Political violence hits near home
White Christian nationalists typically are anti-LGBTQ+, anti-immigration, and anti-efforts to ensure racial equality. They broadly believe that America was founded as a white Christian nation and must be returned to such.
Political polarization and the normalization of violent rhetoric create fertile ground for extremists to act on violent impulses. There were 25 incidents of political violence in the last five years compared to just two in the preceding twenty years.
On June 16, former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were assassinated in their home by a man impersonating a police officer. Minnesota Senator Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also shot in their home and are currently recovering.
When arrested, it was discovered that Vance Boelter had a hit list of 45 elected officials, all Democrats. Eleven Wisconsin lawmakers were included on the list of targets, including U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore and U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan.
Boelter was an outspoken conservative evangelical Christian and a supporter of Trump. Records show he attended Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee and considered himself a reverend, traveling extensively, preaching Christianity. Those who knew him said he was right-leaning politically but never fanatical.
The Trump administration has put several White Christian Nationalists in key government roles, including the new anti-Christian bias task force, where it appears that a specific brand of Christianity will be prioritized over other faiths and Christian denominations. Paula White, a multimillionaire televangelist with extremist views, heads the White House Faith Office (WHFO). The makeup of the WHFO is not representative of the many and varied faiths in the U.S.
“It’s not even representative of Christianity in the United States,” said Du Mez, who authored the book Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation. It’s a pretty narrow slice of right-wing, predominantly, but not exclusively, white conservative Protestantism. But that is the Christianity that Trump thinks of when he thinks of Christianity.”
White Christian nationalists typically are anti-LGBTQ+, anti-immigration, and opposed to efforts to ensure racial equality. They broadly believe that America was founded as a white Christian nation and must be returned to those roots.
As politics grow more dangerous, Americans must commit to building bridges, hold leaders and influencers accountable for dehumanizing rhetoric, and reject violence as a means of political change.
