, Jan. 6 riot, Jim Crow election laws a fundamental ‘threat to a pluralistic, democratic society’

An op ed piece by sociologists Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry uploaded yesterday to Time magazine’s website connects some important dots. Authors of Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States (Oxford, 2020), they conclude white Christian nationalism is “fundamentally a threat to a pluralistic, democratic society.” Here’s what I shared to Facebook … Continue reading Whitehead and Perry: (white) Christian nationalism, Jan. 6 riot, Jim Crow election laws a fundamental ‘threat to a pluralistic, democratic society’

hogfiddle church&state, culture wars

Jewish studies prof at Chicago: ‘Judeo-Christian’ language a dog whistle for white Christian exclusivism 

Since the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, I’ve been seeing more and more parallels to the anti-immigrant fervor of the 1850s. This time the targets are Muslims, Latino immigrants and, increasingly, progressives of all faith traditions instead of Irish Catholics, but the parallels are striking. And troubling One was suggested by Rachel S. … Continue reading Jewish studies prof at Chicago: ‘Judeo-Christian’ language a dog whistle for white Christian exclusivism 

hogfiddle Augustana, church year, ecumenism, immigration, Old Testament, pandemic, Swedes

A Lenten meditation on covenants, a Christian nationalist lynch mob, green bananas and a book proposal

Editor’s (admin’s) Note. Second of ___ Lenten meditations based on lectionary readings on the covenants of Noah, Abraham and Moses. This one takes off from the covenant of Abraham, makes a quick stop in Puritan New England and deplanes in today’s central Illinois. Mark 8 (NRSV) 34 [Jesus] called the crowd with his disciples, and said … Continue reading A Lenten meditation on covenants, a Christian nationalist lynch mob, green bananas and a book proposal

hogfiddle anti-Semitism, culture wars, racism

‘This is a harvest … of things sown’: White nationalist violence at the Capitol Jan. 6, in El Paso in 2019 and the South in 1958

As we build to a national reckoning on extremist violence, and the former president’s role in stirring it up, I’m clearing the decks — OK, more accurately, going through the random stuff saved to my hard drive — for an ambitious rewrite of my paper on Swedish immigration in the 1850s. (Also a time of … Continue reading ‘This is a harvest … of things sown’: White nationalist violence at the Capitol Jan. 6, in El Paso in 2019 and the South in 1958

hogfiddle church&state, culture wars, Swedes

White Christian nationalists in Illinois politics? You betcha!

“[Roger] Williams described the true church as a magnificent garden, unsullied and pure, resonant of Eden. The world he described as “the Wilderness,” a word with personal resonance for him. Then he used for the first time a phrase he would use again, a phrase that although not commonly attributed to him has echoed through … Continue reading White Christian nationalists in Illinois politics? You betcha!

hogfiddle anti-Semitism, church&state, Swedes

Christian nationalism: Notes & quotes

Jonathan Davis, “Christian nationalism and the looming death of religious liberty,” Baptist News Global, Aug. 13, 2018 https://baptistnews.com/article/christian-nationalism-and-the-looming-death-of-religious-liberty/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIt8aRy6T_7gIVHimzAB3bdAG3EAAYASAAEgJlBfD_BwE#.YDSUaRNKjm1 According to the Christian Nationalist Alliance, Christian nationalism “upholds the belief that politics is just as capable of saving souls as other forms of Evangelical outreach.” Let that soteriological statement sink in – the saving of souls … Continue reading Christian nationalism: Notes & quotes

hogfiddle Augustana, church&state, immigration, Swedes

Webinar on Christian nationalism after riot at U.S. Capitol, Jan. 6 (and Philip Gorski’s metaphor of rioters as apples, oranges and fruit cocktail)

D R A F T How can we respond when we see our faith and democracy under siege? On January 27, 2021, the Christians Against Christian Nationalism movement presented this webinar to explore how Christians are identifying and responding to the dangers of Christian nationalism in the wake of the January 6 insurrection at the … Continue reading Webinar on Christian nationalism after riot at U.S. Capitol, Jan. 6 (and Philip Gorski’s metaphor of rioters as apples, oranges and fruit cocktail)

hogfiddle Augustana, church&state, culture wars, folk churches, Swedes

‘Us vs. them mentality’ in evangelical post-election support of Trump, ‘Christian nationalism’ (cited in CSM story)

Notes and quotes for my research on Swedish immigration — from an article on a “Jericho march” protesting Pres. Donald Trump’s defeat in the Nov. 3, 2020, election … Citation: Harry Bruinius, “Will election become a new ‘lost cause’ for evangelical conservatives?” Christian Science Monitor, Dec. 16, 2020 https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2020/1216/Will-election-become-a-new-lost-cause-for-evangelical-conservatives? A summary from the Monitor, under headnote … Continue reading ‘Us vs. them mentality’ in evangelical post-election support of Trump, ‘Christian nationalism’ (cited in CSM story)