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I have been shocked at how Jesus has been used in recent years to cover hate. I recently said, "The Jesusing of Charlie Kirk is neither about Jesus nor Charlie Kirk." His assassination and raising him to be a martyr is completely genuine for some and completely cynical for most. And we know this by how Christian nationalists have latched on to him. The casual use of Christianity to hurt people who aren't Christians, or even Christians of a certain type is very old. But it is shocking to see how this old tool of ignorance is pulled out as a weapon all the time. So why are Christians so mean nowadays and so willing to toss aside the principles of Jesus for the principles of power? I offer three parallels which are at once comforting and frightening. One is the Second Great Awakening and the massive rise of spirituality of the era. It was both the source of great good and tremendous harm. And it was a movement primarily based on fear, especially of slave rebellion and war. The next one is the Cold War in which there are so many parallels. Author Tom Nichols recently asked, "What happened to the fear of the apocalypse of nuclear war? The weapons are still there." Finally, I will talk again about Rapture. The rapture narrative and its popularity even though it is not biblical tells us everything about which Jesus we are following. 

Tom Nichols article: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/10/kathryn-bigelow-house-of-dynamite/684569/

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