Thread by @jackmjenkins

1. A story that sticks with me: The day insurrectionists stormed the Capitol—many invoking God—there *was* a counter-protest in DC.

It was a group of interfaith clergy, gathered in prayer around a BLM sign — a replacement for one destroyed by Proud Boys. religionnews.com/2021/01/06/as-…

2. DC's mayor dissuaded people from protesting in the city the day of the insurrection, and the interfaith demonstration — which was harassed by people in Trump gear — remains the only major counter-protest I'm aware of that day.

There's a reason for that.

3. The societal rift that wrenched apart the country in the Trump era is sometimes cast as a conflict between a certain form of "religion" & "secularism" — but that's an inadequate understanding of what transpired (and continues to this day).

There is a religious conflict here.

4. It's not as simple as two contrasting theologies within one religious group, though. It's bigger and more complicated than that.

I can't give this a full treatment in a Twitter thread, but some examples might help...

5. When Donald Trump first ran for president in 2016, he identified as a Presbyterian.

But many Presbyterians (PCUSA) were so unhappy with him they tried to kick him out — but they couldn't, bc Trump wasn't actually a member of a PC(USA) church. archive.thinkprogress.org/members-of-don…

6. Meanwhile, while some evangelicals flocked to his aided, there were prominent ones who did the opposite: chief among them was Russell Moore, a noteworthy Southern Baptist who Trump ended up *openly attacking* on Twitter. archive.thinkprogress.org/now-trump-is-j…

7. But perhaps most importantly of all: During Trump's campaign (which included him, you know, openly calling for a ban on Muslims entering the country) and after his election, hate incidents against religious minorities (Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, etc) spiked: archive.thinkprogress.org/thinkprogress-…

8. After his election, experts who follow hate groups said members found themselves emboldened.

Which helps explain why, after Trump won, a heavily immigrant church in Maryland found their church sign defaced with the words "Trump Nation. Whites Only." archive.thinkprogress.org/what-religious…

9. A pattern emerged: hate groups kept finding themselves in conflict with…faith leaders.

Remember that white supremacist torch rally in Charlottesville?

Guess who was across the street: a group of interfaith leaders gathered in prayer to protest them. religionnews.com/2020/04/17/how…

10. Faith groups that hadn't worked together forged new alliances in the Trump era. And they, too, became bolder: they staged protests against hate groups and Trumpism, arguing the two were connected.

They protested outside the White House, over and over. religionnews.com/2019/06/12/boi…

11. The Religious Right—not to mention Trump—attempted to ignore them.

These religious groups didn't act alone (they worked alongside countless secular groups). But they just kept showing up. At airports to protest the travel ban. At Congress to defend the ACA. At the border.

12. Meanwhile, activism put them in conflict w/extremists—even if it predated the Trump era.

E.g., Tree of Life Synagogue shooter reportedly expressed hatred of Jews *and* immigrants, especially Jewish refugee group HIAS, which was connected to ToL. religionnews.com/2018/10/29/pit…

13. Fast forward to Dec 2020, when Trump supporters including Proud Boys descended on DC to protest Biden's election.

As night fell, Proud Boys lashed out: they marched through the streets destroying/burning BLM signs and liberal ensigns on…*churches.* religionnews.com/2020/12/13/pro…

14. The churches, of course, put them back up.

Some were destroyed again in the following weeks, but they replaced those, too, sometimes with public ceremonies.

Pushing back on extremism this way was simply part of their religious calling. religionnews.com/2020/12/18/dc-…

15. So when crowds of Trump supporters arrived on Jan 6, perhaps it wasn't surprising at all that they had to walk past clergy praying around a Black Lives Matter sign, or a *giant* new BLM banner hanging from National City Christian Church.

By this point, it was to be expected.

16. And to circle back to the first point: Perhaps it's also not surprising that by the time Trump left office, he didn't identify as a Presbyterian anymore.

He now identifies as a non-denominational Christian. religionnews.com/2020/10/23/exc…

17. And perhaps it's not surprising that when Trump held up a Bible at St. John's, he did so only after it was cleared (for whatever reason) of demonstrators…including clergy sent by a bishop who oversees that church.

They were aiding the protesters. religionnews.com/2020/06/02/ahe…

18. I bring all this up bc I think it's important to note how *constant* religion has been in our public debates in recent years, and how crucial a role it plays on all sides of our political rifts.

Understanding that helps understand how we got here, and where we're going.

19. If this past week is any indication, faith will continue to play a role in our politics for some time to come.

But pretending it's all a religion v. secularism debate isn't just factually false; It also misses a *far more interesting* religion conflict that refuses to abate.

20. Oh, and FTR: Obviously there were other forms of faith that backed Trump during his tenure, and still others that were avid participants in the insurrection.

But you’ve *probably* heard those stories by now. They’re well-covered.

These were some you might not know.