Routledge Christianity and the Alt-Right: Exploring the Relationship

Christianity and the Alt-Right: Exploring the Relationship looks back at the 2016 presidential election and the support President Trump enjoyed among white Evangelicals. This cutting-edge volume offers insights into the role of race and racism in shaping both the Trump candidacy and presidency and the ways in which xenophobia, racism, and religion intersect within the Alt-Right and Evangelical cultures in the age of Trump. This book aims to examine the specific role that Christianity plays within the Alt-Right itself. Of special concern is the development of what is called “pro-white Christianity” and an ethic of religious tolerance between members of the Alt-Right who are Pagan or atheist and those who are Christian, whilst also exploring the reaction from Christian communities to the phenomenon of the Alt-Right. Looking at the larger relationship between American Christians, especially white Evangelicals, and the Alt-Right as well as the current American political context, the place of Christianity within the Alt-Right itself, and responses from Christian communities to the Alt-Right, this is a must-read for those interested in religion in America, religion and politics, evangelicalism, and religion and race. Review “With this book, Professor Berry has demonstrated, yet again, that he is one of the most important experts on religion and the racist right in America. He is furthermore a gifted writer, capable of providing a dispassionate, readable explanation of some of the most controversial subjects of our time. Berry has a gift for ideological empathy. He is able to fairly and accurately describe arguments that he personally finds distasteful, even loathsome. He presents his subjects as they are, rather than as caricatures, allowing readers to draw their own conclusions. Scholars, students, and activists will find this tremendous work of scholarship incredibly useful.” George Hawley, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Alabama, USA “This timely and troubling work fills an important hole in our understanding not only of the ‘Alt-Right,’ but also of the relationship between the history of American racism and Christianity more broadly. Berry’s book should be essential reading for any scholar trying to assess what was happening in American Christianity during the Trump era.” Michael J. McVicar, Associate Professor of Religion, Florida State University, USA About the Author Damon T. Berry is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at St. Lawrence University, USA.