CACE Lecture Examines Christian Nationalism and Trump’s Second Term – The Wheaton Record

Matthew Taylor gives a lecture on the changing landscape of evangelism and US politics.
By Mallory Mankin
The Center for Applied Christian Ethics (CACE) hosted Matthew D. Taylor, a scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian and Jewish Studies, on Nov. 4 to present “The Changing Landscape of Evangelism and U.S. Politics.”
Taylor began his talk by contrasting official White House photos from George W. Bush’s administration with those from Donald Trump’s administration and their differing postures toward prayer. Students were invited to point out differences in the settings of the prayers, the participants involved and the iconography of the photos themselves.
Taylor then shifted to describe the ongoing and historical changes in the religious landscape, particularly the rise of charismatic, nondenominational churches — some of whose members appeared in the White House photos.
The Greek word “charisma” translates to “spiritual gift,” and charismatic Christians are part of a movement that encourages practices such as speaking in tongues, miraculous healing and prophecy by emphasizing a Pentecostal view of the Holy Spirit. Taylor identified the latter rain revival, word of faith movement, the Jesus People revivals and reformed reconstructionism as movements that have shaped this Christian tradition. Taylor remarked that this demographic has inspired rapid church growth, citing a 2020 study that said nondenominational churches had replaced Southern Baptists as the church group with the most adherents in America.
“I appreciated how he walked listeners through the history of evangelism and painted a picture of this growing religious sect throughout time,” said Adonia Mattson, a first-year Bible and theology major with a Spanish minor.
Turning to U.S. Politics, Taylor argued that a significant rise in charismatic Christianity began around 2015. In this religious transition, three converging factors contributed to the rise of evangelical support for Donald Trump.
First, after the Supreme Court issued the Obergefell decision, an apostle of the nondenominational charismatic church rediscovered an “Appeal to Heaven” flag and believed it was a prophecy of a coming Christian revolution. Second, Paula White-Cain, a megachurch pastor, became a spiritual counselor and evangelical liaison to Donald Trump. Third, Lance Wallnau, a leader of the nondenominational, charismatic church, claimed to have received a prophecy that Trump was a secular messiah, citing Isaiah 45.
According to Taylor, many independent charismatic church leaders surrounding Trump participated in the Jan. 6 riots because they believed the presidency was stolen by demonic forces in a battle of spiritual warfare. Taylor, who had a positive experience growing up in an evangelical church, emphasized that he does not believe all evangelicals reflect the views of those rioters.
“ We are seeing the rise of a global populist, far-right style of fascism that is attached to religious nationalism,” Taylor said. “Not only Christian nationalism, but also Hindu nationalism, Buddhist nationalism, Islamic nationalism.”
Some Wheaton graduates were also in attendance. Cindy Ward ‘67 identified the way Taylor analyzed the faith practices of the U.S. political elite and noted differences between that depiction and her own faith.
“ My beliefs are Jesus’ teaching,” she said. “I find that this noise in the background about control, and being not people, but the nations — scary.”
Taylor warned of the dangers of combining charismatic faith with politics, particularly in movements associated with Christian nationalism — an ideology that seeks to incorporate expectations of Christian living into American civil life. He expressed concerns that religious nationalist movements could be weaponized to “destroy democracy” in the hands of “authoritarian” political leaders.
Nevertheless, Taylor concluded, the media attention has allowed more opportunities for propaganda and political radicalization. He circled back to the pictures that he showed at the beginning and pointed out the people in the Trump administration who are avatars for Christian nationalist movements.
“None of those people would have gotten a job in the Bush administration,” he said.
The Wheaton Record
The official student newspaper of Wheaton College
Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.
Continue reading

source