How a new Christian right is changing US politics - BBC News

Summary

In a deeply divided America, a powerful minority known as the Christian Right is rising with a vision to integrate Christianity into governance. Their influence is being felt from grassroots education to high-stakes elections, advocating for Christian nationalism—a blend of religious and political activism. This movement has intensified cultural and political battles across the nation, questioning the boundaries of church and state and aligning strongly with ultra-conservative policies. With roots in long-standing political currents, the Christian Right is leveraging the cultural and demographic shifts within the U.S., striving to maintain a conservative stronghold and reshape America’s political landscape, often sparking controversy and debate over its implications for democracy.

Highlights

• The rise of the Christian Right represents a shift towards integrating religion with politics. 🙏
• Christian nationalism advocates for a country governed by Christian values, blending faith and state. 🇺🇸
• Schools are at the frontline, where debates over religious and conservative values are most heated. 📚
• The influence of this movement is apparent in local elections, with significant wins for conservative candidates. 🏆
• Deep cultural and political divides are posing challenges to the concept of separation of church and state. ⚖️

Key Takeaways

• The Christian Right is increasingly influential in U.S. politics, advocating for integrating Christianity into governance. ✝️
• This movement is driven by the belief that religious and national identities should be intertwined, often called Christian nationalism. 📜
• Education is a key battleground, with debates over conservative Christian values in schools leading to high political stakes. 🏫
• Prominent figures and organizations are rallying voters on religious grounds, influencing local and national election outcomes. 🗳️
• This movement raises questions about democracy and the separation of church and state, sparking nationwide debates. 🤔

Overview

The Christian Right is gaining traction in American politics, advocating for a governance model intertwined with Christian values. This movement, often dubbed Christian nationalism, emphasizes a return to traditional values and a greater role of religion in public life. From sermons in churches to rhetoric in political campaigns, the Christian Right is reshaping the political narrative in the U.S.

Central to this movement is the reworking of education systems to align with conservative Christian values. School board meetings have turned into battlegrounds over what children are taught, particularly about gender, sexuality, and history. This shift is seen as a strategy by conservatives to influence future generations and maintain political dominance.

However, the push for Christian nationalism has sparked widespread debate and controversy. Critics argue that it blurs the line between church and state, potentially undermining democratic values. As America grapples with cultural and demographic changes, the future of this movement remains uncertain, with its potential to redefine the nation's political landscape continuing to provoke vigorous discussion and dissent.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 01:00: The Rise of Christian Nationalism The chapter, titled 'The Rise of Christian Nationalism,' delves into the emergence of a powerful minority in the United States with a distinct vision of intertwining religion and politics. It emphasizes the belief that God cannot be separated from government, reflecting one of the oldest and most influential streams in American politics. Amidst a deeply divided nation, the Christian right is resurfacing with renewed vigor, expressing a desire to cultivate a Judeo-Christian nation.
• 01:00 - 02:30: Christian Influence in Schools This chapter explores the increasing influence of Christian nationalism in American schools and politics. It highlights how Christian values and beliefs are being asserted, with the claim that Christianity is under attack. The chapter discusses the role of churches in spreading this message and how it aligns with ultraconservative political candidates, particularly during the midterm elections. The movement is described as undemocratic by some critics and is noted to have gained momentum with the support of figures like Donald Trump.
• 02:30 - 04:00: Challenges in Education and Gender Politics The chapter titled 'Challenges in Education and Gender Politics' discusses the intertwining of religious and political beliefs impacting education. The narrative begins with a mention of Christianity and political correctness, referring to the influence of certain ideologies following an election loss. The text alludes to the January 6th storming of the Capitol, highlighting a perceived connection between political events and religious gatherings. It suggests that some churches do not separate these domains, arguing that this blend can manifest in local education systems. Furthermore, the chapter notes the increased security presence, such as police officers, at Schoolboard meetings, indicating heightened tensions and the controversial nature of the topics discussed, particularly as they pertain to education as a battleground for cultural and political issues.
• 04:00 - 06:00: Political Movements and School Boards The chapter delves into the impact of political movements on school boards. It explores the sentiment among people across the United States who feel they are engaged in a battle for the soul of America. This sentiment is particularly evident in places like Tarrant County, which is known for its conservative churches and wealthy white demographic.
• 06:00 - 08:30: Conservative Christianity's Political Drive The chapter 'Conservative Christianity's Political Drive' explores the political dynamics of a key urban community in Texas known for being America's largest Republican urban area. Despite its conservative reputation and its role in helping to elect Donald Trump, this region narrowly supported Joe Biden in the 2020 elections. This shift highlights the area's significance as a testing ground for conservative strategies to maintain influence in changing political landscapes. As an example of typical daily life in such communities, Laney HW's morning routine is described, illustrating the everyday backdrop against which these political shifts are occurring.
• 08:30 - 11:30: Christian Nationalism and Racial Implications The chapter discusses the rising influence of conservative and Christian ideologies in the educational system, as observed by a mother who has become increasingly involved in addressing these changes. Initially, the local school board meetings were uneventful, but they have since become contentious, requiring police presence due to heightened tensions.
• 11:30 - 14:30: Patriotic and Political Preaching The chapter discusses the intense cultural battles occurring at school boards across the country, particularly highlighting the situation in Taran County. The disputes focus on how topics such as sexuality, gender identity, and the history of racism are taught, as well as the debate over permissible reading materials for children. It emphasizes the polarized views, with one side asserting there are only two genders and opposing the use of non-traditional pronouns, while the opposing view focuses on the life-impacting effects of censorship, especially on queer youth who face significantly higher risks.
• 14:30 - 18:00: Controversial Voices in the Church This chapter delves into the mental health struggles and increased suicide rates among adolescents lacking support from home, peers, and school, highlighting the adverse effects on their well-being.
• 18:00 - 21:30: Christian Nationalism in Elections The chapter explores the impact of Christian nationalism in elections, focusing on efforts to protect Conservative Christian values. It highlights how Patriot Mobile invested significantly in candidates across various districts, successfully enabling them to win numerous school board seats. This strategy is part of a broader Republican playbook aimed at gaining political control from the grassroots level, with influential figures like former Trump adviser Steve Bannon emphasizing the critical role of school boards in this approach.
• 21:30 - 25:00: The Reawaken Tour and Political Influence In 'The Reawaken Tour and Political Influence,' the chapter discusses recent actions in Taran County, where school boards have implemented new restrictions concerning books and gender identity. Glenn Story, the owner of Patriot Mobile, enlisted political strategist Lee Wagon to help propagate the company’s Christian-focused message. This development raises concerns, especially for parents of school-aged children, as they navigate these changes in the context of unprecedented Christian influence in local educational policies.

How a new Christian right is changing US politics - BBC News Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 this country belongs to God Almighty a powerful minority is on the rise with a particular vision of America you cannot separate God from politics you can't take him out of our government it's one of the oldest and most influential currents in US politics but in a country deeply divided the Christian right has found a new voice we desire to live in a judeo-christian nation with judeo
• 00:30 - 01:00 Christian values it claims Christianity is under attack and that God belongs in government with pastors preaching its message in churches and its beliefs guiding ultraconservative candidates in the midterm elections I'm a Christian and I say it proudly we should be Christian nationalist the movement is known to many as Christian nationalism and the far right is taking it to the extreme we are the Christian Taliban some are warning that this is fundamentally undemocratic it was Amplified by Donald Trump we're going to
• 01:00 - 01:30 protect Christianity and I can say that I don't have to be politically correct powered by his election loss it broke cover at the storming of the capital on January 6th last year Christ's holy name we pray you can't diminish what happened on January 6th from what's happening in some sanctuaries on Sunday morning their Crusade is starting from the ground up and education is the front line our Schoolboard meetings have police officers at at the meetings to escort
• 01:30 - 02:00 people out who get too out of control to understand this moment in US politics you have to understand this movement I met people across the country who feel they're battling for the soul of [Music] [Music] America tarant County known for conservative churches wealthy white
• 02:00 - 02:30 neighborhoods and good schools it's America's largest Republican urban community and it helped elect Donald Trump but in 2020 Joe Biden won here by a hair this politically crucial corner of Texas has become a testing ground for how conservatives can maintain their grip do either one of you want banana bread it's 6:30 in the morning like every parent Laney HW is rushing to get
• 02:30 - 03:00 her children ready for the day but in the past few months she spent more and more of her time focused on schooling fighting back against what she believes is growing conservative and Christian influence in the classroom when we first got here everything was mild school board meetings were boring um and then everything ramped up to this and this is where we are now and it's a fight right our Schoolboard meetings have police officers at the meetings to escort people out who get too out of control
• 03:00 - 03:30 school boards are Ground Zero of the culture wars taking place across the country in Taran County they're churning with disputes over what children are taught about sexuality gender identity the history of racism and over what they should be allowed to read there's only two genders and guess what teachers shouldn't be forced to use your freaking madeup fantasy pronouns fight like hell this a vasive censorship is much more than politics this is about lives queer youth or dis substantially higher rate
• 03:30 - 04:00 for suicide compared to the national average for adolescence not having support from your home your peers and your school means adverse mental health effects and eventually suicide attempts transforming lowprofile elections into high stakes political conflicts and Central to that is Christianity but not through the pews remember when America stood for things like honor Freedom personal responsibility and Faith enter a Texas cell phone company on a mission
• 04:00 - 04:30 to protect Conservative Christian values Patriot mobile spent nearly half a million dollars supporting 11 candidates in four districts all of them won we took over 11 11 11 11 seats on school board took over four it's part of a new Playbook by Republicans to take over politics from the ground up backed by political operatives like former Trump adviser Steve Bannon one of the keys is these school boards right the school boards are the key ke that picks the
• 04:30 - 05:00 lock talk to us about what you did in Taran County since then those school boards have begun to put new restrictions on books and gender identity issues the owner of patriot mobile Glenn story recruited longtime political operator Lee wgon to help mobilize the company's Christian message as a mother and of you know School aged kids it's really quite concerning we have never in a time in in these cities that we were dealing with had Christianity so um so
• 05:00 - 05:30 attacked um attacked what do you mean oh look at some of the public um the public comments in school boards and people calling Christianity a terrible racist bigoted thing and the reason we started with school boards is because that is the level of government that is in fact that is most impacting the future of our country what we were seeing is the leftist indoctrination instead of Education you feel you have a
• 05:30 - 06:00 responsibility to bring God back into the schools in some way no question that's what you're doing no question we need to have a little bit more of faith in schools in the sense of we have to remove what I feel is ungodly stuff out of the school or put what he feels is Godly into the school recently Texas passed a law saying schools had to display posters of the national motto if they were donated Patriot mobile delivered hundreds
• 06:00 - 06:30 hello Laney and other parents saw an opportunity to take a stand I'll this one I'm going Shan Krishna has two children in school he asked students to design signs that would include them these were the voices he felt were unheard Arabic speakers transgender and gay kids the school board initially rejected the signs the issue has gone to court schools shouldn't be a place where you have people competing with which God is the best car right but that's where
• 06:30 - 07:00 we are right so it should never be that you know keep keep your religion to yourself your religious institutions churches temples right houses or accept all gods yeah or or make it a place where everything absolutely yes for Lany and shren the signs may have been a political stunt but they see something much more Sinister at work we see the Republican Party who has decided one of their goals is to bring God into schools and that is the plan long term is to
• 07:00 - 07:30 bring God also into the government so to me it's anti-American to try and bring Christian ideology into our schools or into our government our country is based on allowing people to make that choice for themselves I raised the sign controversy with Patriot mobile it's created a great uproar because folks just hate the concept of in God we trust and so and my response is look it's the national motto we're not doing anything other and if you don't like it take
• 07:30 - 08:00 every bill out of your pocket and throw it away because it says it on every bill every coin you don't think it was an issue of who's God and whose God do we trust no cuz the Alternatives brought forward were an Arabic and you know LGBT has it was more political than just the word God right all right you guys ready for all parents here this boils down to the future of their children and who gets to shape what that will become
• 08:00 - 08:30 the concerns I found in Texas echo resoundingly through the Conservative Christian establishment this fear of a cultural takeover by what they label the radical left the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville Kentucky is one of the largest in the world wow training leaders who are shaping the future of the Evangelical Church have you and other Christian leaders taken on a more overtly political role well inevitably because you know Christian preachers didn't have
• 08:30 - 09:00 to preach about lgbtq issues in any sense we as we do now because those weren't issues in the culture no one was talking about them for mhler this shift has been a fundamental change for both the country and the church I think for conservative Christians there has been a Dawning awareness of the fact that whereas the society basically agreed with us on almost every important issue I mean the the overlap if you take a VIN diagram was so overwhelming that Outsiders would call the United States a
• 09:00 - 09:30 Christian Nation so something's clearly changed and conservative Christians in this country are now in a paradox or a predicament I think that's why you see such a uh well you know it be called by those who don't like it the rise of the new Christian right or uh the uh The Awakening of uh the Christian vote in the United States well there's a reason for that the rise of the new Christian right is called Christian nationalism by some the belief that America was founded as a
• 09:30 - 10:00 Christian Nation and that the government should keep it that way blurring the line between church and state so Christian nationalism is a new term for a very old phenomenon so it privileges uh a religious identity uh with citizenship in its most virulent form it turns out to also have an ethnic or racial uh component to it uh in the US that component has been around European descent or whiteness um as it has developed in the country so uh when I
• 10:00 - 10:30 talk about Christian nationalism in the US I usually talk about white Christian nationalism Donald Trump was seen as defending their cause when he entered the white house we're going to protect Christianity and I can say that I don't have to be politically correct or and it was the storming of the capital that showed just how much religious and political identities had begun to merge on the right bonded by a belief that the election had been stolen Jesus Christ we
• 10:30 - 11:00 invoke your name amen amen many reject the Christian nationalist label as a leftist smear but a few right-wing politicians are embracing its holy rhetoric we need to be the party of nationalism and I'm a Christian and I say it proudly we should be Christian nationalists the church is supposed to um direct government not the opposite way the church is supposed to influence government and and and we need to be so involved in what is going on in our government online extremists have
• 11:00 - 11:30 taken it even further we are the Christian Taliban this is this is the era of Christian nationalism what's different now uh is that the country is no longer majority white and Christian is recently as 2008 when Barack Obama was first running for president our first African-American president uh the country was actually 54% white and Christian so comfortably majority white and Christian uh that number today is 44 percent and I think that threat right of
• 11:30 - 12:00 white Christians no longer knowing they're in control demographically culturally politically um is why we're seeing it kind of come to the four in the current context prominent voices in the black church are also sounding the alarm about the racial implications of the movement and warned that the spirit of the January 6th attack was not contained in the capital you can't diminish what happened on January 6th from what's happening in some sanctuaries on Sunday morning morning
• 12:00 - 12:30 you can't separate this passion to overthrow the nation's capital with violence on January 6 from the rhetoric that you hear on Christian radio you can't separate this desire to pull down elected officials and maybe even call for their murder versus what we hear frankly from people all across the nation even elected officials who are praying for the death of the president
• 12:30 - 13:00 many pastors were at the capital that day oh there he is I traveled to Tennessee deep in the Bible Belt where one of them continues to preach so Pastor Ken has asked me to meet him here on this overpass to watch him waving flags seems a bit of a patriotic stunt I think he does it a lot hello Pastor Ken hey hi how are you good how are you doing good thank you God bless you thank you very and God bless America and God bless Donald Trump
• 13:00 - 13:30 Ken Peters has denounced the violence of the capital Riot but still defends what he sees as a patriotic Mission come on we do feel like God has a special plan for this country and he still has a plan for this country and on January 6th you felt that was under threat oh absolutely absolutely we felt like the the enemy meaning leftists uh who don't like Christians um had stolen our nation
• 13:30 - 14:00 Peter's Patriot church is one of a growing number of non-denominational startup congregations that say they want to take back the country for God I was a little unsure of what to expect as someone who grew up in the church what I heard here was not the gospel I knew political activism as an act of worship the lgbtq and the left is saying oh you're a church separation of church and state get in the stands you can't fight the fight you can't play in the game Church preachers you stand up in the
• 14:00 - 14:30 stand separation of church an aggressive response to a sense of being under siege Christians are going to have to get feisty they're going to have to get in the fight a little bit and quit sticking their head in the sand and being completely pacifist when it comes to politics for him that means a crusade against abortion hey if God can overturn roie Wade he can do anything amen and ending same-sex marriage yeah I want to exclude certain types of
• 14:30 - 15:00 relationships sexual relationships from the term marriage it's special to us it's in the Bible it's something we really care about and you want a government that would impose that I want a government that keeps marriage what it's always been what he preaches from the pulpit is meant to be taken to the polls we endorse Monty Fritz we endorse him and his message seems to be resonating Patriot churches have expanded to several locations Peters says they're
• 15:00 - 15:30 attracting followers from more liberal states to me this isn't anything new it's just how I even grew up God family country that it's it there's nothing wrong with that and um some try to you know shame us for loving our country this is where God placed us we wanted to come and find a place that wasn't afraid to take a stand that wasn't afraid to speak out if there were issues that they thought um needed to be spoken about we
• 15:30 - 16:00 are definitely a Christian Nation and should be a Christian Nation so to try to separate politics from the church is asinine it cannot be done um and if you're doing it you're Pro if you are doing that you're probably doing something wrong I wanted to know if most churches in Tennessee felt the same way so I continued my journey to the city of Franklin south of Nashville in a county that's been called the New Frontier for American Evangelical Christianity
• 16:00 - 16:30 father we thank you for this day and we thank you for another week I joined an early morning meeting of community activists who work with the homeless led by Pastor Kevin rigs he grew up as a conservative Evangelical and had dreams of becoming a mega church pastor but a close reading of the Bible convinced him God cared more about social justice there's division within the church like I've I haven't seen it I've had friends who were pastors of churches and because they spoke out um uh against um the
• 16:30 - 17:00 religious right or against President Trump then they're asked to leave their Church what's the threat do you think what's the danger you hear the term a lot in in Evangelical circles that we're fighting a cultural war and I think you could very easily replace the word culture with civil and that's kind of where we are and it's been a a code Civil War where it's all been about ideology and fighting for these things but that could very quickly become violent um it could become you know the
• 17:00 - 17:30 the um the the right will have a tendency to take up arms um to protect their their right there are pastors who seem to court controversy even Thrive off it Greg lock burned Catholic rosaries and Harry Potter books on Halloween night objects of sorcery and Witchcraft he called them we don't have to be so careful with what we say or I met him in his Studio near Nashville where he films his popular cast about faith in politics
• 17:30 - 18:00 the social media that's the biggest part of it I think it's about 4.6 million people across all the you know Facebook and all the platforms of course no more Twitter I was suspended for life from Twitter but uh at the end of the day we literally have millions of people that watch and then that brings a lot of people to the church good evening global vision family give the Lord some praise in his house Lo made a name for himself as a trump pastor but he really took off by challenging the co shutdown and yes he was also at the capital Rock rot you ain't seen the Insurrection yet he
• 18:00 - 18:30 preaches politics to his following that can sound like extremist rants you god-hating communist America you'll find out what an Insurrection is cuz we ain't playing your garbage we ain't playing your mess my Bible says that the Church of the Living God so you also said in your church that Democrats are demons do you really believe that absolutely I believe the Democratic party is demonically energized and so I told him look if you believe in butchering babies and you celebrate stolen elections and
• 18:30 - 19:00 you don't want freedom and you're against the Second Amendment or even the First Amendment then leave you can leave anytime you want to it's one thing to be tired of a party it's another thing to say they are evil they are demonic right but I don't mind saying that couldn't this be a way of inciting to violence those people who listen to you either in your church or online because they might take it a step further if this is evil I should go after it you know every bucket sits on its own bottom people have been saying that for years oh if you follow Jesus then that means you're going to make a whip and going into a church and run people out it's not quite the same
• 19:00 - 19:30 thing it's exactly the same thing you're calling fellow Americans evil and putting it in the context of an apocalyptic battle between good and evil there is an apocalyptic battle between good so that is the kind of language that could be used to incite violence against such people could be an is or two very different things that's not my responsibility I have responsibility you don't see that as a responsibility to stay away from possibly inciting violence no I'm not inciting violence I'm preaching the Bible of pastors getting is now preaching the Bible with
• 19:30 - 20:00 a growing emphasis on deliverance from demons there's none of the political rhetoric tonight you can see that Greg L really knows how to draw a crowd this is emotional it's powerful it's dramatic he knows how to develop a following some you feel like throwing up you feel something com after the service people gathered at the front seeking prayer to be freed from their demons get parano out in Jesus name in this kind of mass Deliverance service is
• 20:00 - 20:30 tapping into a very old tradition of Pentecostal Revival in the United States it breaks through in new ways when people are hungry for the experience of a living and mighty God for those here the spirit of God was moving but how is this mix of charismatic evangelism right-wing politics and trumpism playing out in the midterm elections I do think we're seeing kind of a test run of some of this rhetoric um in the midterms and I I think it is kind of dip the toe in the water see how
• 20:30 - 21:00 this plays on The Campaign trail with a rev up to 2024 one of the best examples of a candidate backed by this new religious right is the Republican Contender for Pennsylvania Governor Doug mastriano he's a former military man campaigning as a Christian Warrior framing this election as spiritual warfare don't be held in bondage by those lies and tricks of the enemy because Satan sees a potential you have in Jesus Christ here to change the course of history we stand at a crossroad right now in Pennsylvania and this is our time we're taking our
• 21:00 - 21:30 country back and it starts right [Music] here I went to Pennsylvania to find out what voters were thinking traveling deep into Amish Country I'd met Jeff and Janice Gavin at a campaign event their friends Chris and Bobby Foley were visiting from out of state I'm going to be voting conservative not necessarily Republican because I look at both sides but most of what I hear from the Democratic side is
• 21:30 - 22:00 anti-me I don't align with that message and uh what about mastriano mastriano I'm well well behind I I he has to win for to the state to recover do you believe that Marano has been called by God yes absolutely oh absolutely what do you think that God has called them to do to get involved politically well if you read the Bible and all the stories in the Bible he uses people people to move
• 22:00 - 22:30 and to do things in God's Will and God has called upon many people to take back this world from this who is God calling to take back America now well I think he appointed he did appoint Trump this is going to be a long turn too it's not going to be something that's going to happen with this election I mean it's going to take a while to get this country back the way it was because it took 30 40 years to to to turn it around but but I think it may take a couple may
• 22:30 - 23:00 take 2024 now 2022 is going to be a really big real effective effective it'll definitely set the the pace on what's going to happen from there on out but I think God's going to come down and he's going to make things change and when you've taken the country back what is that going to look like um I think it's going to look good because you have the you'll have God back in the in the government you get God back in the schools you get God back you got the Ten Commandments think about living by The Ten Commandments none of
• 23:00 - 23:30 our kids even know the Ten Commandments after we spoke they headed to an event where the Christian right is finding a new voice where are my Christian nationalists at in this room thank you if you're a this is the reawaken tour a traveling Road Show attracting tens of thousands of people as it crisscrosses the nation you cannot separate God from politics you can't take him out of our government its attendees are antiva anti-mask and
• 23:30 - 24:00 they're invoking God to stop the steal on the sidelines hundreds of people cued to be baptized by water and by the spirit this really feels like a church service and it's felt like a church service several times today but then again it felt also like a political rally so it's both I mean I've never really seen such a mixture of religion and politics top billing was shared by a handful of trump loyalists the general
• 24:00 - 24:30 who served two presidents then convicted of lying to the FBI BBC wants to know if you want to no the political operative convicted of lying to Congress collecting money for his legal fees Eric TR and the man himself dialed in while his son was on stage we're going to bring this country back because our country's never been in such bad shape it's a Carnival of chaos those who are
• 24:30 - 25:00 preaching election fraud and Co conspiracies and Christ and that's the power of the message the midterm election will be the first test of how this plays out at the polls this new Christian right is out of step with the direction of the country fighting against changing moral values framing that as a battle against evil take control of our nation what it ends up doing is turning political opponents into enemies right and that's a kind of threat uh to the whole Democratic
• 25:00 - 25:30 project I hope it ends up in US finding a way to have our own maybe regions of the nation and living peacefully together get demons it's a minority but backed by powerful politics and if Republicans win big it could become an outsized influence pushing the party and the church further to the right
• 25:30 - 26:00 [Music]