Christian Nationalism in America: Past and Present with Rachel Laser and Robert P. Jones

Rachel Laser and Robert P. Jones will come together to discuss Jones’ new book, The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy, and the forms of Christian Nationalism our country has seen both past and present. Reception to follow.

Rachel Laser, an accomplished advocate and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, brings her expertise on the intersection of religion, politics, and civil liberties. She has been a tireless champion of church-state separation, working to safeguard the constitutional rights of all Americans.

Robert P. Jones, a respected scholar and CEO of PRRI (Public Religion Research Institute), is renowned for his research on religion, culture, and politics. His work has provided invaluable insights into the evolving landscape of American religious identity and its profound impact on society.

During this event, Laser and Jones will engage in a thought-provoking conversation that promises to illuminate the challenges and opportunities we face as a society in these transformative times. They will share their unique perspectives and experiences, fostering a deeper understanding of the complex issues that shape our nation’s discourse.

This partnership event is made possible through a diverse network of sponsors, including, Congregation B’nai Emunah, Magic City Books, All Souls Unitarian Church, Fellowship Congregational Church, and Tulsa Metropolitan Ministries.

The event is open to the public, registration is encouraged due to limited seating, register at: https://www.tulsagogue.com/christian-nationalism-in-america-nov-2-2023.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to be part of this stimulating conversation on November 2. Join us for an evening of discussion and dialogue about the future of our democracy.

About The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy: And the Path to a Shared American Future

Taking the story of white supremacy in America back to 1493, and examining contemporary communities in Mississippi, Minnesota, and Oklahoma for models of racial repair, The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy helps chart a new course toward a genuinely pluralistic democracy.

Beginning with contemporary efforts to reckon with the legacy of white supremacy in America, Jones returns to the fateful year when a little-known church doctrine emerged that shaped the way five centuries of European Christians would understand the “discovered” world and the people who populated it. Along the way, he shows us the connections between Emmett Till and the Spanish conquistador Hernando De Soto in the Mississippi Delta, between the lynching of three Black circus workers in Duluth and the mass execution of thirty-eight Dakota men in Mankato, and between the murder of 300 African Americans during the burning of Black Wall Street in Tulsa and the Trail of Tears.

From this vantage point, Jones shows how the enslavement of Africans was not America’s original sin but, rather, the continuation of acts of genocide and dispossession flowing from the first European contact with Native Americans. These deeds were justified by people who embraced the 15th century Doctrine of Discovery: the belief that God had designated all territory not inhabited or controlled by Christians as their new promised land.

This reframing of American origins explains how the founders of the United States could build the philosophical framework for a democratic society on a foundation of mass racial violence–and why this paradox survives today in the form of white Christian nationalism. Through stories of people navigating these contradictions in three communities, Jones illuminates the possibility of a new American future in which we finally fulfill the promise of a pluralistic democracy.