Best of: Inside the ReAwaken America tour

Christian nationalism was on full display at the ReAwaken America tour, which was a series of conferences that fused Christian language and symbols with conspiracy theories and election denials. Amanda went inside a Miami event in 2023, and she shared her experiences in this podcast – from assembly-line baptisms to the reaction of the crowd as speakers moved seamlessly from religious worship songs to calls for political violence.

This episode originally aired May 18, 2023, and it is our most downloaded show of all time.

SHOW NOTES

Segment 1 (starting at 01:18): The Christian nationalism of the ReAwaken America tour

Amanda and Holly discussed the ReAwaken America tour in episode 5 of season 4: Christian nationalism and the midterm elections

This conversation was originally Episode 22 of Season 4.

Amanda and Holly mention this article about the ReAwaken Tour in The New York Times by Michelle Goldberg: Whose Version of Christian Nationalism Will Win in 2024?

Amanda wrote a response to Michael Flynn's call for "one religion" in 2021, published by Baptist News Global: If you're paying attention to Christian nationalism, you won't be shocked by Michael Flynn's call for 'one religion under God'

Segment 2 (starting at 06:08): The Pastors for Trump event

Amanda and Holly mentioned this article on the Pastors for Trump group by Peter Stone for The Guardian: Pro-Trump pastors rebuked for 'overt embrace of white Christian nationalism'

During this segment, we played a clip of Pastor John Bennett speaking during the Pastors for Trump event in Miami.

Segment 3 (starting at 16:14): ReAwaken America, baptisms, and our counter-witness

Amanda and Holly mentioned Brian Kaylor's reporting on the ReAwaken America tour. You can see his twitter thread with clips from Miami and read his piece in the A Public Witness newsletter, which is part of the Word&Way network: Michael Flynn's Soup for the Soulless

For more about Baptism and different ways Christian denominations approach it, check out this story from 2001 by the PBS program Religion and Ethics Newsweekly.

BJC and Faithful America created electronic billboards that were on trucks and a boat in Miami. See the video of the billboards in this post on the @EndChristianNationalism Instagram account.

Visit ChristiansAgainstChristianNationalism.org to explore the resources provided by the Christians Against Christian Nationalism movement.

Respecting Religion is made possible by BJC's generous donors. You can support these conversations with a gift to BJC.