Jack Jenkins Profile picture
Sep 19, 2020 4 tweets 2 min read Read on X
At the Supreme Court.

They’re chanting “RBG! RBG! RBG!” Image
It’s a lot of folks. Image
There have been a few other brief attempts at chanting and singing, but actually a lot of silence here dispute the crowd.

It’s a group in mourning. Image
Candles and signs. ImageImage

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More from @jackmjenkins

Dec 15, 2023
1. Spent a good part of this year investigating Christian nationalism in the U.S., particularly where the ideology is strongest.

In February, I tripped to North Idaho, where Christian nationalism and Christian separatism are transforming local politics. religionnews.com/2023/02/22/how…
2. This summer I ventured to Arizona, where Turning Point USA is based.

In addition to partnering with churches there, TPUSA is encouraging pastors to embrace CN and right-wing rhetoric as a church-growth strategy — and, as I witnessed, it may be working. religionnews.com/2023/06/09/wit…
3. Then I hopped down to Florida, where upstart conservative group Citizens Defending Freedom — which critics call "Moms for Liberty in suits" — is taking Christian nationalist politics local, working to influence school boards, county officials and more. religionnews.com/2023/07/12/whe…
Read 8 tweets
Dec 15, 2023
1. The latest in my Christian nationalism series delves into the Texas public school chaplains debate.

One activist described public schools to me as a "mission field," and others are thinking big: school chaplains bills are likely coming to other states. religionnews.com/2023/12/14/in-…
2. Background: Back in May, the Texas legislature approved a bill allowing public schools to hire chaplains.

It's not clear why it passed and other faith-themed bills didn't, and it survived ample Democratic pushback.

But the final bill raised questions…religionnews.com/2023/05/10/tex…
3. For starters, liberal TX activists and Dems such as state Rep. @jamestalarico noted those behind the bill (who, per a GOP rep and an activist, advised and/or helped author it) used rhetoric that appeared to support chaplains proselytizing to students. religionnews.com/2023/05/24/mee…
Read 11 tweets
Oct 29, 2023
1. The thing about Speaker Johnson insisting in his *first speech as Speaker* that elected leaders = ordained by God: it raises a pretty specific theological question about his effort to stop Biden's certification in 2020.

i.e., was he…going against God? religionnews.com/2023/10/25/mik…
2. People forget, but this was actually a live question among Trump's evangelical advisers back in 2017 — particularly Paula White, who made *this exact argument* about Trump in 2017:

religionnews.com/2017/08/22/tru…
Image
3. I asked White about that later, and she told me (and a room full of religion reporters) that she regretted those remarks and expanded them to include all elected officials — but didn't fully address the question regarding "going against" God. religionnews.com/2017/09/09/pau…
Read 5 tweets
Jun 9, 2023
1. So, Turning Point USA, headed by Charlie Kirk, has pivoted to faith outreach — and, critics say, embracing Christian nationalism.

In doing so, they're urging pastors to embrace right-wing politics as a *church growth strategy.*

It may be working. religionnews.com/2023/06/09/wit…
2. Of note: there’s been lots of coverage of Turning Point’s faith pivot. Rolling Stone had a whole feature on it recently.

But I was curious about the churches involved — who they are, why they do it, how their involvement impacts congregations, etc. rollingstone.com/politics/polit…
3. To investigate this, I went out to Phoenix, AZ, to visit "Freedom Night" at Dream City Church — a congregation that has slowly become something of the model for TPUSA's church outreach.

And other things, church leaders expressed a desire to make Arizona "a Christian state."
Read 21 tweets
May 11, 2023
1. One of the wilder Trump religion stories over the years is one I feel like no one really paid attention to.

Until ~2020, Trump was Presbyterian — likely PC(USA), which was the affiliation of the church he was raised in. These days, it's a fairly liberal denomination.

So…
2. …When he ran in '16, he offended many members.

And by offended, I mean they spoke out against him as early as Oct 2015 — WAY before his campaign picked up steam.

Like, the highest* officer in the denom even issued a statement — VERY unusual. archive.thinkprogress.org/donald-trump-c…
3. By Dec 2015 — right after he proposed a Muslim ban — an effort was launched to kick him out of the denomination.

That's a whole process, but they were dedicated, and they were from the same Presbytery/region as the church that baptized him. archive.thinkprogress.org/members-of-don…
Read 10 tweets
May 8, 2023
Of note: Per the next tweet in this thread, the church in question received death threats ahead of this event.

There’s obvi a long history here, but Christian nationalists (and white nationalists) targeting various kinds of liberal-leaning churches has been a thing recently.
See this clip in particular: People waving Christian flags and shouting at *other Christians* singing hymns.
Throwback: When Proud Boys marauded through the streets of DC during the lead up to Jan 6, they tore Black Lives Matter signs off of churches and set one on fire.

They also tore down a church sign w/a litany of progressive messages in rainbow colors. religionnews.com/2020/12/13/pro…
Read 4 tweets

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