By Kerul Dyer
It may come as no surprise that in 2016, former President Donald Trump received overwhelming support from Evangelical and Charismatic Christians. They have now been appointed to some of the highest offices in the US, including several serving lifelong terms on the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). Now, as the Presidential election approaches, a strategy has unfolded that could threaten the ‘peaceful transfer of power’ in a way the United States has not seen before.
In August, the Courage Tour began a seven-state journey across the United States, where they are activating people to engage with the Trump campaign in many ways. One offshoot of the outreach is to recruit members to the Lions of Judah group. One spokesperson of the group is Joshua Standifer, a charismatic Christian and Trump campaign operative. Standifer leads with his mission to testify in his goal of enlisting 350,000 people in battleground states to become Election Workers. The group offers a course called “Fight The Fraud: How To Become An Election Worker In 4 Easy Steps,” for example.
It is unclear how many Lion of Judah recruits have successfully attained key positions in polling stations and vote-counting facilities, but recent reporting by the UK Guardian has shed light on their engagement strategy. According to the Guardian review, the group has failed to achieve their lofty goal, but a shockingly large number of people have secured insider election roles in swing states already.
Where we live matters
It can be difficult to imagine a muggy evening in Georgia, where a Courage Tour revival might take place, if you have never lived in the South. That said, right here in Southern Oregon, people have aligned not only with the charismatic Christian right, but also with more militant arms of the movement, with similar ideologies. The Proud Boys, for example, consider themselves Christian.
The ideology of Christian Nationalism uses stories to outweigh the moral implications of brutality, cruelty and dishonesty, all qualities needed to elect Trump for a second term. Already, violent plans are likely unfolding. With no stretch of the imagination, the ripple effects of violence could result in a fascist-like state, with declarations of martial law or other repressive measures outlined in Project 2025.
We need to act, but what do we do?
Many people, including loving and kind Christian leaders, have been thinking about how we could undermine the hate-filled Trump campaign dividing our society. Groups like Faith in Action (PICO) have organized community action groups across the country by identifying “common values” across many religions and cultures. American Friends Service Committee, FCNL, Poor People’s Army, and many other groups all work to this end. One of their shared goals is to challenge the moral foundations of the Christian right. They seek to find those common, intersectional strands that could unravel the belief system that has become a stranglehold on many followers.
