The Freedom From Religion Foundation salutes the Southern Poverty Law Center for including Christian nationalism for the first time in its influential “The Year in Hate & Extremism” report.
“This is a significant step towards addressing the growing threat of this dangerous ideology,” says Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. “We commend the Southern Poverty Law Center for recognizing the urgency of highlighting the intersection of religious extremism and political radicalism.”
One of the report’s sections, “Old Bigotries Melted with New Conspiracies Burgeon White Christian Nationalism,” calls it the “key ideology that inspired the failed Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and fueled multiple failed political campaigns in 2022.” The analysis reaffirms many of the findings in the February 2022 report produced by FFRF and the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty on Christian nationalism and the Jan. 6 attack. The section specifically highlights the work of FFRF/BJC report authors Anthea Butler and Jemar Tisby. It also raises the alarm over the ReAwaken America Tours by former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
“In 2022, SPLC polling of a nationally representative sample of people in the U.S. found that nearly two-thirds of people disagree with the tour’s promoters and strongly support the separation of church and state,” the report concludes.
Christian nationalism represents a dangerous confluence of religious fundamentalism and political extremism, posing a significant threat to the principles of secularism, religious freedom and the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. The Southern Poverty Law Center’s decision to include this topic in its report demonstrates their commitment to shedding light on all forms of hate and extremism.
The inclusion of our joint report on Christian nationalism and the Jan. 6 attack in the center’s report affirms the importance of addressing the dangerous influence of this ideology on our democratic institutions. By raising awareness about the dangers of Christian nationalism, we can work towards fostering a society that values inclusivity, religious freedom and the separation of religion and government.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with more than 40,000 members and several chapters across the country. Our purposes are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.
