Christian nationalism and the January 6 attack on the Capitol
When a violent mob attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, many held Christian symbols and quoted Scripture in an attempt to justify their actions. We saw the role of Christian nationalism in bolstering, justifying and intensifying the attack, and we know we must help our country reckon with the role of Christian nationalism in the insurrection.
Here are a few resources for you and your community:
Report on Christian nationalism and the insurrection
Released February 9, 2022, this report is the most complete accounting to date of how Christian nationalism contributed to the events leading up to January 6 and the day of the attack itself, and it looks at responses to January 6.
Featuring contributions from scholars, historians, advocates, and researchers, this 60+ page report was a joint project of BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty), Freedom From Religion Foundation, and Christians Against Christian Nationalism. It includes a key section detailing the buildup and dry runs that occurred immediately following Election Day up until the attack itself, heavily documented with photographs and links to videos of that day showing the prayers, signage, and symbols of Christian nationalism.
Addressing Christian nationalism in Congress
Amanda Tyler gave congressional testimony on Christian nationalism at a 2022 hearing on confronting white supremacy.
Christians Against Christian Nationalism and many of the statement’s endorsers continue to speak out about the role of Christian nationalism in the January 6 insurrection.
Small group curriculum
Just days after the 2021 attack, we hosted a webinar exploring how Christians are identifying and responding to the dangers of Christian nationalism after seeing our faith and our democracy under siege. If you missed that conversation, you can watch it here, and we have a free curriculum that uses clips from that webinar for further reflection and discussion.
Prayer vigil
Christians Against Christian Nationalism and Faithful America organized a prayer vigil at the U.S. Capitol to mark the anniversary of the insurrection in 2023. Christian leaders prayed on the same ground overrun by insurrectionists two years later.
The gathering provided a different message than those holding Christian symbols and waving Christian flags as they attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Here are just a few of the many powerful prayers from that sunrise vigil.