Thread by @PaulHRosenberg

ICYM, new book, *Taking America Back for God* by @ndrewwhitehead & @socofthesacred, explains Christian nationalism's key role in shaping our polarized politics--including electing Trump. My @Salon author interview here: 1/14
salon.com/2020/02/29/soc…

A 2018 study by @ndrewwhitehead & @socofthesacred found that "voting for Trump was, at least for many Americans, a symbolic defense of the United States' perceived Christian heritage" aka "Christian nationalism." Their book paints a much broader picture of its influence. 2/14

They make 3 main arguments: 1) "understanding Christian nationalism, its content and its consequences, is essential for understanding much of the polarization in American popular discourse" --not just supporters, but opponents & two groups in between. 3/14

Supporters, called "Ambassadors," score highest on the Christian nationalism scale. @ndrewwhitehead described them like this: 4/14

Staunch opponents, called "Rejecters," score lowest on the Christian nationalism scale. "They're in some ways a mirror image of Ambassadors," @ndrewwhitehead told me: 5/14

There are two groups in between. The first, called "Accommodators" are closer to the Ambassadors, but not the same, @ndrewwhitehead explained: 6/14

The other in-between group is called "Resisters." They're closer to Rejecters but, again, not the same. "Resisters are more of a mirror image of Accommodators, @ndrewwhitehead told me: 7/14

All 4 groups cut across all other demographic groups, but unevenly. One striking finding: Rejecters increase in numbers with each generation, while Ambassadors decline. From the book: 8/14

But contrasting with this generational trend, Christian nationalism spikes in response to perceived threat, as it did with 9/11. From the book: 9/14

9/11 isn't the only such example in our history, @ndrewwhitehead told me: 10/14

2nd main argument is that "to understand Christian nationalism, it must be examined on its own terms. Christian nationalism is necessarily part of a complex web of ideologies." @ndrewwhitehead explains: 11/14

3rd main argument: "Christian nationalism is not 'Christianity' or even 'religion' properly speaking," and indeed that "Christian nationalism often influences Americans' opinions and behaviors in the exact opposite direction than traditional religious commitment does." 12/14

Here's a table from the book, an overview of where Christian nationalism & religious commitment clash and where they work the same way in terms of morality: 13/14

There's more in the interview:
salon.com/2020/02/29/soc…
and *much*, *MUCH* more in the book:
anrdoezrs.net/links/8331271/…
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