,Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, is Jewish—his grandfather fought with the red army against the Nazis.[1] It was when I read that Tucker Carlson, the recently fired Fox news commentator, stated on his new Tweeter show that the President of Ukraine was “rat like,” a Nazi reference to Jews, that I decided to write this essay.[2]
There was another time when fascists vied for power in the United States. They even attempted to place their own candidate in the White House. Some were isolationist who didn’t want to be involved in a war against Hitler. Some were very far right and involved in Nazi radicalism such as the Silver Shirts. Some were businessmen and senators who were doing business with Nazi companies. Two well-known men were religious fanatics, one Catholic and one Protestant, both anti-Semites. Father Charles E Coughlin produced a popular radio program aimed at promoting Jew hatred and Gerald Burton Winrod, son of a protestant minister, published Nazi slanted material, had a radio program and spent time in Germany visiting with German officials. [3] And finally there was the growing movement of American firsters eventually led by famous aviator Charles Lindbergh.[4]
Bradley w. Hart
in his book, Hitler’s American Friends
writes of Lindbergh’s speech in Iowa, September 11, 1941, “Before a crowd of
thousands, he denounced ‘the British,
the Jewish and the Roosevelt Administration’ for pushing the country toward
war. ‘We cannot allow the natural passions and prejudices of other people to
lead our country to destruction.’ He concluded If America were to enter the
war, he warned darkly, Jews would ‘be among the first to feel its
consequences.”[5]
Lindbergh’s
attitude toward the Jews was confirmed by an earlier passage in his journal.
Hart quotes Lindbergh
We
feel that the Jews are among the most active agitators, and among the most
influential. … We feel that, on the one hand it is essential to avoid anything
approaching a pogrom; and that , on the other hand ,it is just as essential to
combat the pressure the Jews are bringing on this country to enter the war. The
Jewish influence is subtle, dangerous and very difficult to expose. As a race …
they seem to invariably cause trouble.[6]
This was the
earlier Fascist movement in the United States before World War II. But is there
a definition of fascism that fits both this past movement and todays American
Fascism?
George L. Mosse,
who has written many books on the culture of Nazism, in his book The Fascist Revolution: Toward a General
Theory of Fascism points to several important aspects of Fascism. He
writes:
Nationalism
is a belief system which provided the foundation for all Fascists movements, it
was the bed rock upon which they were built. Racism of prime importance to
Germany enhanced nationalism and gave it its cutting edge. Finally Fascism must
be understood as a nationalist revolution with its own ideology and its own
goals.[7]
Mosse also writes:
Ideas
of regeneration, of sacrifice, and a vision of utopia were the staple of all of
fascism, as was the need to triumph over ever present enemies. If a heightened
nationalism became a civic religion than racism for all its scientific
pretentions was a belief system as well. [8]
And on religion
Mosse, writing of National Socialism, points out the need for ritual, myth and
symbolism and explains that fascism borrowed from Christianity. He clarifies:
Christianity
was used in order to give fascism a familiar cast, to make it correspond to
something people knew well. The structure of one belief system reinforced
another. These borrowings from Christianity were, of course, stripped of their
content, and nationalism was substituted instead.[9]
Having explained
the features, structure and ideology of fascism, I want to point out that I am
not writing about conservatives, I am after all a conservative. Nor do I
include all of those who are lumped under Trumpism, although many do fit into
this category. And notice that not everyone will be racist although it is
possible that the movement will move into that dark abyss. Thinking of Anti-Semitism, some already have.
I have already named
Tucker Carlson, and other articles I have written provide characters that fit
the fascist mold. For instance Bo Polny, a New Apostolic Reformation pastor who
is predicting the hanging of enemies on television as well as a utopian ending
to a financial collapse, fits squarely into this frame. But basically I want to
look at the fascist ideology as it is being expressed in an American, mostly
far right and religious, context, rather than looking at people. Still, that
will, in some cases mean pointing to some people.
Nationalism is
certainly a part of the rising fascism, it is the foundation for most of the
movement. The adherents are being called to a pseudo “Christian” nationalism.
“Christian” because the leaders insist that those in the movement must battle
for a Christian nation. Pseudo because their idea of Christian falls short of
orthodox Christianity
Those tending
toward fascism in the United States are using Christianity in a more literal
way than those in Nazi Germany. Perhaps because as Arthur C. Cochrane points
out in The Church’s Confession Under Hitler
the so called theologians backing Hitler were, “a liberal, nationalistic sect.”
The nationalists in America call themselves evangelical. They attempt to at
least project their image as biblical Christians. But leadership is still
manipulating faith for the sake of political advantage. Using it as a means to
legitimize their nationalist ideology.
The so called
“Christian Nationalist” in the United States have Christian worship services
not only at churches but within various conferences and rallies. For instance
at Clay Clark’s The Reawaken America Tour there are sermons, baptisms and
prayers but they are mixed with political speeches, the promise of jail and
death to enemies and a constant stream of conspiracy narratives. The Fascist
undertone is the political slant of sermons and prophecies, all laced with the
promise of utopia. Not the second coming of Jesus and the new heaven and new
earth but the wiping out of enemies—Democrats, Communists, Marxist, and Globalist.
A work that is human centered rather than God given and comes with no offer of
the grace of Christ.
. Not unlike the
National Socialist of Germany such leaders as Michael Flynn and Clay Clark as
well as too many pastors who follow them insist on twin allegiances to both
State and Church. Not the State as it is in reality, full of saint and sinner
and a great deal of diversity, but their ideal state—a projection of their own
ideology.
Michael Flynn has
suggested that followers put away their Bibles and instead study the Constitution, the Federalist Papers and other founding documents. These are of course
great documents to study, protect and care about but the Word of God comes
first. The Word of God is the Christian’s authority. When German Christians in
their Rengsdorf Theses wrote “There is no contradiction between an unreserved
position in favor of the gospel on the one hand and an equally unreserved
position in favor of German nationality (National Socialist State) on the other
hand.” Theologian Karl Barth responded:
The
Christian Confession of Faith is the only “unreserved” position that is
required of us and permitted to us. Hence all other positions (including those
in regard to German nationality and the National Socialist State) are subject
to reservations.
Whoever
today talks about two ‘unreserved’ positions imagines he is able to serve
Yehweh and Baal, God and Mammon, and places himself outside the evangelical
Church.[10]
One must say the
same thing to the American Church, “Christian Nationalism” is a contradiction
in terms—the Christian Confession of Faith is our only unreserved position.
In this American
fascist movement are those who have moved into a Nazi flavored fascism plus there
are those who have cast aside any sense of Christian orthodoxy. I have written
about one particular person, Scott McKay who detests the Christian Church
predicting that all Christianity will change and be involved in Christ
consciousness a rather New Age sounding spirituality. He connects both on his
platform and others with wildly fringe religious views which even includes
aliens. And yet he is invited to speak at Clay Clark’s Reawaken American Tour.
McKay also holds
to some very strong anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. CNN reporter Jake Tapper
in a video
on Facebook shows a small part of a video where McKay states that
Hitler was fighting the same enemies that he and others are fighting. He also points to another anti-Semite Charlie
Ward. Tapper contacted Eric Trump Jr. who is not only a part of Clay Clark’s
Reawaken America Tour but also the son of ex-President Donald Trump. In the
exchange with Trump Jr. and Clark it is still uncertain whether McKay was
allowed to speak at recent conferences or future ones. What is certain is that McKay
is still speaking at many of the rallies and conferences provided by different
adherents of Christian nationalism.
There are others
who have also moved into the very radical and uglier side of fascism such as
Nickolas Fuentes who denies the Holocaust; his followers are referred to as
Groypers. This mixture of occultic views, anti-Semitism and other’s attempt to
hold on to Christian “nationalism” is not unlike the fascist movements in both
Germany and American during the 1920’s and 30s.
So where does the
Church belong in the midst of all of this? Faithfulness to Jesus has nothing to
do with promoting a Christian nation but instead lifting up the Lord and His
kingdom. When Pilate asked Jesus if he was a king, Jesus answered that He was
but said “My kingdom is not of this
world. If My kingdom were of this world then my servants would be fighting so
that I would not be handed over to the Jews but as it is My kingdom is not of
this realm(John 18:36).
While there are
social evils that the Church must stand against such as racism, sexual abuse,
abortion and social ills such as homelessness, addiction and poverty that
Christians must work and pray for solutions to, this should not be the major focus
of the Church in the midst of a faith crisis. That there are those who call
themselves Christians who are confused and misled applauding the heresy of
giving “unreserved” allegiance, as it has been put, to political parties and political
leaders placed on golden pedestals, will produce a nightmare for the faithful.
We simply cannot stand in two places.
The solution
however is not political nor is it activism but the call the church has always
possessed. Go into the world and preach the gospel. Stay faithful to Jesus
Christ—neither the right nor the left. Continue
being the Church—she is upheld by the Lord and in the midst of what may seem
like unbearable upheavals she will be the one steady, stable haven open to
those who seek safety and comfort.
[2] https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/world/news/tucker-carlson-called-ukraines-jewish-leader-zelenskyy-rat-like-on-his-tw
[3] Bradley
W. Hart, Hitler’s American Friends: The
Third Reich’s Supporters in the United States, “The Religious Right,” (Thomas
Dunne Books St Martin’s Press: New York), See also, Hitler in Los Angeles: How Jews Foiled Nazi Plots Against Hollywood and
America by Steven J. Ross `
[4]
Ibid. Hitler’s, “America First.”
[5]
Ibid, Hitler’s, “Lindbergh sees a Plot
for War,” New York Times. 2; Berg, 427.
[6]
Ibid. Hitler’s American, 179, 181.
[7] I
should explain that Mosse points out that not all Fascists nations were racist.
Spain was not and at first Italy was not.
[8]
George L. Mosse, The Fascist Revolution:
Toward a General Theory of Fascism, (New York: Howard Fertic 1999) xi, xv.
[9]
Mosse, The Fascist Revolution, xii.
[10]
Arthur C. Cochrane, The Church’s
Confession Under Hitler, (Philadelphia: Westminster Press 1961) 120,121.
