The ReAwaken American Tour that recently visited a Batavia church features Christian nationalist ideology in several ways: the proclamation that America is a Christian nation, the idea that Donald Trump’s presidency was God’s will, and even anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.
But perhaps the most glaring example was when tour organizer and Trump’s first national security advisor Michael Flynn spoke at a San Antonio, Texas church last November.
Scholars generally define Christian nationalism as believing the U.S. was founded by and for Christians, and that the government should take steps to keep America Christian. Taken to the extreme, scholars say, it can discriminate against religious minorities, the non-religious and LGBTQ people, and be used to justify violence.
There are signs it’s becoming more prominent, whether it be comments from conservative elected officials, Christian imagery at the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol Building, or the ReAwaken America Tour itself.
In addition to the Christian symbols seen on Jan. 6, there’s been a surge in Christian nationalism among GOP candidates. They’ve had mixed results in recent Republican primaries, but recently got a high-profile win when Doug Mastriano won the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania’s governor.
Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene recently called for the Republican Party to be the party of Christian nationalism, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been accused of infusing Christian nationalism into school curriculum.
Even ReAwaken America speakers addressed Christian nationalism by name during the Batavia stop earlier this month.
“They can call me a Christian nationalist and they can get as mad as they jolly well please,” said Greg Locke, a Tennessee pastor who was on the steps of the U.S. Capitol during Jan. 6 and whose controversial sermons have included saying Democrats can’t be Christians.
And Texas evangelical thinker Lance Wallnau, who predicted Trump would be a “modern-day Cryus,” said it was the Devil who was labeling their movement as “Christian nationalist weirdo crazy.”