The strangeness of Christian Nationalism is the focus of the most recent episode of About The Iowa Faith Leader Coalition, an investigative podcast that looks into the identities of the Christian Nationalist activists who helped deliver Donald Trump the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in 2024.
For example, David Pautsch, a member of the Iowa Faith Leader Coalition, pledges that if elected to Congress, he will ensure that “healing is accessible for those in sexual bondage.” But what exactly would that entail if Pautsch gets elected to the US House for Representatives? Does he propose legislation to deal with healing after bondage?
Christian Nationalists often assert themselves as the epitome of “normal America.” However, the actions of individuals like Kris Ranney, a Christian Nationalist supporter of Donald Trump, paint a different picture. Ranney’s propagation of a bizarre conspiracy theory alleging that Jewish globalists aim to manipulate the United States by orchestrating a relationship between Taylor Swift and an NFL player begs the question: Can this notion of Christian normalcy sustain objective scrutiny?
Consider when preacher Steve Freeman lends his support to Moms For Liberty’s exorcism campaigns, which intend to expel evil spirits from public libraries. Can any intelligent public policy support the practice of anti-literacy exorcism at libraries in small towns across America?
Christian Nationalist Kelley McAtee aims to integrate biblical principles into dog training. She offers the following guidance to dog owners: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
How does a bible verse that warns about the need to fight against demons from hell apply to dog training? Are dog owners supposed to sprinkle holy water on their pooches before teaching them to sit and stay?
Kelley McAtee’s doctrine advocating for strict obedience from dogs, citing humans’ absolute dominion over animals bestowed by the Christian god, evokes disturbing parallels with the recent boast from Republican South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem about her moral toughness as a pet owner. Noem proudly recounted dragging a puppy into a gravel pit and shooting it because it wouldn’t obey. If Christian Nationalists are willing to treat their animals with such violent disrespect, what can we expect Christian Nationalist politicians to do to non-Christian Americans once they are elected to public office?