The Psychology of Christian Nationalism Quotes

“Singer enumerates six “compliance principles” that bind members to cults and make it psychologically difficult to leave (summarized in my own words as follows): reluctance to break a commitment, feeling indebted, seeing others behaving as if there is nothing wrong, ingrained loyalty toward the authority of the leader, still feeling wanted and loved by many, and fear of missing out on what the group has promised to offer. 29”
― Pamela Cooper-White, The Psychology of Christian Nationalism: Why People Are Drawn In and How to Talk Across the Divide

“Their goals are big. It is not a stretch to understand that, from different starting points, they really seek nothing less than world domination (“ winning the world for Christianity”—as they define it—and maintaining the role of a Christian United States as the world’s number-one economic and military superpower). These are the stated aims of the leadership of both Christian nationalists and right-wing politicians, promulgated under a triple banner of personal salvation, individual freedom/ rights, and what they perceive to be American-style democracy.”
― Pamela Cooper-White, The Psychology of Christian Nationalism: Why People Are Drawn In and How to Talk Across the Divide

“We understand from multiple sources that Christian nationalists are more nationalist than Christian and that slightly over half of all Americans agree wholly or in part with their convictions. Christian evangelicalism has come to exist in a symbiotic relationship with right-wing political operatives. Both sides of this unholy alliance promote white supremacy, patriarchy, and a conservative theonomy that serves their interests. They are united around common targets: critical race theory, feminism, LGBTQ rights, communism, Islam, and more open immigration policies (even to the extent of opposing asylum for persecuted refugees).”
― Pamela Cooper-White, The Psychology of Christian Nationalism: Why People Are Drawn In and How to Talk Across the Divide

“In chapter 1, drawing from sociologists’ research, we saw strong correspondences between white evangelical Christianity, conservative (even right-wing) nationalism, patriarchal “family values,” and above all, white supremacy.”
― Pamela Cooper-White, The Psychology of Christian Nationalism: Why People Are Drawn In and How to Talk Across the Divide

“Charles Yu, author of Interior Chinatown, 188 describes the situation as follows: Trump did not initiate the fiction in which so many Americans have been living these past four years. He inherited the script. But Trump . . . rebooted the series, freshening it up for the social-media age. In doing so, he gave the narrative a new reach. Trump was both a co-writer and the main character, mouthpiece and vessel, at times the generator of the story, at other times the perfect avatar for enacting his audience’s fantasies. In the process, Trump has conjured what all worldbuilders desire: audience participation. At some crucial tipping point, the best fictional worlds become collaborative acts. By way of collective effort and belief, a fantasy achieves a kind of mental sovereignty . . . a universe that people never have to leave, one they prefer to reality. 189”
― Pamela Cooper-White, The Psychology of Christian Nationalism: Why People Are Drawn In and How to Talk Across the Divide

“As sociologist Rebecca Barrett-Fox has observed, by providing the most radical example, dominionism gives Christian nationalists a certain kind of cover. 86 It allows more mainstream-appearing conservative Christians the ability to claim that their own views are not extreme but belong to a traditionally conservative, even moderate, position in American political life. The gradual infiltration of premillennialist ideas also helps explain a number of ancillary beliefs and practices that are common among Christian nationalists.”
― Pamela Cooper-White, The Psychology of Christian Nationalism: Why People Are Drawn In and How to Talk Across the Divide

“Christian nationalism is rarely concerned with instituting explicitly ‘Christ-like’ policies, or even policies reflecting New Testament ethics at all.”
― Pamela Cooper-White, The Psychology of Christian Nationalism: Why People Are Drawn In and How to Talk Across the Divide

“On the National Mall, one man waved the flag of Israel above a sign begging passersby to SAY YES TO JESUS. ‘Shout if you love Jesus’ someone yelled, and the crowd cheered. ‘Shout if you love Trump!’ The crowd cheered louder.”
― Pamela Cooper-White, The Psychology of Christian Nationalism: Why People Are Drawn In and How to Talk Across the Divide

“As the research for this book will demonstrate, the very term Christian nationalism really means white nationalism and stands opposed to virtually everything Jesus taught, as embodied in the gospel vision of justice and compassion.”
― Pamela Cooper-White, The Psychology of Christian Nationalism: Why People Are Drawn In and How to Talk Across the Divide

“Lest we conclude this is a fringe movement involving only a small percentage of American Christians, statistics show that nearly two-thirds of mainline Protestants7—members of the supposedly “liberal” Christian denominations—and two-thirds of all Christians taken together8 agree with many of the sentiments, if not the actions, of the thousands who marched on the Capitol on January 6. Many of us have neighbors, friends, and family members who agree at least with the beliefs underlying that violent insurgence. Based on the best research to date, approximately half (52%) of Americans either fully embrace or lean toward the main tenets of Christian nationalism. 9 While this percentage decreased slightly between 2007 and 2017, Christian nationalists have become more visible and vocal since Trump’s election in 2016. The 2001 attack on the World Trade Center (9/ 11) caused an upsurge in nationalistic fervor and a parallel rise in Islamophobia.”
― Pamela Cooper-White, The Psychology of Christian Nationalism: Why People Are Drawn In and How to Talk Across the Divide