Chris Rufo did not invent the war against critical race theory. For years, concerns of neo-marxism infiltrating the institutions through CRT or "anti-racism" was an animating factor on the Christian right. This came to a head in the fallout over the Gospel Coalition's MLK50 event in 2018 and the establishment of a reactionary movement of pastors, church leaders, and, of course, their funders. In this episode, we look at the immediate reaction to the MLK50 event and the through-line from MLK50 to a spate of state-level legislation aimed at making school districts into hubs of white Christian nationalism.

Check out our Linktree for other platforms, including video content on youtube and spotify, all our socials, and our free and open discord server: https://linktr.ee/alltheragechristianpod

As always, our intro/outro music is Dweller on the Threshold by Nihilore.

Show notes:

MLK50 event page

We welcome our first guest! Journalist and fellow right-wing watcher Sam Thielman joins us to discuss the anti-lgbt laws that are inundating states and school districts across the nation, and the links between these efforts and the 2017 Nashville Statement, its authors and signatories, and the dark money groups turning Christian far right dreams into nightmarish legislative reality.

Follow Sam Thielman on twitter at https://twitter.com/samthielman, find his podcast at Young Adult Movie Ministry, and see his substack at foreverwars.substack.com. The article we discuss in this episode is At War With the Pedophile Knowers.

As always, our intro/outro music is The Dweller on the Threshold by Nihilore.

Links:

Exposing ALEC: How Conservative-Backed State Laws Are All Connected - The Atlantic

Report: John MacArthur's Church Defended and Supported a Convicted Child Abuser and Pedophile - RELEVANT

Southern Baptist Convention report on sex abuse shines a light on evangelical culture

EXCLUSIVE: John MacArthur Covered Up Pastor's Sexual Abuse, Witnesses Say

HSLDA Defends Special Needs Cages Family, Redux | Libby Anne

Abuse case against Pressler may proceed, Texas Supreme Court rules – Baptist News Global

Nashville Statement - CBMW

On the heels of the leaked draft of the decision overturning Roe v Wade, Thomas and Nic Don discuss the religious right’s role in the forty-year effort to wrest control of the court for its own ends, and the myth of the centrality of abortion in motivating that effort. They also discuss the leak, the decision’s (poor) reasoning, and the similarities between textualist constitutional interpretation and fundamentalist readings of the Bible.

Check out our Linktree for other platforms, including video content on youtube and spotify, all our socials, and our free and open discord server: https://linktr.ee/alltheragechristianpod

As always, intro/outro music is The Dweller on the Threshold by Nihilore

Show notes:

For detailed coverage of the draft opinion: Emergency Episode - Roe to be Overturned from Opening Arguments

For more on the evangelical perspective on abortion: Beyond the Binaries: The Complexities of Abortion and What to do about it by Thomas Horrocks

For Randall Balmer's book on the racist origins of the Religious Right: Bad Faith: Race and The Rise of the Religious Right

For more on comparative interpretive issues: Biblical Interpretation, Constitutional Interpretation and Ignoring Texts by Harry L Chambers 

To donate to a coalition of abortion funds or to find your local fund: National Networks of Abortion Funds

In this episode of All the Rage at the Moment, we react to the news of Elon Musk's (pending) purchase of twitter, and the under-explored intersections that move has with elements of the Christian right, particularly the Babylon Bee and their new favorite account, LibsofTikTok. 

As always, intro/outro music is The Dweller on the Theshold by Nihilore.

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Show notes:

Meet the woman behind Libs of TikTok, secretly fueling the right’s outrage machine https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/04/19/libs-of-tiktok-right-wing-media/

Too many people think satirical news is real https://theconversation.com/too-many-people-think-satirical-news-is-real-121666

In this inaugural episode Nic Don and Thomas share their memories of January  6 and investigate the roots of Christian nationalism that led to  insurrection.

Report on Christian Nationalism:  https://bjconline.org/new-report-christian-nationalism-january-6-021422/