BLUEFIELD, W.Va. (AP) If you’re Christian in Bluefield and most everyone is, in this small city tucked into the Appalachian Mountains you have your choice. You can follow Pastor Doyle.
Three West Virginia churches have much in common. All of them condemn the desecration of the Capitol and pray for a way to find common ground. But they diverge on a central issue: What is the role of evangelical Christianity in America's divisive politics?
Christianity on display at Capitol riot sparks new debate
Leaders speak out to denounce misuse of faith to justify attack By Associated Press
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3 Photos A man holds a Bible as Trump supporters gather outside the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6. (Associated Press files) Photo Gallery
WASHINGTON The Christian imagery and rhetoric on view during last month’s Capitol insurrection are sparking renewed debate about the societal effects of melding Christian faith with an exclusionary breed of nationalism.
The rioters who breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, leading to federal charges against more than 130 people so far, included several people carrying signs with Christian messages, and video showed one man in a fur hat and horns leading others in a prayer inside the Senate chamber. They also included multiple current or former members of the U.S. military or law enforcement, as well as a West Virginia state lawmaker.
After a portion of the mob entered the Senate chamber on Jan. 6, a handful of men mounted the podium. One of them lifted his hands and cried out, “Jesus Christ, we invoke your name. Amen.” Then Jacob Chansley, sometimes called the QAnon Shaman, took his bullhorn and announced gratitude to God for being able to “send a message to all the tyrants, the communists, and the globalists that this is our nation, not theirs.”
Bare-chested to expose his white supremacist tattoos, he had paused briefly to remove his Viking-inspired horned headdress and cap presumably to assume a properly humble posture as he claimed the United States for himself and his fellow-believers.
What next? Christian leaders offer advice for confronting Christian nationalism
One good first step for Christians is to learn more about Christian nationalism and why it conflicts with Christianity. A Trump supporter carries a Bible outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
January 28, 2021
(RNS) For those who have been tracking Christian nationalism in the United States, the siege of the U.S. Capitol was shocking, but it wasn’t surprising, according to Andrew Whitehead, co-author of the book “Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States.”
But the question remains: What can Christians do about it?