(RNS) — As Elizabeth Neumann watched the occasions of Jan. 6 unfold, the previous assistant secretary for risk prevention and safety coverage within the Workplace of Technique, Coverage, and Plans on the Division of Homeland Safety was horrified. Reared in conservative Christian communities, she discovered herself deeply disturbed by the violence, but in addition the preponderance of Christian flags waved by insurrectionists and the prayers some shouted as they attacked the U.S. Capitol.
“You had this intermixing of Christian concepts, symbols and Scriptures, by some means justifying this violence that occurred on Jan. 6,” Neumann stated in a current interview.
Months earlier than, Neumann had resigned from the Trump administration, claiming the then-president was dismissive of home terrorist threats. Within the years since, she has grown more and more satisfied that conservative Christians are being exploited not simply by politicians, but in addition by extremist teams, giving rise to a harmful type of faith-infused radicalism.
In a brand new e-book, “Kingdom of Rage: The Rise of Christian Extremism and the Path Again to Peace,” Neumann chronicles this exploitation and affords methods to forestall additional radicalization. She just lately spoke with RNS to debate her findings and share the place she finds hope for the longer term.
This interview has been edited for size and readability.
What drove you to put in writing this e-book?
It truly got here out of an interview that I gave to POLITICO in February 2021, a month after Jan. 6. They requested about what we noticed on Jan. 6 from the Christian group. A cross on Capitol grounds. Individuals praying over bullhorns within the Senate gallery. Placards with completely different Bible verses. In December, earlier than Jan. 6, you had the Jericho March, the place they tried to play out the Israelites marching round Jericho and praying over Washington that we’re going to ‘defeat the evil.’
On Jan. 6, you felt your group had accomplished a “rage-filled metamorphosis into violent extremists.” Phrases like radicalization and extremism are widespread in your work, however are you able to say extra about your alternative of phrases?
Someplace within the POLITICO interview, I labeled it Christian extremism. I hadn’t given a lot thought to that label, however I positively felt as if we had Christians current who had been demonstrating extremist exercise and perception.
I spend a while introducing the reader to the way in which the counterterrorism group views extremism. I supply a definition of extremism and radicalization after which attempt to assist individuals perceive what the proof reveals us about why someone radicalizes.
If someone says, ‘That is essentially the most consequential election of our lifetime. If Donald Trump doesn’t win, then the nation’s gonna go to hell. So, subsequently, I’m going to go vote for Donald Trump,’ that’s not extremism. The premise is possibly not wholesome, spiritually or psychologically, however it’s not extremism. But when someone’s ‘subsequently’ is, ‘I’m gonna go monitor polling locations carrying my navy fatigues and carrying my AR-15, simply to verify no humorous enterprise occurs,’ you’re transferring into intimidation and harassment and likewise into one thing that’s unlawful. That’s the distinction.
You observe within the e-book that white nationalism and Christian nationalism actions have taken benefit of Christian communities. How did we find yourself right here?
Some are coming from professional locations of concern and grievance. The sexual ethic on this nation has modified drastically within the final 10 years. Obergefell v. Hodges (the Supreme Court docket determination establishing marriage for same-sex companions) is a key second. The regulation of the land used to stick to a conventional biblical sexual ethic and it form of modified in a single day. We’re nonetheless catching up as a group to attempt to perceive what which means.
In that nice uncertainty, we will grow to be actually susceptible to extremists. Extremists are actually good at portray black and white photos, and so they supply this certainty that comes from some type of hostile motion.
Because the Christian group identifies itself with that political proper, they’re additionally intermingling with extremists. That confluence is the place there’s nice hazard. Most individuals usually are not going to go be violent extremists, but when we need to scale back the quantity of violence within the nation, we have to scale back the publicity to extremism.
What broader elements are at work?
We all know that (social media firms) make cash off of our concern, anger and outrage. They’re incentivized to maintain us on this perpetual state of shock in a manner that our forefathers again within the Fifties simply didn’t cope with.
However there are additionally different what I might name society-wide elements — the truth that we’re more and more remoted. Within the on-line area, we get a dopamine hit of belonging, regardless that it’s not actual belonging. That real-life connection is necessary, and the much less we’ve, the extra we’ve a necessity that’s going unfilled, which might be exploited by extremists.
The opposite underlying want that we perceive motivates individuals towards extremism is a necessity for significance. You could have all these pastors and Christian authors writing books about what postmodern society has achieved to our souls, how we’ve more and more misplaced that means. I examine that to what I do know is going on within the extremist motion: Some of the quickly rising forms of violent extremism is a nihilistic model of extremism. It’s like: life doesn’t matter, so I ought to exit in a blaze of glory.
How has this modified individuals’s relationship to their religion?
The cultural Christian group has responded to those trials by turning to politics for options — turning to a politician as a savior determine, or turning to a political social gathering. ‘For those who might solely get the federal government to work proper, it might resolve my monetary difficulties.’ We preserve turning to instruments of man to unravel what are in the end non secular issues. We’ve taken energy politics and authorities and turned them into the last word factor, versus one thing that falls underneath our religion. We’ve reordered, if you’ll, within the incorrect order: Politics is the premier, versus our belief and religion in Jesus.
Are there traits you’re notably involved about?
We’re in an election 12 months, so we’re more and more seeing politicians use violent rhetoric. (Arizona U.S. Senate candidate) Kari Lake, two or three weeks in the past, stated at a rally that it is advisable to placed on the armor of God, and ‘possibly strap on a Glock.’ We’re additionally seeing militias regroup: They’re organizing on Fb once more. I’m unsure why Fb’s not cracking down on that.
Extra persons are embracing the Christian nationalist label in form of a humorous manner — nearly like a backlash to critiques about Christian nationalism. Most Christian nationalists usually are not regarding from a safety perspective, however there’s a smaller phase who’re attempting to place some important rigor into their arguments. I’m pondering particularly of Stephen Wolfe, creator of “The Case for Christian Nationalism.” On the finish of his e-book he has these appendices that embrace a supposed theological justification for why violence is okay.
That’s extra regarding to me, as a result of he’s laying out with some rigor — and by rigor, I imply a number of phrases — an argument for why violence, underneath his interpretation of Scripture, is suitable for constructing the dominion of God. That form of stuff can affect a sure character, a sure kind of group.
You write, “Can I inform you the excellent news up entrance? You might be among the best hopes we’ve in therapeutic the nation and stopping extra violence.” How can readers of your e-book assist forestall extremism?
Being disrespected, psychological misery, a current disaster or feeling like a helpless sufferer — these are all among the prime explanation why persons are radicalized to extremism. I believe the church has actually nice solutions for what will we do after we’re disrespected: Scripture tells us Christ skilled the last word humiliation and modeled how we endure that. The truth that a big portion of our nation thinks {that a} biblical Christian ethic on sexuality is outdated places us squarely the place Jesus stated we’d be — that we’d be rejected, that our methods usually are not just like the world’s. The reply to that disrespect and that humiliation is in Scripture: we pray for individuals who persecute us. We don’t retaliate in form.
Once I stroll pastors via these particulars, the sunshine bulb comes on. They’re like, ‘Oh, you’re not telling me to do something new. As a result of Jesus has had these solutions for two,000 years.’
There actually, actually is nothing new underneath the solar. It’s simply that the social sciences caught as much as the knowledge of what Jesus taught.
