Trump and the Protestant Reaction to Make America Great Again

Rowley, Matthew

doi:10.4324/9781003132356

Cited by 4 publications

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“…Right-wing populist movements have chosen very different strategies. Those who operate in culturally Christian environments may choose to idealise a golden age of Christendom in Europe, or in the case of the United States, the religious piety of the Pilgrims (Rowley, 2021). However, other figures, like the elitist Dutch right-wing party leader, Thierry Baudet, refer to the Enlightenment as well as Ancient Greco-Roman culture ("the owl of Minerva").…”

Section: Sacralisations Of People and Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Posture of Protest? The Search for Christian Identity in A Post-Secular Society: Between Secularised Eschatology and A Sacralisation of History

Tol

Rowley²

2021

Intl. J. Rel.

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This article theorises ideations of “the people” in a comparative reflection on Latin-Christian theologies and typologies of time and secularised appropriations thereof in right-wing as well as far-right movements in Europe and the United States of America. Understanding the world in grand narratives of “good” and “evil” emerges from Christian eschatological hope: the hope of the restoration and renewal of the cosmos and the final defeat of evil prophesised in association with the return of Christ. However, this language of good and evil becomes detached from the wider corpus of Christian belief and theology. In its secular expression, it may attach the good to an abstract and normative account of “the people”, who are defined in contrast to a range of others, both internal and external to the nation. Secular iterations might further echo the stratification of present, past and future through a sacralisation of the past and a dramatization of the future. The context of contemporary right-wing and far-right movements poses a series of questions about the relationship between belief and belonging, the acceptability of the secularization of Christian traditions and theologies, and the extent to which Christian communities can legitimately associate with right-wing movements.

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Section: Sacralisations Of People and Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Posture of Protest? The Search for Christian Identity in A Post-Secular Society: Between Secularised Eschatology and A Sacralisation of History

Tol

Rowley²

2021

Intl. J. Rel.

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“…Also, a fear of demographic, cultural, and religious change animated voters. Throughout his presidency, fierce battles raged over the interpretation of history-particularly how to respond to centuries of racism, sexism, and exploitation (Rowley 2021). Yet those who positioned themselves as defending the Pilgrim and Puritan migrants were more likely to say that modern migrants-particularly those deemed of the wrong sort-should be kept out.…”

Section: Many Great Migrations: Colonial History and The Contest For American Identity By Matthew Rowleymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some celebrate the Pilgrims; others confront them. Unable to articulate a clear and universally convincing narrative about where the nation came from, many Americans feel unable to chart a course for the future (Rowley 2021). Although these essays explore centuries of what Mark Noll's foreword terms the "Pendulum Effect" of historical interpretation, all contributors are themselves influenced by its sway.…”

Section: Many Great Migrations: Colonial History and The Contest For American Identity By Matthew Rowleymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Many Great Migrations: Colonial History and the Contest for American Identity

Rowley

2021

The Review of Faith & International Affairs

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If we think of the nation as a table, perhaps a Thanksgiving one, who belongs around it? Who is the host, and who the guest? What are the criteria for inclusion, and who gets to decide? This article uses the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower and the "First Thanksgiving" to explore "many great migrations." For those migrating and for those who encounter the migrants, the movement of peoples prompts fundamental questions of identity, difference, inclusion, and belonging. Perhaps looking at history can help those in the present view the challenging questions posed by new peoples as an opportunity.

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“…'Prophetic populism' can be understood in two senses. First, these Trump supporters aligned themselves with populists and exhibited traits common to populists like the 146 Prophetic Populism and the Violent Rejection of Joe Biden's Election: Mapping the Theology of the Capitol Insurrection denigration of 'elite' forms of knowledge as they differentiate between 'real' and less-than-real Americans (Van der Tol and Rowley, 2021). In this sense, many of these populists also believed God had spoken prophetically about Trump's victory.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prophetic Populism and the Violent Rejection of Joe Biden’s Election: Mapping the Theology of the Capitol Insurrection

Rowley

2021

Intl. J. Rel.

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For President Donald Trump’s most committed Christian devotees—those with ears to hear—his rise to power was prophesied, and the 2016 victory was miraculous. Prophets again foretold re-election in 2020. These charismatic Trump supporters tended to come from outside the main denominations, and when the electoral college swung towards Joe Biden, the results were not accepted. In rejecting the election, they became fellow travellers with more overtly militant and conspiratorial groups—sometimes sharing a stage with them. This article describes the discourse of prophetic populism from 2011 to 2021—focusing in particular on the three months from the 2020 election to the storming of Capitol Hill to the inauguration of Joe Biden. Although Trump repeatedly says, ‘Promises Made, Promises Kept’, these prophetic promises did not materialise—leading some to try to force God’s hand. This article explores the reaction to three consecutive disappointments that took their toll on prophetic populism: the declaration of Joe Biden as president-elect in November 2020, the certification of his victory in early January 2021 and the inauguration later that month. It demonstrates the power of a relatively new force in conservative politics, the flexibility of beliefs in divine involvement and the resilience of these beliefs in light of weighty disconfirming evidence.

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Trump and the Protestant Reaction to Make America Great Again

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

A Posture of Protest? The Search for Christian Identity in A Post-Secular Society: Between Secularised Eschatology and A Sacralisation of History

A Posture of Protest? The Search for Christian Identity in A Post-Secular Society: Between Secularised Eschatology and A Sacralisation of History

Many Great Migrations: Colonial History and the Contest for American Identity

Prophetic Populism and the Violent Rejection of Joe Biden’s Election: Mapping the Theology of the Capitol Insurrection

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