Thread by @PaulHRosenberg

.@elizagriswold wrote a compelling NYer story about Mastriano, but the world he moves in has too much going on for one story to capture. Deception & denialism run rampant throughout. 1/13

In her NYer story, @elizagriswold quoted flat-out denialist claims from Christian nationalists--shot through with veins of paranoia: 2/13
newyorker.com/13ews/on-relig…

But such denialism is absurd, @ndrewwhitehead, co-author of "Taking America Back For God" told me: 3/13

They want the benefits of claiming the fused Christian nationalist identity, while avoiding dealing with its shadow side: 4/13

They especially evade the fact that Chrisian nationalism is *harmful to Christianity*, as evangelical historian @JohnFea1 has argued: 5/13

But some Christian nationalists go much further. The "New Apostolic Reformation" (NAR) has been condemned as heretical by orthodox Pentecostals and others, and can be seen as a syncretic religion, incorporating elements of pagan "witchcraft": 6/13

The NAR intensifies the broader dynamic by which "extremists demonize secular scrutiny as a way of escaping orthodox religious scrutiny, while themselves claiming to embody true religious orthodoxy. It's a game of spiritual three-card monte." 7/13

These con-games to delegitimize any criticism are part of broader strategy under the rubric of "fourth generation warfare" (which has similarlities to Russian "hybrid warfare" which Mastriano has also written about): 8/13

The very elements that make the NAR so far from orthodox Christianity make it all the more suited for involvement in politics, as Katherine Steward, author of "The Power Worshippers" explained: 9/13

Mastriano fits snugly into this world, even as denies it--typical of those who dwell there. His brief political career can be better grasped by comparison with another state legislator's trajectory, described in a story co-authored by @FredClarkson: 10/13
religiondispatches.org/convergence-of…

And before his political career, Mastriano Mastriano's academic research into WWI Medal of Honor winner Sgt. Alvin York, was also apparently riddled with fraud, as the AP reported in March: 11/13 whyy.org/articles/in-fr…

Even the cover of his book on York has a photo he false claims shows prisoners captured by York. It was actually taken 13 days earlier, as shown by the date in the archives. 12/13
catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/media/5…

These are just some of the highlights. Read the whole story here: 13/13
salon.com/2021/06/12/tru…