Seeking power in Jesus' name: Trump sparks a rise of 'Patriot Churches'

[brooklynite]

Source: Washington Post

This is a Patriot Church, part of an evolving network of nondenominational start-up congregations that say they want to take the country back for God. While most White conservative Christian churches might only touch on politics around election time and otherwise choose to keep the focus during worship on God, politics and religion are inseparable here. The Tennessee congregation is one of three Patriot Churches that formed in September. The other two are near Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., and in Spokane, Wash., and Peters says he is talking with several more pastors of existing churches who want to join them.

The 50 or so people in attendance may identify as born-again or just as generic “Bible-loving” Christians. Peters’s flock is not affiliated with a specific denomination, but it does have a distinct identity. The Patriot Churches belong to what religion experts describe as a loosely organized Christian nationalist movement that has flourished under President Trump. In just four years, he has helped reshape the landscape of American Christianity by elevating Christians once considered fringe, including Messianic Jews, preachers of the prosperity gospel and self-styled prophets. At times, this made for some strange bedfellows, but the common thread among them is a sense of being under siege and a belief that America has been and should remain a Christian nation.

From his lectern during the worship service, Peters rails against perceived attacks on First Amendment freedoms, decrying government mandates and calling masks “face diapers.”

Having launched the Patriot Church outside Knoxville, Tenn., on the weekend of Sept. 11, he declares that the Christian faith in America is “under attack.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2020/10/26/trump-christian-nationalism-patriot-church/

[MANative]

1. This makes me alternate between wanting to...

barf, scream, and (things unspeakable in a public forum).

[JohnnyLib2]

2. Let's hope snakes are brought in soon.

[NRaleighLiberal]

3. just when you think religion can't become more terrifying...

we get this sort of bizarre bullshit.

[Thomas Hurt]

4. We have been on a path to a right wing evangelical christian theocracy since Reagan.

[End Of The Road]

5. Tax 'em to death

This is political activism, not religion. Pull their exemption.

[BlueIdaho]

6. Amen Brother.

As long as churches are preaching politics from the pulpit - they need to ante up their fare share of taxes. Either that or make all my political donations tax deductible.

[riversedge]

14. Until we get Trump Repugs out of Congress, that that is hopeless.

[Bayard]

22. This

This is not non-profit, non-political. Its just delusional.

I just cannot understand why these good christians worship President Pussygrabber.

[Roy Rolling]

7. "Patriots"

Patriots pay taxes, these so-called churches don’t. They can serve Trump or they can serve Jesus, but they can’t serve both.

Strip them of tax-exempt status for preaching Trumpianity from the pulpit of a Christian church. Collecting donations from congregants to spend it on glorifying Trump instead? Jesus would be turning over in his grave if he had one.😂😂

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. Christaliban living in Biblestan bubble. . . . nt

[Brainfodder]

9. This is LBN worthy?

[3catwoman3]

10. The term "patriot churches" is...

...marrow chilling.

Believe whatever the hell you want. Just keep it to yourself.

[geretogo]

11. Their ancestors said the same thing when witch burning was banned . They would be happier

to live in the 16th century .

[weissmam]

12. they should all get COVID

I didn't say that did I

[weissmam]

13. with out Trump

poof

[kb3ojg]

15. Absolutely nothing "newsworthy" about this:

http://theocracywatch.org/

Would-be theocrats have been really open about thier "beliefs" for decades:

https://pocketcollege.com/mobile.html|

Not gonna sugarcoat this: if you don't already know about these sort of "Dominionist" assholes then you are either abysmally stupid or oblivious (same thing actually).

Anybody who thinks this is either "new" or specific to the Trump era hasn't been paying attention for decades.

[electric_blue68]

20. It is in one way since not everyone knows...

I found out about them ....oh, 25 - 30 yes ago, I hink from TheThom Hartman Show. Kept an ear open for them ever since.

Hideous. Gileadland! 😱😠😠😠😠😠🤬🤬🤬

[kb3ojg]

24. Not restricted to a few denominations/regions, either:

1. Amish and Mennonites are (or at least were) not overtly political until fairly recently. That seems to be changing in that more Mennonites are "politically active"about the anti-abortion/anti-gay/anti-"darwinism" thing.

The Mennonites also got on board pretty solidly with the Iraq war - despite their historical stance as "peace churches" - which was dismaying.

2. My wife and I lived in Florida for ten years....and (almost) got sucked into a gaggle of "Non-denominational" weirdos (through a friend of hers) - before we really knew what was happening.

(Personal observation: in my experience, "Non-demoninational" = "bugfuck insane" .

The particular gaggle of weirdos we encountered consisted of primarily former Baptists/"Charismtics" who thought that the SBC (Southern Baptist Convention) had gotten too "soft" on evolutionary biology/abortion/homosexuality/"secular humanism" etc.,former Catholics who had had bad experiences with Roman Catholicism for various reasons, and were working out their butthurt by becoming "more Fundie than Fundie", some folks who were *way* too into Texe Marrs, and this one guy who had quit his "secular" job to essentially spend 24 hours a day,7 days a week "counter-witnessing" to Jehovah's Witnesses. All he did was drive around in his van - he basically lived in it, as well.......you get the idea.

At any rate.....I'm too familiar with these sortof folks *not* to be adverse to them, and aware of their agenda.

[electric_blue68]

25. Well that was certainly not the group you were ...

looking for! 😲

In my experience as a life long NYC'r we range from secularists to the most liberal, ecumenical groups to most conservatives - but the conservatives usual "just" want to dominate their particular religion - not turn the USA into a Theocracy.

While I'm sure we have a few Dominists here, nothing like the South, and Midwest in particular. It wasn't till about 20+ yrs ago I found out about them.

[kb3ojg]

27. Yeah....

The weird/spooky thing about it was: my wife's friend is (comparatively) sane in pretty much every other way.

My first weird vibe had to do with the fact that their "services" every Sunday were in rented space - at a local funeral home.

Their initial "pastor" had actually been ordained by some Baptist offshoot - and, when he was in control, the thing at least superficially resembled a fairly typical (Protestant) church service - except for the obsession with "the rapture", gays and Muslims.

My wife and I made the mistake of saying "yes" to her friend, when she invited us "to church".

I tolerated it mostly for my wife - who was herself tolerating it for her friend.

At any rate, eventually "Pastor Jerry" experienced some sort of unexplained personal problem and moved away - at which point Dave and his wife Gloria too over.

The "church service" pretense was dropped pretty soon after that and the thing tuned into a Wednesday night "Bible study" - or something that pretended to be a "Bible study".

Mostly an opportunity for Dave to blather about (you guessed it) Homosexuals, Muslims and the differences between "True Christians", and the 99.9999999% of "Churchianity" (who were all involved in various forms of "satanic counterfeit".

The whole scene was just....sketchy.

[marble falls]

29. meh. If you think anyone here is fooled by Trump - you aren't paying attention, you're trolling.

[jmowreader]

16. These people really need to read Matthew 24.24

"For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect."

For what is Trump but a false Christ? Someone over here posted a very relevant comment once: "When the Antichrist finally appeared, they voted for him."

[marie999]

18. And how many so called Christians live by Mathew 25:35-40?

[BadGimp]

17. What could possibly go wrong...

[keithbvadu2]

19. What will they say/do when it is not their version of Christianity in charge?

[Thekaspervote]

21. Americans are turning away from religion.. idiots like this are the reason why

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

23. Whose pussy would Jesus grab?

[Boogiemack]

26. Doesn't say good things about Christianity. Trump is the most anti-Christian person to occupy WH

How do these people sleep at night? They can't really believe that Trump is a good person.

[struggle4progress]

28. "Render unto me that things that are mine! And render unto me the things that are thine!"