SECWAR Hegseth’s Beliefs

Review by Bill Doughty

In his powerful and influential book “The War on Warriors” (Fox News Books, 2024), former Army National Guard major Pete Hegseth devotes a full chapter claiming he was persecuted for his tattoos while in the Guard, turned down from participating in President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2020. He believes he was singled out as an “extremist” particularly because of his chest tattoo of the Jerusalem Cross (an image that of the Crusades in the 11th and 12th centuries).

Hegseth is proud of his symbolic Christian and nationalist tattoos.

His tattoos include a sword and the words “Deus Vult” (“God wills it” –– believed to be a Crusader battle cry), “Chi-Rho” (Greek letters indicating Jesus), the word “Yeshua” (Hebrew for Jesus), and an AR-15 military assault rifle below a stylized American flag. Another is of a cross with a sword (referencing Gospel of Matthew verse of Jesus: “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”)

Experts see his tattoos and other messaging as a call for a return to pre-Enlightenment Christianity based on militancy and religious violence –– a call for “revival,” revolution and retribution. A call for theocracy.

Throughout “War on Warriors” Hegseth proclaims his devotion to Jesus Christ and belief in a Christian God –– not the peace-loving, kind, tolerant, and compassionate version, but rather the vengeful, violent, and patriarchal image reflected in the Old Testament and in some stories in the New Testament.

Gideon leads an attack on nonbelievers.

Hegseth recounts the story of farmer-turned-reluctant-warrior Gideon in the book of Judges (Chapters 6-8), who believed God wanted him to attack the non-believing Midianites –– the enemy from within.

“The story of Gideon reminds us that we are not only fighting a battle against foreign enemies. Sometimes the fight must begin with a struggle against domestic enemies. Those who would violate the Covenant that binds us as a community of faith and that grants us blessing,” Hegseth proclaims, “But the story of Gideon is a good reminder that readiness means nothing without God.”

Hegseth’s pastor is Doug Wilson, founder of Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches and the Calvinist leader of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho and now in Washington D.C. Hegseth has communicated Wilson’s motto and call for theocracy in some of his social media communication: “All of Christ for All of Life” –– including in government.

Wilson calls for making gay marriage illegal, banning abortion, and practicing a male-dominated form of Christianity. Among his followers are many who advocate for repeal of the 19th Amendment (ensuring women's right to vote) and against women serving in traditionally male roles.

In “War on Warriors,” subtitled “Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” Hegseth writes about one woman soldier he admires –– SSG Leigh Ann Hester, “the first female in the military since World War II to be awarded the Silver Star.” But then he writes at length about two other American women service members: Lynndie England, who tortured Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib Prison in Baghdad, and Jessica Lynch, who was captured and had to be rescued. Anecdotes become generalizations.

Hegseth argues extensively throughout the book that “men are stronger than women.”

He often communicates with cynicism, condescension, and ridicule: “Maybe the power of positive thinking will increase women’s muscle mass.” “We are led by small generals and feeble officers without the courage…” “Not only is Milley an idiot, he is an arrogant ass.” “If only Eisenhower had an out-of-shape transgender officer,” he says sarcastically, “we would have ended World War II before 1944.”

Regarding military women who receive medically indicated abortions, Hegseth believes, “Our DOD and VA help them be baby life takers.” “Thank you for serving your country –– now we will help you kill your unborn child.”

He proclaims, ironically, “Morally bankrupt minds are just doing what they always do: Preaching, reality be damned.” And, "The Left's audacity and hubris allow them to ignore the laws they don't like and then prosecute the people they don't like."

Chapter 5 of this book is titled “The (Deadly) Obsession with Women Warriors.” Written a year before President Trump named him as Secretary of Defense, Hegseth expresses his belief about a woman’s “place” in the military –– in “support roles”:

“Intelligence gathering, chow lines, equipment maintenance, fuel, and medical support are all an essential part of the war effort. They are the difference between bitter defeat and victory. Women have nobly assisted the war effort in dangerous support roles for generations. We know they can do this, but the issue surrounding women in the infantry –– women in combat on purpose –– is another story.

The gender integration of these traditionally male spheres, coupled with our loss of a Christian ethos for God’s creation, means we’ve started to think of men and women as essentially the same animal with different levels of body strength. That’s particularly dangerous when it comes to combat because the differences aren’t just physical.”

Hegseth stereotypes: “Dads push us to take risks. Moms put the training wheels on our bikes. We need moms. But not in the military, especially in combat units.” (Emphasis his.) 

There is no mention of the principle reason women in uniform were granted greater equality: to level the playing field in promotion opportunities for the most capable leaders.

The book’s epilogue is Hegseth’s “letter to my sons” (without including his two daughters). 

He writes to his sons, “I hope you joint he ranks of American fighting men … a “brotherhood.”

"You are all individuals,” he writes. “Each a child of God –– and soon, I pray, men of God. You grew up in a covenant Christian home, which Is the most important part of who you –– and we –– are. Our eternal home is in Christ’s Kingdom, and we strive to love Him with all our heart, and soul, and mind. While we have breath, we are also charged with advancing His Kingdom here on earth.”

Throughout “War on Warriors,” Hegseth calls for more “manly men” from “farms” and “small towns” to join the military while he rails against those who champion diversity, equity, and inclusion, efforts to ensure the military reflects America’s demographics.

Since becoming Trump's leader of the military, Hegseth has systematically removed senior military and DOD civilian leaders who he sees as "diversity hires" or who oppose his purge of women and minorities.

Senior leaders removed from service by Secretary of Defense Hegseth.

Hegseth blames previous civilian and military leaders of the military (especially former CJCS Milley and former SECNAV Mabus) as well as current flag officers, calling them “cowardly generals caving to beta-male politicians.” He calls it an “unholy alliance between political ideologies and Pentagon pussies,” who he calls “whores to wokesters.” (His emphasis.)

“For the past three years, the Pentagon –– across all branches –– has embraced the social justice messages of gender equity, racial diversity, climate stupidity, vaccine worship, and the LGBTQA+ alphabet soup in their recruiting pushes. Only one problem: there aren’t enough trannies from Brooklyn or lesbians from San Francisco who want to join the 82nd Airborne. Not only do the trannies and lesbians not join, but those very same ads turn off the young patriotic Christian men who have traditionally filled our ranks.”

Some experts see Hegseth’s attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion –– especially his removal of leaders such as CNO Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan, CJCS Gen. C.Q. Brown, NATO representative Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, and others –– as signs of patriarchy and white Christian supremacy. 

The same can be said for his honoring of the Confederacy –– reinstating names at military installations and resurrecting monuments of Robert E. Lee and other traitors. Hegseth plays up what he sees as a threat from groups like Antifa, “the Left,” and Black Lives Matter while downplaying the attempted insurrection and violent riot at the Capitol of January 6, 2001.

He says only "a few active-duty service members at the Capitol" participated in what was an attempted coup. He writes, "Turns out the military is less racist and less extreme than the U.S. population." For now.

His recently announced restriction on beards can be seen as a way to keep black men out of the military due to a painful skin condition many black men suffer called pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), which requires a medical exemption that Hegseth wants to discontinue. He says the military is no place for “beardos.”

Hegseth recounts some of his time as an the Army National Guard officer, serving on multiple deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay. His writing is raw, emotive, and paints a realistic and believable portrayal of life in a combat zone. He describes the sights, sounds, and smells as well as the emotions in the field.

“I was walking on air. Exhilaration that we would be doing something meaningful and kinetic,” he writes.

Cast of  Friends.

But that feeling was followed quickly with deep disappointment when his unit was assigned to guard duty “in ramshackle guard towers, wasting away in the heat and dust. Aimlessly spitting tobacco juice and sunflower seeds in Halliburton Tesco barriers on the front gate playing ‘fuck, marry, kill’ with the cast of Friends.”

His view of the future of humanity seems hopeless and nihilistic. No chance for a peaceful world. “We are flawed. We are sinful. Men will always fight other men.” Therefore, he concludes, we are justified to fight without consideration of rules of engagement, norms, or other constraints, including international laws and even the U.S. Constitution.

“Aren’t we just better off winning our wars according to our own rules?”

“Should we follow the Geneva Conventions? What if we treated the enemy the way they treated us? Would that not be an incentive for the other side to reconsider their barbarism? Hey, Al Qaeda: If you surrender, we might spare your life. If you do not, we will rip your arms off and feed them to hogs.”

It’s notable that in less than a year Hegseth has fired numerous JAG officers, IGs (Inspectors General), and advisors who don’t have his beliefs or who don’t give him the advice he wants. Ultimately, without controls on the executive branch by the legislature, the nation relies on the judiciary to enforce treaties and laws, such as the Posse Comitatus Act prohibiting the use of federal military forces for domestic law enforcement.

Hegseth says of progressives, “We are awake to their woke; and our battle begins anew, here at home.”

Smaller than his Crusades-related tattoos are Hegseth’s inks of nationalist symbols and words include the U.S. Constitution’s famous opening phrase “We the People,” “1775” in Roman numerals (for the American War of Independence), and a “Join, or Die” snake from the American Revolution. He also displays tattoos of a pair of crossed muskets, a circle of stars and a patch of his regiment, the 187th Infantry.

The cover of his book features an image of an upside down American flag patch.

Hegseth expresses his feelings of persecution and grievance after concluding his Christian cross tattoos kept him from being selected for inauguration duty: “Maybe it was too many crosses? Would just one cross be okay? Or does the Army think that all white Christians are white nationalists? Is it all Christians? All whites? All Trump supporters?”

Just as not all republicans are white nationalists or MAGA followers, not all Christians or other god-fearing Americans are in favor of a theocratic government.

In his landmark book “The Individual and the Cosmos in Renaissance Philosophy,” Ernst Cassirer observed this about mainstream believers of the New Testament: “True Christianity does not require that the opponents of the faith be destroyed but that they be convinced through reason, converted through instruction, or be peacefully tolerated.”

Writing about his Jerusalem Cross tattoo, Hegseth asks, “But was this really about a cross? Was this really about one Christian man?”

He concludes with a veiled threat, “What can one Christian man do to dismantle their agenda? Maybe a lot... I guess we'll find out after this book.”

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The Trump administration, with help from Hegseth, is:

• purging ethical leaders and advisors; 
• embracing the Confederacy; 
• deploying troops to U.S. cities;
• rejecting women in uniform;
• promoting anti-vaccination conspiracies;
• failing to protect the environment;
• accelerating corruption and grift at home and overseas;
• restricting the media;
• banning books and censoring museums and schools;
• attacking the First, Fourth and Tenth Amendments;
• declaring nonexistent emergencies and insurgencies;
• fomenting division, disparity and inequality;
• politicizing the military;
• threatening to exert plenary (unrestricted) powers; and
• renaming DOD to Department of War.

All of these tectonic changes seem especially poignant as the Navy, Marine Corps, and Army commemorate 250 year anniversaries in 2025. 

Are Trump and Hegseth preparing to combine military branches as other autocrats do?

Will they continue to promote anti-democracy movements in Europe while half-heartedly supporting Ukraine and kowtowing to Putin?

Will they order the military to invade Greenland and/or Canada, as Trump has threatened?

Will they start a war in Central America or the Caribbean and continue blowing up speed boats from Venezuela and Colombia?

Will they shut down freedom of the press, public education, and voting rights?

[And by the way, will they ever release the Epstein files and hold Ghislaine Maxwell accountable?]

Bottom line: Will they continue to try to lead the United States toward an authoritarian theocracy?

‘Enemy from Within’ & ‘Move Out and Draw Fire’

By Bill Doughty

Must-reads for anyone in the military –– or who cares about the military –– are transcripts of speeches by Commander in Chief Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Hegseth of Sept. 30, 2025, presented at Marine Corps Base Quantico. (Videos of the speeches can be found online, and transcripts are available and linked below.)

Both Trump and Hegseth commended the senior uniformed leaders for their service and sacrifice, and then provided in-person guidance and direction outlining their vision of the military’s role.

In his speech, President Trump touted, among many other topics, his deployment of the military to U.S. cities.

You know, the Democrats run most of the cities that are in bad shape … What they've done to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, they're very unsafe places and we're going to straighten them out one by one. And this is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room. That's a war too. It's a war from within."

Trump reflected positively on his deployment of the military in Washington D.C. and announced plans to send troops into Oregon.

“Portland, Oregon, where it looks like a war zone. And I get a call from the liberal governor, ‘Sir, please don't come in, we don't need you.’ I said, ‘Well, unless they're playing false tapes, this looked like World War II. Your place is burning down. I mean, you must be kidding.’ ‘Sir, we have it under control.’ I said, ‘You don't have it under control, governor, but I'll check it and I'll call you back. I called him back, I said, ‘you -- this place is a nightmare.’”

Trump told military leaders they would be directed to “quell civil disturbances” by the enemy from within” in American cities.

“Last month, I signed an executive order to provide training for a quick reaction force that can help quell civil disturbances. This is going to be a big thing for the people in this room because it's the enemy from within and we have to handle it before it gets out of control. It won't get out of control, once you're involved, at all.”

Trump did not mention the Posse Comitatus Act which prohibits federal military personnel from acting as domestic law enforcement, except when authorized by Congress.

Earlier, SECDEF Hegseth proclaimed “liberation day” for the military in his speech. He said he was removing many of the legal constraints and ethical rules of engagement that have traditionally guided the Department of Defense, now called the Department of War by Trump and Hegseth.

“We fight to win. We unleash overwhelming and punishing violence on the enemy. We also don't fight with stupid rules of engagement. We untie the hands of our warfighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt and kill the enemies of our country. No more politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement, just common sense, maximum lethality and authority for warfighters."

He said, “Well, today is another liberation day, the liberation of America's warriors, in name, in deed and in authorities. You kill people and break things for a living. You are not politically correct and don't necessarily belong always in polite society.”

Near the end of his remarks Hegeth said, “Lethality is our calling card, and victory our only acceptable end state.” 

He also called for military leaders to consider Christian reflection.

“In closing, a few weeks ago, at our monthly Pentagon Christian prayer service, I recited a commander’s prayer. It’s a simple yet meaningful prayer for wisdom for commanders and leaders. I encourage you to look it up if you’ve never seen it, but the prayer, it ends like this: ‘And most of all, Lord, please keep my Soldiers safe, lead them, guide them, protect them, watch over them, and as you gave all of yourself for me, help me give all of myself for them. Amen.’”

His final words were “Move out and draw fire, because we are the War Department. Godspeed.”

Last May, Hegseth began convening monthly Christian prayer services at the Pentagon.

"This is precisely where I need to be," Hegseth told service members and civilians. "And, I think, precisely where we need to be as a nation at this moment: in prayer, on bended knee, recognizing the providence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

He said, “Knowing that there is an author in heaven overseeing all of this, who has underwritten all of it for us on the cross, gives me the strength to proceed.”

J6: Don’t Call it ‘Christian Nationalism’

Review by Bill Doughty

It’s one of the best books explaining many of the roots of the violent attack on the Capitol of January 6, 2021. Matthew D. Taylor’s “The Violent Take It by Force” (Broadleaf Books 2024) digs deep to reveal the tendrils that led to the riot and insurrection attempt of J6.

Through extensive research, interviews, and forensics, Taylor identifies the influential religious leaders who motivated so many MAGA Trump-supporters to come to Washington D.C., attend prayer vigils, and then march on the halls of Congress –– attacking police and threatening to kill the vice president and lawmakers.

The subtitle of Taylor’s book is “The Christian Movement that is Threatening Our Democracy.” But Taylor, who is a Christian himself, says “Christians are the best people to defang extremist Christianity.” And he champions the true meaning of “religious freedom” as outlined in the U.S. Constitution.

“Free speech and freedom of religious expression are core values of American democracy,” he writes. Taylor calls for “a civic reckoning that we need to have within American Christianity and in American society.”

“The mobilization for the Capitol Riot was conducted –– and the ongoing pageant of spiritual warfare in American politics is still being directed –– by Christian ministers and Christian politicians. They are using Christian theology, Christian Bible citations, Christian worship, and Christian symbols; therefore, this story pertains to all Christians. Whether we are Independent Charismatics or not, NAR (New Apostolic Reformation) fans or not, we are our ‘brother's [and sister's] keeper’ (Gen. 4); we all share in the same baptism and worship the same Lord in Jesus Christ (Eph. 4); we are part of the same body (Rom.12). So if, as a Christian, you object to the activities and theologies I have outlined, it is your obligation to speak up. We will be complicit if we allow such things to be done in our name.

It is my opinion, informed by history, that Christianity in America has not been this divided-theologically, socially, regionally, or epistemically— since the eve of the Civil War [when, as Frederick Douglass informed a nation, chattel slavery was justified by white slavers as ordained in the Bible]. We desperately need intra-Christian and ecumenical conversations— perhaps some quite heated and contentious-that speak to these differences and bridge these divides. The best people to defang extremist Christianity are Christians.”

Extremist Christianity –– Christian nationalism –– is proudly proclaimed, promoted, and displayed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth; Speaker of the House Mike Johnson; Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis; Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and Jim Jordan; as well as dozens of advisors and influencers in the Trump administration.

Influential true-believers also include B-listers like Project 2025’s Russell Vought, former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn (who is recruiting a “Christian Army”), activist Charlie Kirk, televangelists like Kenneth Copeland (of “COVID-19 Wind of God” YouTube fame), and (to a lesser degree now) former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Not every Republican is a Christian extremist, by the way, but every Christian extremist is likely a Republican.

Taylor recognizes that the goal of most of the one-party extremists is not just a Christian nation, but also a Christian world. In other words. They preach not only embracing nationalism but also promoting dominion theology and global supremacism. Moreover, they desire spiritual warfare and a crusade for their other “savior,” Donald Trump.

Though they are a minority among all Christians or other people who believe in God, these Christian supremacists were indispensable in motivating rioters on Jan. 6, 2021.

Taylor’s book introduces many influential women and men in the Christian Supremacy movement who see themselves as prophets, apostles, or otherwise ordained leaders and motivators. Among them are:

• Paula White, who helped elect Donald Trump and now serves in the White House as his spiritual advisor. Trump is just one of many celebrities who gravitated to White (or vice versa); others whom she ministered to include Michael Jackson (after allegations of child molestation), Deion Sanders, Darryl Strawberry, Kid Rock, and Tyra Banks. White conducted an officially sanctioned prayer service on the morning of January 6, 2021 calling for the presidential election to be “overturned right now in the name of Jesus.”
• Cindy Jacobs, celestial-charismatic Pentecostal Christian prophet who believes in actual demons. Her 2025 prophecies include themes of “overcome,” "global reset," and increased “spiritual authority” and "disruptive glory.” Jacobs participated in a prayer tour in the White House on January 5, 2021. She spoke at a Jericho March on Dec. 12, 2020, a forerunner to the rally one year later that led to the Capitol riot.
• Lance Wallnau, who at that same 2020 rally said: ”You are the privileged generation that is called to endure the contradiction along with Donald Trump and see America restored," he told the crowd. "This is not a weak movement. This is the beginning of a Christian populist uprising! There is a backlash coming. We are going to continue to build this as a groundswell from now till 2022. You will be on the news; they will not be able to ignore you… There is a Great Awakening coming! This is the spark that is starting it right now!” He is the champion of the Seven Mountains Mandate –– a blueprint for Christian dominion takeover of seven spheres of society: government (including the military), education, media, arts/entertainment, business, family, and religion. Wallnau defended Trump after the Access Hollywood tape after the presidential candidate bragged about assaulting women; Wallnau said it was the “Devil’s fault.” His YouTube “Flashpoint” show galvanized believers across the country. Taylor writes: “If we are looking for the key mobilizers that got Christians enraged and activated enough to drive or fly, sometimes cross-country, to the US Capitol on January 6, we have to look at Lance Wallnau and his NAR Flash Point platform, two of the most important and influential conduits of that mobilization.” Wallnau hosted then-VP-candidate J.D. Vance at a NAR town hall in 2024 leading up to the election. Taylor calls Wallnau “chief propagandist of the MAGA movement” and someone to watch carefully in the months and years ahead.
• Sean Feucht (“foyt”) says “worship is a weapon.” He ties his worship music to politics and sees himself as David against Goliath, naming his row house in Washington, D.C. “Camp Elah,” after the stream where David gathered stones for his sling. Trump hosted Feucht at Mara Lago and signed Feucht’s guitar. Feucht played, prayed and preached at his Let Us Worship services in 175 cities in 2023. He recently said, “We’re living in a spiritual war …The Bible says, when you encounter wicked deeds of darkness, expose them. Don’t tolerate them. It’s like David: David didn’t go try to tolerate the giant. He came into a nation full of apathy and said, ‘The giant needs to fall down.’” Taylor says Feucht “plays heavily on a persecution neurosis among American evangelicals.” Taylor concludes, “Sean Feucht did not have a direct hand in the Capitol Riot, but we should not underestimate the impact that his city-by-city crusade had in fostering the psyche and ethos of January 6.”
• Ché Ahn spoke at a prayer rally in D.C. on Jan. 5, and said: “I believe this week we are going to throw Jezebel out and Jehu is going to rise up, and were going to rule and reign through President Trump and under the lordship of Jesus Christ, because I'm telling you the consequences are severe if Biden [or] Harris becomes president… We are here to change history. I believe we are going to shift this nation and this election that's been stolen from Donald Trump and from the United States of America. This is why it's so important that we gather tomorrow and pray and show up and just take the stand to show the world that this is the most egregious fraud — the most scandalous [thing] –– that has happened in U.S. history….”
• Lou Engle is NAR partner with Ahn. The two Independent Charismatic leaders gained fame with their followers a quarter of a century ago at a mass event: The Call DC, held September 2, 2000. Engle said he received a prophecy to organize the rally, which in hindsight was a precursor to J6, considering what was said at the event. “In fact,” according to Taylor, “one of the prayers offered from the stage during The Call DC was, ‘Lord, we turn our hearts to the Capitol building. ... Lord, would your fire just flood through the Capitol, your fire of revival just flood through the Capitol building.’ After the event, Engle opined, ‘I believe The Call DC was part of a shift in the heavens and that God has thrown a window open... We have entered a season of time in a massive spiritual war: It's Pearl Harbor. It's Nazirites [the biblical sect of ascetic adherents to strict Judaism that included John the Baptist] or Nazism. We are in a war, and if we don't win, we lose everything.’” Note that this was said 25 years ago and two decades before J6.
• Dutch Sheets may be the foremost promoter of the Christian nationalist flag known as An Appeal to Heaven, which looks more (ironically) like an environmental icon with it’s distinctive green fir tree on a white background. Sheets showed the flag to President Trump, who attended one of Sheets’s NAR rallies. Sheets believes, based on his interpretation of the Bible, that Jesus should be at the center of government and have dominion over everything. Taylor says this is counter to what most Christians believe, interpreting Jesus’s own words, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). Sheets is one of the most radical extremists, calling former President Barack Obama a Muslim, calling for God to “cleanse our government,” and organizing a militia “using the authority of Christ’s name.” Taylor shows how the White House coordinated with Sheets in 2020 and the lead-up to January 6. Evidence of Dutch Sheets’s influence at J6 is found in the sheer number of Christian nationalist flagpoles carried and in some cases, as with other flagpoles, used as weapons to attack police and guards.
• C. Peter Wagner was the father of New Apostolic Reformation and the mentor/godfather of the apostles, prophets, and leaders mentioned above. Though he died on October 21, 2016, he had already done his part to help elect President Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton less than three weeks after his death. And, his legacy continues thanks to the garden of followers he grew.

“Claiming that Peter Wagner ‘radicalized’ all these people would be a stretch because many of them were radical long before they crossed paths with him. But he knit them together, mentored them, raised their celebrity profiles, and boosted their epistemic confidence that they were the vanguard of the end times, meant to vanquish God's demonic enemies on the earth. I think a more accurate rendering of events would be to say that they all radicalized each other.

It was their shared theology and their Seven Mountains ideology that made these apostles and prophets gravitate toward politics and right-wing Christian activism. It wasn't a conspiracy that drew them to Donald Trump; it was an opportunity—an unprecedented chance to see their visions of revival and reformation with a top-down takeover of society accomplished.”

Taylor is clear that not everyone who participated in the J6 riot was motivated by their religion. Among the rioters were also outright racists, anarchists, and autocracy supporters with various grievances against the government. But the evidence of a Christian supremacist presence –– in raised crucifixes, bibles, and “An Appeal to Heaven” flags –– was obvious and powerful.

Dutch Sheets and Trump

While the history of the An Appeal to Heaven flag goes back to the American Revolution, some argue that the flag has been co-opted to promote a Christian nation and justification for violence in order to create a theocracy, and to hell with the Constitution.

“At the end of the day, this book is not about the physical violence that occurred on January 6. It is about the theologies of violence, the ideation of violence, and the romanticization of spiritual violence that have grown up in charismatic evangelicalism. It is about the culture of violent rhetoric that has spread from there into broader American Christianity and into American politics.

My objection to the NAR leaders is not that they believe in demons or practice spiritual warfare, which is fairly common across many forms of Christian belief and practice. My complaint is that they are spiritual war-mongers, constantly expanding the arena of spiritual warfare, mapping it onto geographical territory and divisive politics in a deeply destabilizing and antidemocratic manner. Buttressed by latent American Christian entitlement and indignation, that impulse to violence is the iceberg from which the outcropping of violence on January 6 protrudes. And that iceberg still sits just under the surface of the waters of American Christianity.”

In a Politico article on Christian nationalism Taylor warns about the growing roots cracking the foundation of democracy, “There’s been a tectonic shift in how the leadership of the religious right operates. These folks aren’t as interested in democracy or working through democratic systems as in the old religious right because their theology is one of Christian warfare.”

The antidote to a violent NAR revival and reformation movement trying to topple the government is a coalition of peace-loving Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and other religious people –– along with free-thinking and independent nonbelievers –– who will take peaceful action in spite of intimidation, suppression, and retribution. Otherwise, as Taylor asks in his conclusion, “what will become of our pluralistic democracy?”

Matthew Taylor, who grew up in an evangelical family, is a scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian and Jewish Studies. (J6 images are from U.S. Congress public domain.)