Beware Apocalyptic Politics The apocalyptic language being used to describe the 2024 presidential election could contribute to more extremism, including violence. "Trump: '2024 Is Final Battle'; 'We're the Only Ones Who Can Stop Them,'" read the subject line on Monday of a Trump campaign email. The email shared an article from the conspiratorial news site Newsmax, which quoted a section of former president Donald Trump's March 25th speech in Waco, Texas. "2024 is the final battle. That's going to be the big one," Trump said in that speech. The "final battle" tag line was likely inspired by David Horowitz's new book with the same title, published by Newsmax. It's currently the #1 bestseller in the elections category on Amazon. In a blurb for the book, Trump provided this informative review: "It is great!" Trump's Waco speech was not the first time he used "final battle" to describe the 2024 presidential race. At his March 6 CPAC speech, Trump said, "This is the final battle. They know it, I know it, you know it, everybody knows it. This is it. Either they win or we win. And if they win, we no longer have a country." Horowitz and Trump suggest that America will cease to exist as we know it if Democrats win the 2024 presidential race, but the language, "final battle," is borrowed from Christian eschatology in which there is a final battle, Armageddon, before the return of Christ. Trump's language also aligns well with the beliefs of QAnon adherents, who “Trust the Plan” and await "The Storm," a chaotic time when QAnon "enemies" will be arrested or executed, leading to 1,000 years of American peace and prosperity. "I am your warrior, I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution. I am your retribution. Not going to let this happen. Not going to let it happen. I will totally obliterate the deep state," Trump added in his CPAC speech. Vengeance is mine, saith the Trump. Evangelicals, especially, have been primed for this type of language through the pop-apocalypticism sold by many Christian publishers and filmmakers. The Left Behind series is the most well known and financially successful, but there have been many efforts to cash in on this phenomenon. Trump also told the CPAC audience that the "most important battle in our lives is taking place right now as we speak. For seven years, you and I have been engaged in an epic struggle to rescue our country from the people who hate it and want to absolutely destroy it.” The "seven years" reference may have been another end times hook. In eschatology literature, the "tribulation" is a seven-year period after or leading up to the return of Christ. Trump's speech was about 7 years and 9 months after he first announced his run for the presidency in 2015, or about 6 years and 2 months since his inauguration. Apocalyptic politics teaches us to hate our neighbors. We can't simply disagree and be friends. We're taught "us versus them" — those who hold different political views are enemies who must be defeated. This attitude is antithetical to the words of Jesus, who taught us to love our enemies and not be afraid. We're already seeing an increase in far-right extremism (see 1 below). If this apocalyptic language continues and expands, I worry about the potential for more frequent and more devastating violence from those who strongly believe that the "final battle" is upon us. Consider a $3 donation to support our critical work >> 5 More Things: 1) The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism has a new research brief, "Profiles of Individual Radicalization in the United States (PIRUS): Mass Casualty Extremist Offenders." The study finds a spike in far-right extremism and that extremists are becoming radicalized much more quickly than in the past. 2) In a substack post, QAnon researcher Marc-André Argentino summarizes some of his previous findings on how QAnon behaves much like a new religion. He notes, “a) QAnon has a canon of scripture that is used as reference by believers in a time of crisis, b) QAnon is a lived tradition, rooted in everyday practice and participation, c) QAnon believers are militant in the participation in a digital war (a corner stone of their beliefs), d) QAnon is about theodicy and faith in "Q" and Trump, above any fact or evidence.” 3) Conservative organizations and media figures are opposing an attempt by the Republican-controlled Florida legislature to tamp down freedom of the press by changing libel laws, making it easier for public figures to sue the press. A lawyer for Alex Jones, who recently lost a lawsuit by the families of Sandy Hook shooting victims, told The New York Times that the legislation would hurt conservative media. “When you fashion a weapon you think can hurt your enemies, you shouldn’t be surprised when it hurts you, too,” he said. Looking for a thoughtful Book Club community? NEW BOOK: High Conflict by Amanda Ripley How do we move from "high conflict," where our differences are framed as "us versus them" or "good versus evil" to "good conflict," which helps us navigate our differences and deal with complex problems. This is the subject of Amanda Ripley's High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out, the next book for the AVC book club. Get your copy and join us, beginning April 24, 8pm eastern. Be sure you're signed up to get updates in the AVC community. Learn more about the author and book here. 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