From “American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays The Gospel and Threatens The Church” by Andrew L. Whitehead
Consider, for example, what James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, had to say concerning almost every presidential election of just the last twenty years:
- 2004: “If you identify with the pro-life and pro-family movement, if you believe there is a right and wrong, if you believe in absolute truth, it’s all on the line tomorrow…There is a spiritual battle going on…And we simply must let our voices be heard.”
- 2008: Christian didn’t take time to find out who Barack Obama was when they voted for him. Why did they risk our nation’s future on him? It as a mistake that changed the course of history.
- 2016: “I believe this great country is hanging by a thread. If we make another tragic mistake after putting Barack Obama in office for eight years, we will never recover from it.”
- 2020: “Hordes of angry anarchists are salivating over the next election, hoping to push America over a cliff. If they succeed.. Western civilization will never recover.”
Repeatedly, Dobson claimed that this country, even Western civilization itself, was hanging by a thread. Only when Christians exert their political prowess can “we” ensure the survival of the land we love. We’ll soon explore the use of fear in relation to this quest for power within white Christian nationalism.