Name: The Threat of Christian Nationalism in and Outside the Church: A conversation with experts
Start: 2025-11-07T19:00:00-06:00
Location: 106 E Diamond Lake Rd, Minneapolis, MN, United States, Minnesota 55419

The Threat of Christian Nationalism in and Outside the Church: A conversation with experts

The Threat of Christian Nationalism in and Outside of the Church
Join us on the evening of Friday, November 7th to hear from two experts on white Christian nationalism and its connection to democratic backsliding in the United States: Rev. Angela Denker and Dr. Matt Taylor. What are the theological and historical roots of white Christian nationalism in the US? Who are the diverse set of religious and political actors operating within this broad movement and what unites them? What is the threat they pose to American Christianity, to the U.S. Government, to those who live in this country, and to the world beyond its borders? What can American Christians who want to protect the vulnerable and defend democracy do in this moment to challenge this movement both theologically and politically?
To help answer these questions, Rev. Denker and Dr. Taylor will draw insights from their recent books, which will be available for purchase at the event. Both speakers are widely published commentators and experts, well placed to help us make sense of the moment and how to respond. This conversation will be facilitated by Creekside's own Rev. Susie Hayward, a former peacebuilder with the U.S. Institute of Peace and scholar of religious violence and nationalism worldwide.
This event is being supported by Minnesota Christians Against Christian Nationalism.
All are invited! We ask that you register in advance through this Facebook event notice or via this form: https://forms.gle/1HNnLr87nqFqur3Z8

More about our presenters:
Rev. Angela Denker is an award-winning author, ELCA Lutheran pastor, and veteran journalist. Her first book, Red State Christians, was the 2019 Silver Foreword Indies award-winner for political and social sciences. Her second book, Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization of American Boyhood, came out in March 2025. She is a former columnist for the Minnesota Star Tribune and has written for many publications, including Sports Illustrated, the Washington Post, and FORTUNE magazine, and has appeared on CNN, BBC, SkyNews, and NPR to share her research on politics and Christian Nationalism.
Dr. Matthew D. Taylor is the senior Christian scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies in Baltimore, where he specializes in American Christianity, American Islam, Christian extremism, and religious politics. His book, The Violent Take It by Force: The Christian Movement that is Threatening Our Democracy (Broadleaf, 2024), tracks how a loose network of charismatic Christian leaders called the New Apostolic Reformation was a major instigating force for the January 6th Insurrection and is currently reshaping the culture of the religious right in the U.S. He is currently at work on a new book, Defying Tyrants: Following Jesus in a World of Christian Antichrists (Broadleaf), as well as a 10-episode podcast series on understanding and resisting religious nationalism around the world.