It's that time of year again. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has released its annual report on the “Year In Hate And Extremism 2023," and at the top of the list is something new for left-wing mouth breathers to get hysterical about.
You've heard of "Christian nationalism." How Christian nationalism is different from plain vanilla "Christian fundamentalism" is unknown. You see, when trying to make us scared of it, the SPLC fails to define Christian nationalism in any way that would differentiate it from fundamental Christian beliefs. But they've got money to raise, and making their left-wing patrons afraid of Christians seems to open the wallets of the faithful.
Maybe they'll do a better job with "Christian Supremacy." That's right, a brand new Christian bogeyman is arising, and it's time to wring our hands and exclaim, "Woe is us!"
The SPLC's annual report "is devoted to the New Apostolic Reformation," which is “a new and powerful Christian supremacy movement that is attempting to transform culture and politics in the U.S. and countries across the world into a grim authoritarianism.”
How "powerful" can it be if someone like me has never heard of it? I read the news and scan for stories about 12-14 hours a day and consider myself extremely well-informed. I have never heard of the "New Apostolic Reformation." But the SPLC says we need to be afraid of them.
What kind of "Christian supremacy" is the SPLC talking about?
Emerging out of the charismatic evangelical tradition, the NAR adheres to a form of Christian dominionism, meaning its parishioners believe it’s their divine duty to seize control of every political and cultural institution in America, transforming them according to a fundamentalist interpretation of scripture.
NAR adherents also believe in the existence of modern-day “apostles” and “prophets” — church leaders endowed by God with supernatural abilities, including the power to heal. In 2022, a handful of these “apostles,” the report notes, issued what they called the Watchman Decree, an anti-democratic document envisioning the end of a pluralistic society in America.
Oh, dear. We're doomed.
This wouldn't even have been possible when America was a near-universal Christian nation 150 years ago. It's idiotic to refer to this ill-defined, nearly invisible group as “a new and powerful Christian supremacy movement" that wants to take over the world.
“There are claims that whole neighborhoods, cities, even nations are under the sway of the demonic,” the report states. “Other religions, such as Islam, are also said to be demonically influenced. One cannot compromise with evil, and so if Democrats, liberals, LGBTQ+ people, and others are seen as demonic, political compromise — the heart of democratic life — becomes difficult if not impossible.”
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It should be noted that in conjunction with the SPLC annual report on groups we should be terrified of, there's usually a fundraising effort to go along with the scary stuff. The anti-hate racket is very profitable.
The only problem is that the SPLC's definition of "hate" or "extremism" is not universally recognized. Hence, it puts several groups on the "hate" list whose only sin is being against gay marriage or abortion.
The SPLC has lost all credibility among fair-minded people. This latest bombastic shot at a small, insignificant fundamentalist Christian group only proves my point.
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