“The Flag and the Cross: White Christian nationalism and the threat to American democracy” – Philip S. Gorski | Havens Wright Center for Social Justice ▶️

A lecture by Philip Gorski examining the emergence of White Christian Nationalism (WCN) in the US and its more secularization process.

Arguing that WCN is a chief motivator of anti-democratic impulses in the current political moment, Gorski traces the development of this ideology throughout American history, suggesting that White Christian nationalism has animated the oppression and exclusion of minority groups in the US for centuries.

Gorski evokes the notion of “American exceptionalism”. It is the belief that the United States is either distinctive, unique, or exemplary compared to other nations. Proponents argue that the values, political system, and historical development of the U.S. are unique in human history, often with the implication that it is both destined and entitled to play a distinct and positive role on the world stage.

Gorski also evokes the so-called “Seven Mountain Mandate”, also known as “Seven Mountains Dominionism”, a dominionist conservative Christian leitmotif within pentecostal and evangelical Christianity and its corresponding dominion theology (or dominionism). It holds that there are 7 aspects of society (symbolized by “mountains”) that believers seek to influence and take over: (1) Family, (2) Religion, (3) Education, (4) Media, (5) Arts & Entertainment, (6) Business, and (7) Government.

Philip S. Gorski is the Frederick and Laura Goff Professor and Chair of the Sociology Department at Yale University. His research focuses on religion and politics in early modern and modern Europe and North America. His recent work focuses on Christian Nationalism in the United States.