I wanted to check in about that email I sent to you on Wednesday.
Christian Nationalists right now are recruiting pro-Trump pastors to run for office and support Trump’s vision for our nation.
If we’re going to thwart these radical zealots from advancing their anti-democratic agenda, we’ve got to ramp up our efforts NOW.
That’s why we set a goal of 100 donors by January 31st. I had hoped you’d be one of them. Can you help me out?
Contribute any amount - $10, $25, $50, or whatever you can afford - and we’ll immediately put it to use expanding our efforts to recruit and support humanist and atheist candidates.
Those shocking details (below) about the extent to which Christian Nationalists have organized themselves just scrape the surface. They are reaching out to extreme pro-Trump congregations, firing them up, identifying candidates for office, and cementing their support for taking power, whatever means necessary. Perhaps even a second insurrection.
We’ve got to organize and counter their efforts. With your gift today - we will do just that.
I hope you’re with us because we could really use your support right now.
Ron
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How did we come so close to a coup of our government?
One underappreciated explanation: the role of Christian Nationalists.
According to Katherine Stewart, a journalist and author covering religious liberty for over a decade, the essential precondition for last year’s insurrection - more than money or media - was a substantial base of supporters primed to embrace the Big Lie. Moreover, this movement of people needed to believe that political legitimacy comes not from democratic processes, but from a higher authority.
Despite failing on January 6th, Christian Nationalists have since redoubled their efforts. Right now, leaders of the movement are organizing events like the “American Restoration Tour”, led by political veteran Chad Connelly. Their aim: recruit pastors to run for office who believe Trump was cheated, and command their flocks to support them.
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With midterm elections in November, now is the time for us to expand the scope and breadth of our electoral work. Especially after recent reporting uncovered just how energized Christian Nationalists are.
“We are in the middle of doing over 40 cities, just like this, in 16 states between Labor Day and Thanksgiving.” That was Chad Connelly last September speaking to pastors. That event was just one of 89 meetings with 2,965 pastors across the country who command flocks totaling 741,000 potential voters that his “American Restoration Tour” reached in early 2021.
We’re doing similar work, but instead of recruiting zealots who would reshape our government to match their narrow theistic views - we’re identifying freethinking humanists and atheists to run for office. People like Jared Huffman (CA-2) who defend the separation of church and state and advance policies based on science and reason.
Our efforts are paying off: since 2016, we’ve increased the number of legislators who publicly identify with the atheist and humanist community by twelve times.
But this year’s midterm elections will decide whether we move one step closer to a Christian Nationalist takeover, or we reject this dangerous movement and defend our secular government and our Constitutional right of freedom of, and from, religion.
I hope to see that you’ve chosen to be one of the 100 donors we need to step forward by January 31st.
Thank you for your support.
Ron Millar
Political and PAC Coordinator
Center for Freethought Equality
