A shadowy coalition of Christian Nationalists that has for the past few years been crusading to legislate religion in every state is attempting to refurbish its image.
The coalition has till now labeled itself “Project Blitz” and has published two handbooks for Christian Nationalist legislators. Now, as it’s losing battles all over the country, it is trying a makeover as a less militant version of Christian Nationalism.
In a call to supporters in late October, Project Blitz founder and former U.S. Rep. Randy Forbes told supporters that Project Blitz will rebrand itself as “Freedom for All.”
As its existing name implies, Project Blitz is designed to hammer statehouses before they know what hit them. Blitz initially pushes symbolic references to support the myth that only Christians are “true” Americans, and then works to relegate non-Christians to second-class status. The project was formed in 2016 by such groups as the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation. Secular groups, including the Freedom From Religion Foundation, have battled back, sounded the alarm, and worked to educate state lawmakers and oppose Project Blitz at every turn, tracking it at BlitzWatch.org.
The reason Project Blitz is renaming itself is that it is heavily struggling. Last year, FFRF tracked and opposed 12 bible class bills pushed by Project Blitz. Nine failed. Every school district in the three states that adopted such a bill got a letter from FFRF explaining the pitfalls of such a class and what would happen if they cross the constitutional lines. To date, no bible classes have been instituted in these states.
“The new name is one that Big Brother would be proud of,” says FFRF Director of Strategic Response Andrew L. Seidel. “Project Blitz is not about freedom; it’s about Christian Nationalism and codifying Christian religious privilege into law.”
The group may have realized the poor optics of a name similar to “Blitzkrieg,” with all the negative connotations attached to that word.
“Project Blitz may be frustrated that its theocratic efforts have been made public, leading to well-deserved backlash,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “I’m reminded of the joke about the Puritans: that they loved freedom so much they kept it all for themselves .”
The Project Blitz agenda is slated to continue with full force during the 2020 legislative session, and FFRF will continue to oppose Project Blitz regardless of what it calls itself. Bills that will be introduced in states across the country — from placing bible classes and “In God We Trust” in public schools to denying equal rights to LGBTQ Americans — are still Project Blitz bills, and FFRF will remind legislators that these bills are part of a larger discriminatory Christian Nationalist push that is fundamentally at odds with the principle of religious liberty for all.
