The Imposter Christianity Behind the Capitol Attack: What You Need to Know About White Christian Nationalism

Three men, eyes closed and heads bowed, pray before a rough-hewn wooden cross. Another wraps his arms around a massive Bible pressed against his chest like a shield. All around, people wave “Jesus Saves” banners and pump their fists toward the sky.

At first glance, these look like scenes from an outdoor church rally. But this wasnt a revival. It was what some call a Christian revolt — the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

That day, the attack on the Capitol didnt just expose a political crisis. It pulled the curtain back on a growing movement that had been hiding in plain sight: White Christian nationalism.

What Exactly Is White Christian Nationalism?

Its not just patriotism. Its not just faith. Its a specific ideology that uses Christian language to cloak sexism and hostility toward Black people and non-White immigrants, all in the quest to create a White Christian America.

A report from clergy, scholars and advocates sponsored by two groups that advocate for the separation of church and state concluded that this ideology was used to “bolster, justify and intensify” the attack on the Capitol.

Samuel Perry, a professor of religious studies at the University of Oklahoma and an authority on the subject, calls it an “imposter Christianity.”

This isnt fringe. Scholars, historians, sociologists and clergy say White Christian nationalist beliefs have infiltrated the religious mainstream so thoroughly that virtually any conservative Christian pastor who tries to challenge its ideology risks their career.

Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of the New York Times bestseller “Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation,” puts it bluntly: “These ideas are so widespread that any individual pastor or Christian leader who tries to turn the tide and say, Lets look again at Jesus and scripture, are going to be tossed aside.”

The ideas are insidious because many sound like expressions of Christian piety or harmless references to US history. But White Christian nationalists interpret them in ways that are potentially violent and heretical.

Three Key Beliefs You Need to Understand

1. The US Was Founded as a Christian Nation

One of the banners at the January 6 insurrection was a replica of the American flag with the caption, “Jesus is My Savior, Trump is My President.” Erasing the line between piety and politics is a key characteristic of White Christian nationalism.

The belief that the US was founded as a Christian nation — that the Founding Fathers were all orthodox, evangelical Christians and that God has chosen America for a special role in history — is growing. A survey last year by the Barna Group found that an “increasing number of American Christians believe strongly” that the US is a Christian nation, has not oppressed minorities, and has been chosen by God to lead the world.

But this is bad history and bad theology, says Philip Gorski, a sociologist at Yale University and co-author of “The Flag and the Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy.”

“Its a half truth, a mythological version of American history,” Gorski says.

Some Founding Fathers did view the nation through a Biblical lens. Every state constitution contains a reference to God or the divine. But many did not. And virtually none could be classified as evangelical Christians. They were a collection of atheists, Unitarians, Deists, liberal Protestants and other denominations.

The Constitution says nothing about God, the Bible or the Ten Commandments. And the 1797 Treaty of Tripoli, ratified unanimously by a Senate still half-filled with signers of the Constitution, declared: “the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on Christian religion.”

Does this mean any White Christian who loves their country is a Christian nationalist? No. Gorski notes that many devout Black Americans have exhibited a form of patriotism that does not degenerate into Christian nationalism. He points to Frederick Douglass and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. — both devout Christians who expressed admiration for America but challenged the nation to live up to its highest principles.

The patriotism of White Christian nationalists, on the other hand, is a form of racial tribalism. “Its a My tribe. We were here first. This is our country, and we dont like people who are trying to change it or people who are different form of nationalism,” Gorski says.

2. A Belief in a Warrior Christ

Videos from January 6 show a chaotic, tear-gas-soaked scene that looked more like a medieval battle. Insurrectionists punched police officers, used flagpoles as spears and smashed officers faces against doors while a mob chanted, “Fight for Trump!” Five people died. Nearly 140 law enforcement officers were injured.

The incongruity of people carrying “Jesus Saves” signs while joining a mob that pummeled police leads to an obvious question: How can White Christian nationalists who claim to follow Jesus, the “Prince of Peace,” support a violent insurrection?

They follow a different Jesus than the one depicted in the Gospels, says Du Mez. They follow the Jesus depicted in the Book of Revelation — the warrior with eyes like “flames of fire” and “a robe dipped in blood” who led the armies of heaven on white horses in a final, triumphant battle against the forces of the antichrist.

White Christian nationalists have refashioned Jesus into a kick-b utt savior willing to smite enemies to restore America to a Christian nation by force, if necessary. While warlike language like putting on “the full armor of God” has long been common in Christian sermons, it has largely been interpreted as metaphorical. Many White Christian nationalists take it literally.

Some insurrectionists wore caps emblazoned with “God, Guns, Trump” and chanted that the blood of Jesus was washing Congress clean. One wrote “In God We Trust” on a set of gallows erected at the Capitol.

“They want the warrior Christ who wields a bloody sword and defeats his enemies,” says Du Mez. “That Jesus brings peace, but only after he slays his enemies.”

This embrace of a warrior Christ has shaped attitudes on issues from political violence to gun safety laws. A survey last year by the Public Religion Research Institute revealed that of all respondents, White evangelicals were the religious group most likely to agree that “true American patriots might have to resort to violence in order to save the country.”

Perry wrote in a recent essay that among Americans surveyed who believe the federal government should declare the US a Christian nation, over two-thirds rejected the idea that the federal government should enact stricter gun laws. “Guns are practically an element of worship in the church of white Christian nationalism,” he wrote.

3. Theres Such a Thing as a Real American

In the 2008 presidential election, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin introduced a new term to the political discourse. She talked about “the real America” and the “pro-America areas of this great nation.” Since then, many conservative political candidates have used the term “real Americans” to draw contrasts between their supporters and their opposition.

Such language has been co-opted into a worldview held by many White Christian nationalists: The nation is divided between “real Americans” and other citizens who dont deserve the same rights.

Gorski says he found a strong correlation between White Christian nationalism and support for gerrymandering — where politicians manipulate district lines to favor one party or, some critics say, race over another. He found similar support for the Electoral College, which gives disproportionate political power to many rural, largely White areas.

When White Christian nationalists claim an election was stolen, they reflect the belief that some votes dont count. “Its the idea that we are the people, and our vote should count, and youre not the people, and you dont really deserve to have a voice,” Gorski says. “It doesnt matter what the voting machines say, because we know that all real Americans voted for Donald Trump.”

Why This Matters for Democracy

Those who want the US to become a Christian nation face a huge obstacle: Most Americans dont subscribe to their vision.

The mainstreaming of White Christian nationalism comes as a growing number of Americans reject organized religion. For the first time last year, membership in communities of worship fell below 50%. Belief in God is at an all-time low, according to a recent Gallup poll. Add to that growing racial and religious diversity — people who identify as White alone declined for the first time since the census began in 1790, and the majority of Americans under 18 are now people of color.

On the surface, White Christian nationalism should not be on the ascent. So its followers look for salvation from two sources.

One is the emboldened conservative majority on the US Supreme Court, where recent decisions overturning Roe v. Wade and protecting school prayer offer hope. Critics say the high court is eroding the separation of church and state. A recent study concluded that five of the justices are the “most pro-religion since at least World War II,” and that the six conservative justices are “all Christian, mostly Catholic,” and “religiously devout.”

The other source of hope is a former occupant of the White House. Their devotion to him is illustrated by one of the most striking images from January 6: A sign depicting a Nordic-looking Jesus wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat.

If Trump returns to the presidency, some White Christian nationalists may interpret his political resurrection as divine intervention. His support among White evangelicals increased from 2016 to 2020. And what the men carrying wooden crosses among the Capitol mob couldnt achieve on January 6, they might yet accomplish in 2024.

Gorski says White Christian nationalism represents a grave threat to democracy because it defines “we the people” in a way that excludes many Americans.

“The United States cannot be both a truly multiracial democracy — a people of people and a nation of nations — and a white Christian nation at the same time,” he wrote. “This is why white Christian nationalism has become a serious threat to American democracy, perhaps the most serious threat it now faces.”

What Can You Do?

The first step is recognizing the difference between genuine faith and its political hijacking. Not every Christian who loves America is a Christian nationalist. But when patriotism becomes racial tribalism, when faith becomes a weapon, and when “real American” becomes a code word for “White Christian,” thats when the line is crossed.

Pay attention to the language. Question the narratives. And remember that the most dangerous ideologies often hide behind the most familiar symbols. The question isnt whether youre a Christian nationalist — its whether you can spot one when you see one, even if theyre holding a Bible.