Katherine Stewart: Inside the Movement to Destroy Our Democracy

What were the forces leading up to the January 6, 2021 attempt to overthrow our government? What is this angry and violent “Christian Nationalist” movement that seems to be the antithesis of everything that Jesus, the “Prince of Peace”, stood for?

Katherine Stewart went deep into the belly of the beast to help create the film “God and Country” to answer these questions and more. Not only was she deep in enemy territory, but she did her journalism out in the open, using her real name.

Her achievements earned her a recent cover story in “The Independent”. The Humanist Society of Santa Barbara was privileged and honored to host her here at the Live Oak Unitarian Society. The event began with a screening of the film “God and Country”.

The movie hits hard over and over for 90 minutes. Millions of our fellow Americans follow right wing political activists posing as preachers of Christ’s message. The movie also offers views of more traditional conservatives and Christians who are horrified by what is happening.

Veggie Tales animator Phil Vischer is the first interviewee. He described attending a church as a child that had a Christian flag and an American flag. He grew up thinking the two are inseparable.

The film then jumps into clips of Christian Nationalist preachers speaking. Robert Jeffress tells us that America was founded as a Christian nation. I will note that the 1797 Treaty of Tripoli explicitly states, “the government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.”

Televangelist John MacArthur says, “No Christian with half a brain would say we support religious freedom.”

Pastor Greg Locke screeches to his followers, “And the Bible says we will take it by force! That’s what the Bible says!”

Phil Vischer explains the Christian Nationalist view. That America is irreplaceable in God’s story. If democracy gets in the way? Then democracy has to go.

Rob Boston is Senior Advisor for Americans United for Separation of Church and State. He makes it clear that Christian Nationalism is really just a political movement.

Stewart explains that these groups have no common theology. Just a common political vision.

Boston explains that Christian Nationalism is well funded and well organized. These organizations have annual budgets in the tens and even hundreds of millions of dollars.

Ralph Reed proudly boasts “We put voter guides in thousands of churches. You couldn’t get away from us.” “We had 147 data points we tracked on each of those voters.” “What magazines you read… Whether you own a gun.” “84% of you voted.”

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk says, “This feminist movement has infected the minds of young women across the country.”

Betsy Devos was Education Secretary in Trump’s first term. We see her saying, “The Department of Education shouldn’t exist.”

Christian Nationalist views are not popular. Only 15% think the US should be a Christian nation. But this minority has disproportionate influence. Ever since Reagan made the alliance with these people and got them to vote.

In case there is any doubt that this is a political movement and not a religious one, we see Greg Locke saying, “If you vote Democrat [sic] I don’t want you in this church.”

One distorting influence is the Senate. Set up to ensure that slavery would continue. Under this undemocratic institution, 11 states with 70% of the population only get 30% of the representation.

Sociologist of world religions Reza Aslan explained, “This is not a movement about Christian values. This is about Christian power. Raw, rank power.”

Roman Catholic Sister and attorney Simone Campbell is asked whether Christian Nationalism is Christian. She likes the question. She says, “No, it isn’t.”

Evangelical pastor Skye Jethan responds to the same question: “It’s not Biblical. It’s not Christianity. It’s a perversion of the Christian message.”

Campbell explains that Christianity values inclusion. It supports the marginalized and peace building.

Conservative columnist David French says that the Christian ethos is to love your enemies. To bless those who persecute you. Act kindly. Walk humbly. “We should be blazing forth as a counter-cultural example. Instead we are leading the charge, often, of malice and cruelty and division and partisanship. And that is grievous.”

Bishop William J Barber III refers to people who are so loud about what God says so little about. And so quiet about what God says so much about.

They talk about gays and abortion and cutting taxes on the wealthy. And about guns. But so quiet about how do we end poverty.

Stewart interviews people at the CPAC convention in Texas in 2022. One man says that this is a Christian nation. “It is literally in the Constitution.” Actually it is not. In fact the Constitution forbids any religious test for office. And it forbids the establishment of any religion.

Constitutional attorney Andrew Seidel talks about myths that make up Christian Nationalism. Like the story that George Washington prayed at Valley Forge. He did not.

In 1954 “In God We Trust” was added to US currency and “Under God” was added to the Pledge of Allegiance. Small unconstitutional introductions of religion into government operations are then used to justify more in the future.

Seidel explains that the original American colonies were essentially theocracies, each imposing its own version of religion. He says they ended up as failed societies. And the writers of the Constitution were determined not to repeat those mistakes.

We then see Congress member Lauren Boebert saying that the church should run government. “I am tired of this separation of church and state junk.”

Seidel goes on to note that we have the records of what went on in Philadelphia during the writing of the Constitution. He notes that they clearly wanted it to be secular. It makes no reference to the Bible or to a god. It starts out with “We the People.” The first constitution anywhere to invoke the people as its basis, rather than a deity.

And if the body of the Constitution didn’t make secular government clear enough, it is spelled out again in the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. There can be no freedom of religion without freedom from religion in government.

Yes, many Americans are Christian. But our government was not founded on Judeo-Christian principles.

We then see Jerry Falwell in 1977 explaining that women don’t need rights. “All the rights any dear lady needs is the right to be married to a godly husband who is under the lordship of Jesus Christ.”

Falwell’s Moral Majority organization was registered as a Political Action Committee (PAC). It was a political organization that focused especially on the issue of abortion.

Historian Jemar Tisby explains that at the time of Roe v Wade in 1973 evangelicals actually didn’t care much about abortion. It wasn’t until 1978 that Falwell first railed against abortion.

Tisby goes on to explain what the issue really was about: The “right” of private Christian schools to maintain racial segregation.

He gives the example of Bob Jones University. Founded by Bob Jones, Sr who was a segregationist. Using the Bible to justify segregation at his university. Black people were not allowed at all.

In the 1970s the Supreme Court warned Bob Jones University that they would lose their tax exempt status unless they allowed Black people to enroll. That got church leaders involved in politics. Abortion only became a rallying cry after that.

Katherine Stewart explains that “stop the tax on segregation” would not be an effective rallying cry to build a Christian political movement. It was just too ugly. So they looked at school prayer, Communism, the women’s movement and gay rights. They discovered that abortion was the magic issue that they could rally their movement around.

Sister Simone Campbell notes that the Bible doesn’t say a word about abortion.

Paul Weyrich was co-founder of the Moral Majority and also co-founder of the Heritage Foundation. We see him challenging Christians not to have the “goo-goo syndrome”. “Good government.” “They want everybody to vote. I don’t want everybody to vote!” “Our leverage in elections goes up as the voting populace goes down!”

But 40 years passed and Republicans really didn’t deliver on their promise to overturn Roe. The evangelicals were excited when Trump ran.

We see evangelical pastor and former pro-life leader Rob Schenck explaining how pastors used to view Trump: “As a sermon illustration for everything a Christian should not be.”

We see Trump speaking on January 23, 2016 at Dordt University. Telling Christians they need to use their power. He went on to meet with evangelical leaders. These leaders said, “This is our guy.” “It looks like he is God’s man.”

Schenck says the evangelicals had abandoned all of their core principles. It was all now about political power.

Tisby notes that in 2016 81% of white evangelicals voted for Trump. Higher than the 78% who voted for W Bush in 2004. And W Bush really was an evangelical. David French indicates that Trump needed every one of those votes to win.

Evangelical pastor Skye Jethani explains that Trump is a televangelist. Right down to the hair!

Aslan says Trump is an incarnation of the Seven Deadly Sins. As far from Jesus as a person could possibly be. Aslan notes that when you talk of 81% of white evangelicals voting for him, “You can’t forget the white part.” The US is headed toward being a country where the majority population will be minorities.

Sociologist Andrew Whitehead shows that Christian Nationalists embrace racist values and beliefs. They envision a white America.

Tisby felt betrayed as a Black pastor that 81% of white evangelicals would vote for someone who is a threat to him.

David French describes a scene in church where a woman came up to him and asked him why he doesn’t like our president. He tried to keep it to something simple. “I just wish our president lied less.” She was astonished to hear that Trump lies. “At that point what do you say?”

French explains it by saying, “If you were immersed in the world they are immersed in, you would be wearing the red hat, also.”

Historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez explains her upbringing as very isolated in the Christian world. She went to a Christian school and only listened to Christian music. She had no idea what other kids were listening to.

She describes Christian media as a massive industry that is almost completely invisible to most Americans. She explains that not all Christian media is political all of the time. But when it is, it is very narrowly a conservative Republican agenda.

Listeners often can’t tell the difference between what is Christian and what is conservative political. “Outrage is shaping Christians more than church and that is a problem.”

Schenk notes that televangelists raise billions of dollars mostly in $10-25 contributions. “By ginning up fear and anger.” He participated in it. He sometimes felt bad about it, but he said you get over it.

But he says that now you have Christians who are terrified of the external world.

We see pastor Gene Bailey speaking to a packed arena. Telling the crowd that “they” want to take your kids from you. And they don’t want you to do anything resembling Christianity.

Evangelical pastor Doug Pagitt explains a contradiction of the message. On the one hand America is a Christian nation. On the other hand, Christianity is under constant assault in America.

We see Tucker Carlson saying, “Undermining Christianity is the central project of the left. Because it stands in their way.”

Jethani notes that Christianity has always had a thread of persecution. Endless saints being martyred for their faith. “Being persecuted means we are getting to the good stuff.”

David French explains that there is a constant message that Christians are just one election away from losing their schools or their church. They are in a constant state of anguish that something they love is being maliciously destroyed. He emphasized the word “maliciously”.

We see Trump validating that message in a series of 2017 speeches.

We then see the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, VA in 2017. A horde of men with Tiki torches chanting “Jews will not replace us.”

We then see scenes and talk of political violence. A man says, “We are in the midst of a civil war. Between good and evil. The good is all the folks we see here.” Pastors are now arming themselves. As if violence is an effective tool.

We see evangelical pastor Jerry Boykin mocking the “effeminate” image of Jesus. “He didn’t look like that. He was a tough guy. That’s what I want to be like.”

Russell Moore is editor in chief of Christianity Today. He notes that Jesus tells Peter to put away his sword when Peter tries to defend Jesus. Warning that he who lives by the sword dies by the sword.

We then see pastor Jeff Durbin speaking in 2021 of the “righteous” use of force and weaponry.

Historian Anthea Butler notes that violence is a part of the entire history of Christianity. “It has always been associated with violence. It is not just Islam.”

Bishop Barber notes that the Ku Klux Klan adopted the Christian cross as their symbol. Their message was that everyone is supposed to be subordinate to white people. As a matter of religion.

David French notes that there was a special religious dimension with Trump of prophecy. That he is the Chosen One. We see Trump saying it himself.

He is seen as a “Cyrus figure”. A flawed man delivering the message that God wants. In 2020 it was inconceivable to these people that he could lose the election. God has ordained Trump as the winner.

Aslan explains that Trump delivers the message that he has a secret source of information. That facts don’t matter. What you see doesn’t matter. That the election was stolen.

We see pastor Greg Locke on January 3 raging to his followers that on January 6 God will “step off his throne” to ensure that Trump takes office. These followers were worked into a frenzy that ended with the insurrection and riot at the Capitol on January 6.

On January 5 there was an actual religious “Rally to Revival”. They invoked the imagery of Jericho. As if their religious fervor would bring the walls down and secure their goal. “The structure of government would come collapsing down.” And Trump would become president again.

80 busloads of people came from churches to be part of what happened on January 6. Apocalyptic language was used. Trump advisor and convicted (and pardoned) criminal Roger Stone describes it as “an epic struggle between the godly and the godless.”

Historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez talks of her studies of the rise of the Nazis in Germany. How Christians supported the Nazis. Actually using their Christianity to justify it.

Pastor Schenck explains that they saw Hitler as a gift and miracle from God.

When he was being trained as a minister he was told to be sure every sermon was cross checked with the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Edited by Gerhard Kittel. No one ever told him that Kittel was Hitler’s theologian. “Who gave him the theological justification for genocide.” He was horrified and mystified that no one ever told him that.

Aslan explains, “One doesn’t derive one’s values from Scripture. One inserts one’s values into Scripture.”

We then see scenes of the violent attack on the Capitol on January 6. We see the attackers carrying signs with Bible verses. Christian flags. Pictures of Jesus. They were praying in the name of Jesus. Using religion to justify overturning democracy. These adjacent banners say a lot. The hidden letter is “F” in case it was not obvious.

Theologian Russell Moore explains that for Christian Nationalists if you are not on their side you are not just wrong. You are on the wrong side of God. We see the attackers in the heart of the Capitol pausing to offer a Christian prayer to God.

There was a brief moment when Christian Nationalism got into the news after January 6 as a force behind the attack. But then the right wing media and Christian Nationalist supporters in Congress immediately began rewriting the history that had just happened.

Georgia Representative Andrew Clyde said if you watched the video without explanation you would think it was “a normal tourist visit.”

We see Missouri Senator Josh Hawley claiming that “Without the Bible there is no modernity. Without the Bible there is no America.”

Then in June 2022 Trump won without even being in office. The Supreme Court members he appointed in his first term did exactly what they promised would never happen. They overturned what they had called “settled law” and overturned Roe.

Moore said this raised a huge ethical question: Would the anti abortion movement shift the millions of dollars they raised and use it toward helping the women who will be denied abortions?

When the film ended we had a few minutes for discussion. I noted the point in the film that what started and energized this movement was racial segregation.

We then heard from Katherine Stewart in person. She noted that she made the film while Biden was still president. There was still hope that a second Trump term could be averted.

She talked about how she got involved in these issues 16 years ago when her daughter was at Cold Spring School in Montecito. And the “Good News Club” was holding meetings in the school to push their agenda. They called the children their “harvest”.

She talked about her book “Money, Lies and God”. Christian Nationalism is just one part of a larger anti-democratic movement.

The right wing is working on legal cases that redefine religious liberty. The three parts in the book title are interconnected.

The Money part is about massive concentrations of wealth. Some wealthy people are investing in the destruction of democracy. They say they want deregulation and low taxes. And free markets. But they really want protectionism and subsidies for themselves.

As for Lies, they are investing in disinformation and propaganda. Especially cultural battles as a distraction.

As for God, it is about identity politics. Us vs them.

They talk about “Real Americans” as the most persecuted group. Republicans who aren’t 100% on board are called “demonic”. They seek vengeance.

Stewart is an an investigative reporter. She goes to their events. America Fest is the biggest event of Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA. 20,000 at the Phoenix Convention Center.

They rail against liberal Christian churches and movements like liberation theology, social gospel and Black theology. They see other Christians as a threat.

Trump pardoned the violent January 6 criminals. Some already have gone on to commit other violent crimes. He has directed the State Department to rat out colleagues engaged in “anti-Christian” behavior. He called on the Department of Justice to link the Southern Poverty Law Center to domestic terrorism.

It is hard to see hope, but she noted that Trump’s policies are hurting a broad swath of people. The final book chapter recommends actions. There is no substitute for the power of voting.

The country didn’t go MAGA. There was apathy among Democratic voters. They are trying to divide us. Some of the “they” are hostile governments.

We should remember their side is very divided. The plutocrats have little in common with the rank and file who just want a better deal.

Our side needs to avoid identity politics. We should seek areas of agreement. She ended by saying that democracy is never perfect. “Don’t hide under the covers.”

During Q&A she noted that charisma matters. Leadership training helps. The right wing has think tanks and we need that, too. They invest in infrastructure. They have taken over the courts. It is not enough to protest or to have better policies. We need to build an enduring movement.

For more information about upcoming events with the Humanist Society of Santa Barbara or to become a member, please go to https://www.sbhumanists.org/

== Robert Bernstein