A Christian Response to the Rise of Groyperism

Apparently, those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it, and those who understand history are doomed to watch others repeat it. Mistake after mistake, humans lumber on as they fall prey to forgetfulness that reflects the absence of direct contact with previous generations.

The rise of Groyperism—what Rod Dreher calls high-level spiritual warfare—reflects hatred of the Jews as Jews. The most recent iteration of this movement is evident in Tucker Carlson’s justifiably criticized interview with Nick Fuentes. Beyond his antisemitism, perhaps the best measure of Mr. Fuentes is to observe that he has been quoted as saying that women want to be raped.

Properly appreciated, Groyperism, an internet phenomenon, represents a foundational challenge to Christianity. Equally clear, it constitutes the theological embrace of heresy, particularly by Americans, who have been captured by what best-selling author Ross Douthat calls “Bad Religion.” This book explains how we became a nation of heretics.

Groyperism can be seen in Nick Fuentes’ denial of the Holocaust and his simultaneous embrace of bigotry and misogyny. These ideological and theological commitments pose a serious problem for Christians, since Fuentes has bathed himself in rising popularity among Evangelicals. At the same time, formerly respectable Christian figures such as Kevin Roberts, the Heritage Foundation's leader, appear willing to appease him and excuse Tucker Carlson.

From a sociological perspective, Fuentes is not necessarily the central problem. Instead, he is a symptom of a much deeper malaise that has widely infected Western society.

Malaise, as British commentator Konstantin Kisin observes, stems from the rise of the most fatherless generation in history, coupled with the implosion of liberalism and its values. At the same time, the increase in post-liberalism, postmodernism, ANTIFA, and identity politics on the Left has provoked a reaction from the Right, from Christians and non-Christians, who are alienated and feel powerless.

This reaction linked to Groyperism is exposed in an upcoming documentary exploring Christian Nationalism. The documentary, as well as accompanying written and verbal evidence, suggests that Fuentes-style ideas have been embraced and advanced by hard-right Calvinists, who call for a “measured theocratic Caesarism” and the promotion of ethnic consciousness that is quite simply racial separation premised on ethnic “Kinism.”

While it is worth noting that Christian Nationalists come with a wide variety of theological and social claims, and, while admittedly, not all Christian Nationalists accept Groyperism, “Kinism” ignores the fact that Christianity initially spread among the Jewish population of the Roman Empire. Hard-right Christian nationalists’ exclusionary move—very much like moves favored by the leaders of Nazi Germany—ignores what is self-evidently clear: that Jesus Christ and his twelve disciples were Jews.

Discounting history, pursuing fantasy, and reacting to the Western world’s radical surrender to gender confusion have provoked some Christian nationalists to support the establishment of Jew-hatred, racism, and misogyny as a substitute gospel designed to combat these moves. This substitute gospel demands a flight from the historic gospel and the circumstances of the world as they are, in favor of the creation of separate, exclusionary communities that appear to welcome Groyperism.

The Christian Nationalist flight from the gospel inevitably leads to submission to the demand for human control under the banner supplied by Frederich Nietzsche’s famous “Will to Power” slogan. Nietzsche, whose ideas have been seen by some commentators as a precursor to Nazism, authored the late-19th-century book The Antichrist. This book condemned Christianity as weak, sentimental, and decadent, forgetting, for Jesus, that often up is down and the first will be last.

Forgetting the teachings of Jesus allows Joel Webbon, a hardcore antisemitic pastor from Texas featured in the forthcoming Christian Nationalism documentary, to describe Jews as parasites. He states, “If you’re not being called a Nazi, an antisemite—you’re not fighting hard enough.” Adequately understood, some leaders of the Christian Nationalist movement have apparently accepted a flight from the word of God and embraced heretical human control all the way down.

Heresy lays the foundation for totalitarianism, as Hannah Arendt argued in her 1951 classic, The Origins of Totalitarianism. She claimed that “anti-Semitism is an unfailing sign … that a people is being prepared to accept totalitarianism.” Totalitarianism is a serious issue.

So is heresy as is defending the gospel, which was delivered to the ancient church. Eternal vigilance is required to ensure that Joel Webbon’s vision has no chance of deceiving the authentic, rather than man-made, Church.

Quite consistent with eternal vigilance, Doug Wilson, among others, has authored the Antioch Declaration, which states in pertinent part:

Just as the apostle Paul at Antioch “opposed him [Peter] to his face because he stood condemned” (Gal. 2:11, CSB) for compromising the gospel of Jesus Christ by subjecting it to racial barriers, so this brief statement opposes the ideas of some contemporary leaders and influencers seeking to introduce anti-gospel racial categories into the church. This Antioch Declaration was not conceived or developed in haste but after much prayer, thought, counsel, and soul-searching. Our task is an unpleasant one, but like the apostle Paul’s, it is necessary, even when other Christians are involved. When the gospel once for all delivered to the saints is itself at stake, we dare not remain silent.

This statement is the first step in rejecting Groyperism’s venomous appeal to Christian Nationalist men, who appear to believe in antisemitism richly mixed with misogyny more than the gospel. More likely than not, a stronger response will be required in the future.