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Christian Nationalists' Obsession with Foreign Authoritarianism -…
Christian Nationalists' Obsession with Foreign Authoritarianism
From staunch anti-communism to pro former Soviet states (Posner, The end of the city on a hill)
Huge swing from just a few decades ago when these same post-soviet countries were part of the enemy of the christian US right → communism
Igor Dodon, Moldova’s president, is staunch ally of Putin
Country caught between Russia and E.U. → he is staunchly pro-Russia, and very anti-Western family values
“He called for a comprehensive national program whereby the government would enlist the Orthodox Church, mass media, and civil society to jointly “promote family values in the society””
Dodon’s ideas popular with Christian right, but unconstitutional in ways they connect church and state → Christian right embracing Eastern European ideas of right-wing authoritarianism
Viktor Orban, Carlson’s role model
Autocrat prime minister of Hungary
Thinks US should be like Orban, yet Orban openly creating “an illiberal state” and undermining democracy
Undermined legitimacy of elections, outlawed abortion, controlled media, demonized immigrants→ cheered on by Trump
Called Hungary a “Christian democracy”
He is champion of many far-right Christian activists in US
Orban: “Thirty years ago we thought that Europe was our future… Today we believe that we are Europe’s future”
Christian right thinks highly or Orban → over being tough on family, LGBTQ+, borders, etc → sometimes more excited about him than Trump
Vasadze talks about how when Soviet union existed, those in it wished for West, and now West has lost those things they longed for (freedom of speech because you can’t express shame over gay people) so argues authoritarian, hateful regimes are more free speech
Christian right admires Benito Salvini as “pro-family” hero
Dana Rohrabacher— most anti-communist member of congress from Cali, worked under Goldwater and Reagan, then did 180 and is most pro Russia member of congress — pro Russia, what happened to his libertarian values (Orange wave podcast, Putin’s Russia: City on a Hill)
Death of the City on a Hill (Posner, The end of the city on a hill)
U.S. Christian right is letting go of American exceptionalism, and idea of city on hill, to turn to Eastern Europe autocrats for inspiration about “pro-family policy”
Thinks transgender rights undermining city on a hill status
Christian Nationalists turn to Eastern European authoritarianism as the new "Shining City on the Hill"
Anti-liberalism and anti-democratic swing
US Christian right thinks “liberalism, unrestrained, has brought a once great nation to its knees”
Thinks Autocrats stand up for “traditional values”
“City on a hill” → white Evangelicals think no longer true, think they need new model to get back to this, new model is illiberal authoritarian states in eastern Europe → we need to copy them (In-class lecture, 3/25/21)
“City on a hill” myth commonly used by Christian right during cold way → belief that U.S. was “a nation with a divine mission to be a beacon of freedom and democracy to the world”
Reagan used “city on a hill” to condone American exceptionalism
Reagan turned phrase into mantra of American nationalism/far-right christians
Belief that US protected traditional family values, unborn babies, and was guided by bible, not secular values
Religious Right become involved in American politics
Christian nationalists are really good at inside game of catering to political elites (Stewart, Power Worshippers)
Inside game focuses on political elites, whereas outside game focuses on voters
Ralph Drollinger is the leader of the weekly bible study in the White House
Christian nationalists like Drollinger support Trump not because he is Christian (they know he isn’t) but because they prefer Autocrats to Democrats
The Bible can be used to rationalize any political platform → Christian Nationalists use it to defend plutocratic regime/the rich elites
“Drollinger’s bible is also firmly on the side of the wealthy” (Stewart, 49) → “God is pro-private ownership”
Bible study and political advocacy are the same
“Trump believes in the rule of force, not the rule of law”
Drollinger obsessed with Kings → God wanted Trump to be president
Drollinger’s bible study affects some of the most powerful politicians in the country, starting to affect conservative, bigoted policy
Religious leadership about money and power → not just abortion or anti-gay legislation
Christian Nationalists want a combination of church and state (Stewart, Power Worshippers)
Capitol Ministries
Trying to get bible-studies established in all 50 state capitols
Pushing bible and Jesus on politicians
Creating global network of Evangelicals
Claim that Bible and God stand firmly on the side of conservative politics
Thinks bible doesn’t defend social welfare programs → job of family or church to take care of less fortunate, never the gov
Trump seen as religious savior
Michele Bachman celebrated bringing president in who “is not ashamed of prayer”
American Christian right alliance with Europe’s far right Authoritarianism (Posner, The end of the city on a hill)
For years, Christian nationalists have looked to Authoritarian leaders globally for inspiration; they have lost faith in democracy and want illiberal regimes and authoritarianism
American Evangelicals are so ok with Trump and Putin being tight because they LOVE Putin and have been tight with Eastern European Authoritarians for decades
World Congress of Families
held conference in palace in Moldova → uniting East and West
Various intl politicians gather to forge relationships
Have natalist vision that they think is under attack from liberalism (gender identity, aggressive feminism, death culture of natural family, etc)
Worried about “war on fertility” → contraceptives and decline of nuclear family
concerned about “gender ideology” (coded language for LGBTQ+ ppl) was ruined the family
“continuous erosion of differences between a man and a woman could lead to dire consequences” -- Vasadze
alliance of alt right and religious right — Steve Bannon knew how to use religious right to elect alt right (Orange wave podcast, Putin’s Russia: City on a Hill)
History of GOP affinity for authoritarian leaders (Posner, Right Makes Might)
Republican Trump not the first Republican to sidle up to nativist/authoritarian leaders around the world → this is common occurrence → affinity for right-wing autocrats far predates Trump
Trump supports and celebrates autocrats and dictators → likes the “tough guy” leader
(Mohammed bin Salman, Kim Jong Un, Erdogan, Duterte, Putin)
Meanwhile, ruined relationships with Western democratic nations/longstanding allies like France and Germany
Because US is not putting pressure on far-right European authoritarians, they are emboldened
“Strongman caucus”
alliance of far-right authoritarian leaders around the globe → republicans in US cozy up to them for years
Until Trump, “Republican leaders in Congress have been passive enablers of the strongman caucus”
Anti-Democracy/Pro-Authoritarianism (Posner, The end of the city on a hill)
Christian nationalists lose faith in Democracy
Under Obama, Republicans and Christian leaders claimed that American democracy was “stifling the freedom of conservative Christians”
Want to get rid of liberal democracy because it no longer helps enforcing a certain view of the American body
Alexandr Dugin → Russian philosopher who argues that “the three chief political ideologies of the 20th century -- communism, fascism, and liberalism-- are defunct, and must be replaced with a fourth theory, emerging from Russia and rooted in “tradition””
Alt-right cites him often
Gave virtual speech in 2015 to Texas A&M university that was titled “American Liberalism must be destroyed”
Anti-liberalism/anti-democracy campaign (Posner, Right Makes Might)
Finkelstein managed to recast the word “liberal” as pejorative → US political strategist → hired by Orban for reelection campaign → very anti-immigration→ helped Orban win
In 2014, Orban openly declared his intention to make Hungary an “illiberal democracy”
Commie Mac IV → in 5 most highly paid foreign agents on k street → worked with Orban, and was in congress → influenced US gov on behalf of Orban
George Soros has become scapegoat for the right
Christian Right/alt right likes democracy when it works for them, disregard democracy when it doesn’t (Orange wave podcast, Putin’s Russia: City on a Hill)
Anti-democracy (Stewart, Power Worshippers)
Directly trying to undermine voting privileges of those who are on government assistance or don’t pay taxes → ruin democracy
Christian nationalists want to dominate every aspect of political life → want a king, want a new kind of leadership, want an end to democracy
Christian nationalists don't want democracy, they want ORDER
“White christian nationalism isn't about violence per se, because white christian nationalists hate disorder; instead, white christian nationalism is violent in the service of order” (Perry)
Order gives them power → who has the power to determine how the body looks
THE BODY (In-class lecture, 3/25/21)
People have used metaphor of the body for years about state → “the American body” → body is straight, white, Christian, native-born, English-speaking, heterosexual
Migrants/minorities/non-Christians/LGBTQ+ people thought to be polluting the purity of this body
People looking to Putin/Orban/etc as models of leadership, or the right kind of man, they are obsessed with babies/protecting the children
THE BABIES (In-class lecture, 3/25/21)
fit in as the most vulnerable in society → QAnon based on thinking their enemies eat/molest babies
The babies allow christian nationalists to think they have moral high ground
The baby needs the protector
Alt-right/fascist/Christian orthodox communities in Appalachia (I’m a Fascist, Riccardi-Swartz)
Some are self-identified fascists
Fascism is ideology of fear with strong hierarchy and authority
us vs them is central to fascism
“fascism as a worldmaking project… exudes nostalgia for nationalistic, often Christian, traditionalism” (Riccardi-Swartz)
Not populist→ fascist
“The rural communities with whom I have worked were not interested in amplifying the will or voice of the masses. They were interested in promoting the will of God by amplifying His voice through authoritarian political leadership that might unify Church and State” (Riccardi-Swartz)
Christian-Evangelical-raised American men turn from Evangelicalism to Catholicism to Islam and finally to Russian Orthodoxy
Done with America politically → Only care about Russia
Look to Russia for religious and political guide→ All about traditional values
Provides traditionalism, authority, hierarchy, patriarchy, family values (racist, homophobic, etc)
Didn’t want to make America great again, wanted to make America holy again
Persecuted patriot→ feelings of self-victimization as American Orthodox Christians
Apocalyptic post-Obergefell America
Putin wants a society in which there is not “other” → anti-gay legislation, for example
Church is a tool, a way to market this anti-otherness
People in this group in Appalachia didn’t really care about Trump, didn’t vote for him or if they did it was just because he’s not Clinton-- all they wanted to talk about was Putin
Want god-ordained leader, combination of church and state