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Publication
Minneapolis : Broadleaf Books, [2023]
Description
The insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, was not a blip or an aberration. It was the logical outcome of years of a White evangelical subculture's preparation for war. Religion scholar and former insider Bradley Onishi maps the origins of White Christian nationalism and traces its offshoots in Preparing for War. Combining his own experiences in the youth groups and prayer meetings of the 1990s with an immersive look at the steady blending of White grievance politics with evangelicalism, Onishi crafts an engrossing account of the years-long campaign of White Christian nationalism that led to January 6. How did the rise of what Onishi calls the New Religious Right, between 1960 and 2015, give birth to violent White Christian nationalism during the Trump presidency and beyond? What propelled some of the most conservative religious communities in the country--communities of which Onishi was once a part--to ignite a cold civil war? Through chapters on White supremacy and segregationist theologies, conspiracy theories, the Christian-school movement, purity culture, and the right-wing media ecosystem, Onishi pulls back the curtain on a subculture that birthed a movement and has taken a dangerous turn. In taut and unsparing prose, Onishi traces the migration of many White Christians to Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming in what is known as the American Redoubt. Learning the troubling history of the New Religious Right and the longings and logic of White Christian nationalism is deeply alarming. It is also critical for preserving the shape of our democracy for years to come.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Osbaldistone
Bradley Onishi – Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism – and What Comes Next
This review is based on a copy provided by the publisher prior to the book’s official release date.
In Preparing for War, Bradley Onishi lays out, with clarity and precision, a
Onishi observes the interwoven nature of White Evangelical Christianity and White Nationalism in America. He provides a detailed story of the rise of these movements and their subsequent and significant overlapping since the 1960s. The reader must pay attention to the story presented here, as the sheer number of Americans in these movements is far greater than just Trump voters. And, given the size of these two groups, their readiness to eject American democracy and our Constitution to achieve their goal of White Male Evangelical political and cultural dominance at any cost is at the core of the growing conflict for America’s future.
This is a fine and quite readable piece of work, based on extensive research combined with years of personal experience. Every adult American should read this, including evangelicals, as it lays out the nature of US politics, culture, and religion in these divisive times.
Os.
This review is based on a copy provided by the publisher prior to the book’s official release date.
In Preparing for War, Bradley Onishi lays out, with clarity and precision, a
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compelling history of the White Evangelical movement in the US over the past 100 or so years (I capitalize ‘White’ as Onishi does to give the term the same weight as ‘Black’ which most writers now capitalize in similar context). Onishi’s insights are supported by his own experience of teen years as a pamphlet distributing evangelical, plus seven years as a youth minister for his White evangelical church. Add to that is his academic, professional, and podcasting work over the past two decades, and you can see why his warning is quite convincing. I now can see clearly why the evangelical Trump supporters says the things they say and respond the way they do in the political arena and on the streets. And my fear only increases with this insight.Onishi observes the interwoven nature of White Evangelical Christianity and White Nationalism in America. He provides a detailed story of the rise of these movements and their subsequent and significant overlapping since the 1960s. The reader must pay attention to the story presented here, as the sheer number of Americans in these movements is far greater than just Trump voters. And, given the size of these two groups, their readiness to eject American democracy and our Constitution to achieve their goal of White Male Evangelical political and cultural dominance at any cost is at the core of the growing conflict for America’s future.
This is a fine and quite readable piece of work, based on extensive research combined with years of personal experience. Every adult American should read this, including evangelicals, as it lays out the nature of US politics, culture, and religion in these divisive times.
Os.
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LibraryThing member akblanchard
Author Bradley Onishi, an ex-Evangelical and current religious scholar, demystifies White Christian America’s infatuation with the amoral would-be strongman Donald Trump in this rather dry book. The author combines his own memories of coming of age at a Quaker mega church (of all places) in
I would have liked this book more had the the author included a wider variety of Evangelical voices, rather than just relying on his own experiences. Still, Onishi’s explanation of Trump’s appeal to certain segments of the population is worth considering.
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Orange County with a historical perspective on Evangelicalism’s unholy blend of White nationalism, racism, and purity culture. He goes on to explain how the January 6 insurrection was a manifestation of White supremacy, and how recent migration trends point to the development of a White separatist “American redoubt” in Western states such as Idaho and Wyoming. I would have liked this book more had the the author included a wider variety of Evangelical voices, rather than just relying on his own experiences. Still, Onishi’s explanation of Trump’s appeal to certain segments of the population is worth considering.
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LibraryThing member sherman1951
Preparing for War is a concise history of the linkage of White Christian nationalism (and the New Religious Right) to the riot of January 6. Written by a former evangelical nationalist youth group leader he notes how the White Christian nationalists have been more about grievance politics than the
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actual teachings of Christ. Fundamentally the believe in the myth of the U.S. as being created a Christian nation, nostalgia for the good old days where men were the exalted leaders of the family and the wife and children submitted to his authority as well as the need for White people to control other races, and the view that our future will indeed by the apocalypse as described in Revelation. It is an enlightening book and he’s helped me understand the relationship (which may be souring) between evangelicals and the former president. His attempt to compare the story of the Walls of Jericho with J6 falls a little flat for me, but it still it is an absorbing treatise on religion and politics as well as the reality of the development of the American Redoubt in the western U.S. Show Less
LibraryThing member ChristinasBookshelf
An explanation of my background before my review:
I was raised in an evangelical, fundamentalist Christian home/church/community in Kansas, but I was also raised to be a pacifist who appreciated/respected members of the military.
One of the things that I have wondered and spent entirely too much time
The best thing that I learned from this book is why Orange County has been the way that it is. I already knew that the reason why Christians left the Democrat Party was because of their opposition to desegregation. Check out the Politico article "The Real Origins of the Religious Right" if you have never heard of this, or read this book for even more information. [As a child at a private Christian school, I can remember my Bible textbook in 1st or 2nd grade produced by Bob Jones featuring lots and lots of stories {hagiographies} about confederate generals, and even at that age, I was puzzled by that because I expected *Bible* stories or maybe missionary stories. The school stopped using Bob Jones for textbooks the next year, possibly for that reason.] I also already knew the very, very close ties between James Dobson (founder of Focus on the Family, THE most influential evangelical in the USA) and his mentor to whom he dedicated his first book Paul Popenoe (atheist, racist, and fanatical eugenics advocate who advocated for whites to out-reproduce minorities by encouraging white people to stay married).
I didn't know that Orange County, CA was where many, many, many Southerners migrated for better economic options at the beginning of the Cold War and brought their racist values with them. I didn't know that the John Birch Society was founded in Orange County, CA. I didn't realize that Goldwater was so incredibly racist, or that the reason why he lost was that he was so bombastic. I always associated Reagan with being anti-Communist but the real reason he won was that he was vehemently opposed to civil/equal rights for Blacks and women. My family was one of the few that was anti-Communist because the Communists killed so very, very many family members. (Never forget the Holodomor!)
This book is an excellent accompaniment to Jesus and John Wayne and they belong together on the bookshelf. If you want to know why "family-values" Republicans can vote for promiscuous, divorced men who demonstrate no real interest in Christianity like Reagan and Trump, this book will clear up the mystery entirely, even more so than Jesus and John Wayne.
If this book leads you to fear, a small comfort to you should be that many of us who grew up in this milieu are totally rejecting racism and bigotry. There is a tidal wave of us who are survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse perpetrated and aided and abetted by the White evangelical church who can see that the emperor has no clothes and we are rising up to say no more! Reading the entire Bible thoroughly and exhaustively has led me to a place where I refuse to oppress the widow, orphan, foreigner, disabled, and poor person (all of whom the Republican Party wants to oppress -- see how their aim is squarely at abolishing Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid.)
I was raised in an evangelical, fundamentalist Christian home/church/community in Kansas, but I was also raised to be a pacifist who appreciated/respected members of the military.
One of the things that I have wondered and spent entirely too much time
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thinking about is why I was taught from childhood that California was a terrible, wicked, Godless place that was going to fall off into the ocean or be pummelled by hellfire and brimstone, but I had family that lived there and there were/are many very conservative Christian groups headquartered there. This book has answered that question decisively. Orange County, California has been the headquarters for far-right, hyper-conservative Christianity and Republicanism/Libertarianism even more than Hollywood has been the headquarters for liberalism and everything that is the opposite of family values. (Hollywood has lots of Christians and conservatives in it, but that is conveniently ignored by everyone lambasting Hollywood.)The best thing that I learned from this book is why Orange County has been the way that it is. I already knew that the reason why Christians left the Democrat Party was because of their opposition to desegregation. Check out the Politico article "The Real Origins of the Religious Right" if you have never heard of this, or read this book for even more information. [As a child at a private Christian school, I can remember my Bible textbook in 1st or 2nd grade produced by Bob Jones featuring lots and lots of stories {hagiographies} about confederate generals, and even at that age, I was puzzled by that because I expected *Bible* stories or maybe missionary stories. The school stopped using Bob Jones for textbooks the next year, possibly for that reason.] I also already knew the very, very close ties between James Dobson (founder of Focus on the Family, THE most influential evangelical in the USA) and his mentor to whom he dedicated his first book Paul Popenoe (atheist, racist, and fanatical eugenics advocate who advocated for whites to out-reproduce minorities by encouraging white people to stay married).
I didn't know that Orange County, CA was where many, many, many Southerners migrated for better economic options at the beginning of the Cold War and brought their racist values with them. I didn't know that the John Birch Society was founded in Orange County, CA. I didn't realize that Goldwater was so incredibly racist, or that the reason why he lost was that he was so bombastic. I always associated Reagan with being anti-Communist but the real reason he won was that he was vehemently opposed to civil/equal rights for Blacks and women. My family was one of the few that was anti-Communist because the Communists killed so very, very many family members. (Never forget the Holodomor!)
This book is an excellent accompaniment to Jesus and John Wayne and they belong together on the bookshelf. If you want to know why "family-values" Republicans can vote for promiscuous, divorced men who demonstrate no real interest in Christianity like Reagan and Trump, this book will clear up the mystery entirely, even more so than Jesus and John Wayne.
If this book leads you to fear, a small comfort to you should be that many of us who grew up in this milieu are totally rejecting racism and bigotry. There is a tidal wave of us who are survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse perpetrated and aided and abetted by the White evangelical church who can see that the emperor has no clothes and we are rising up to say no more! Reading the entire Bible thoroughly and exhaustively has led me to a place where I refuse to oppress the widow, orphan, foreigner, disabled, and poor person (all of whom the Republican Party wants to oppress -- see how their aim is squarely at abolishing Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid.)
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LibraryThing member wagner.sarah35
*I received a copy of this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.*
This book is part memoir and part scholarly argument and is hands-down one of the most compelling nonfiction books I've read from an academic. I stayed up late to finish it and was thoroughly scared by the last few chapters.
This book is part memoir and part scholarly argument and is hands-down one of the most compelling nonfiction books I've read from an academic. I stayed up late to finish it and was thoroughly scared by the last few chapters.
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Bradley Onishi converted to evangelicalism as a teenage and even worked in ministry as a young adult before leaving the church and becoming a scholar of religion. He uses his own experiences to make connections between White supremacy, Christian nationalism, and the warped patriotism displayed on January 6th. These insights are helpful for not just making sense of recent history, but also better understanding people in my own life. Highly, highly recommended for those interested in American politics. Show Less
LibraryThing member Illiniguy71
This book is both informative and scary for someone of my political bent. I have watched public affairs fairly closely since the 1960s. But yet Onishi taught me much about the development of the radical right that was new to me as a follower or mainstream media. I learned for the first time what
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white Christian nationalists really believe and why they believe it is more important that they be in power than that democracy be preserved. The author's predication that more attacks on our democracy are sure to follow the MAGA defeat of Jan. 6, 2021 scares a somewhat complacent liberal like myself. It also alarms that a "redoubt" is being established in Idaho and surrounding states in which to establish a racist theocracy. Much has happened since Goldwater was defeated by a landslide for the presidency in 1964. This book tells the story in a way that cannot be ignored. Show Less
LibraryThing member pomo58
Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism--and What Comes Next, by Bradley Onishi, is an eye-opening connecting of the dots from the past 60 years or so.
Combining his experiences and insights from being a member of this group with historical and political analysis,
What is most troubling is that for many of these people there is no way to reach them. Their beliefs entail that they get their way, no matter the cost or who pays. On one hand, it is understandable. If you so firmly believe in a God that wants you to make people miserable in order to bring about some Kingdom, then it makes sense that nothing any other human can do or say would deter you. For those who don't believe in such a God, even though for many it is theoretically the same God, causing pain and misery to other people is immoral and unethical. In fact, for those who believe that all humans are God's children, it seems even less like something a God, or at least a caring God, would demand.
While Onishi does see some hope for the future, it is hard for me to see the same hope, though I will still keep trying to make the world better. But for me, even while trying to peacefully make things better, I will also prepare for war. Particularly since those wanting to destroy the world for some mythical Kingdom have no intention of taking prisoners, so neither will I.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via LibraryThing.
Combining his experiences and insights from being a member of this group with historical and political analysis,
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Onishi makes a very strong argument for what can only be called exactly what he calls it: preparing for war. While not stating it explicitly, or at least not in these terms, he highlights what amounts to a shift from postmillennialism to premillennialism in a lot of Protestant thought. So rather than even try to make the world better, they are largely content with helping to destroy society to speed along their anticipated Kingdom. This book is primarily telling the story of the premillennial period, with eugenics and various other colonializing tendencies of the past left in the past of postmillennialism. But it is all indicative of Christian nationalism.What is most troubling is that for many of these people there is no way to reach them. Their beliefs entail that they get their way, no matter the cost or who pays. On one hand, it is understandable. If you so firmly believe in a God that wants you to make people miserable in order to bring about some Kingdom, then it makes sense that nothing any other human can do or say would deter you. For those who don't believe in such a God, even though for many it is theoretically the same God, causing pain and misery to other people is immoral and unethical. In fact, for those who believe that all humans are God's children, it seems even less like something a God, or at least a caring God, would demand.
While Onishi does see some hope for the future, it is hard for me to see the same hope, though I will still keep trying to make the world better. But for me, even while trying to peacefully make things better, I will also prepare for war. Particularly since those wanting to destroy the world for some mythical Kingdom have no intention of taking prisoners, so neither will I.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via LibraryThing.
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LibraryThing member Matthew1982
I read and study more about violent right wing extremism than most people or than is probably healthy for my brain, and this is easily one of the best short intros for answering the question of "how did violent racist extremist bigots become the mainstream Republican Party?" Out of necessity it
The author also adds personal anecdotes due to growing up in a community that was prone to this kind of racist political mythmaking, as well as his own personal history as a right-wing evangelical extremist. This aspect is important in the book due to it showing that at least some people can change their opinions. Deradicalization is a bit controversial as a concept, but it's important to acknowledge that some people choose to change. This is particularly important in light of the later chapters of the book, which focus heavily on fascist conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones, Ali Alexander and the January 6th coup attempt, plus related conspiracy theories and attempts to ignore reality by fascists nationwide, as well as the ongoing effort by violent extremists to turn Idaho and adjoining portions of the Pacific Northwest into a white ethnostate from which to launch genocidal wars against the rest of the country.
It's not solely focused on America, either, especially by talking about the admiration of LGBT-hating American fascists for bigoted eastern European countries like Hungary and Russia. Importantly this book does not go into QAnon-style conspiracy theories about Putin directing American fascists to be fascists - they were like that anyway, and admiration of or from Russia is more of a coincidence than any grand plan.
The single most important idea from this book that I haven't really seen expressed in many other places is the point that Christian nationalism is a secular political ideology dressed up in religious clothes. They borrow a lot of religious trappings, mostly so they can hide their secular political agenda behind freedom of religion, but their movement is fundamentally secular and fascist, intended to impose a homophobic, transphobic, patriarchal and racist sociopolitical order on the rest of the country.
The only important typo that I noticed was a misprint of the 2020 election - someone mixed up numbers and listed it as happening in 2021.
People who have spent substantial amounts of time researching these people and their ideas may have some questions about specific aspects of the timeline (covering as it does everything from 1920s Germany and a 1630 quote from John Winthrop to 4chan and Alex Jones) but for the average person who does not know anything in depth about these topics, this is the perfect book to start with.
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can't go into great detail about every creep, freak and maniac responsible, but this is a great basic layout of how extremists from different stripes of American fringe conservatism came together to create a racist anti-government death cult - Phyllis Schlafly, Barry Goldwater, the John Birch Society, Jerry Falwell, Ronald Reagan, Focus on the Family, racists angry about Brown v Board and the Bob Jones University tax exemption decision, and various flavors of right-wing libertarianism. It also talks about the current iteration in Donald Trump, QAnon, various fascist groups like the alt-right and MAGA more broadly, plus plans by some white fascists to move to the rural Pacific Northwest in prelude to the race war they want to start.The author also adds personal anecdotes due to growing up in a community that was prone to this kind of racist political mythmaking, as well as his own personal history as a right-wing evangelical extremist. This aspect is important in the book due to it showing that at least some people can change their opinions. Deradicalization is a bit controversial as a concept, but it's important to acknowledge that some people choose to change. This is particularly important in light of the later chapters of the book, which focus heavily on fascist conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones, Ali Alexander and the January 6th coup attempt, plus related conspiracy theories and attempts to ignore reality by fascists nationwide, as well as the ongoing effort by violent extremists to turn Idaho and adjoining portions of the Pacific Northwest into a white ethnostate from which to launch genocidal wars against the rest of the country.
It's not solely focused on America, either, especially by talking about the admiration of LGBT-hating American fascists for bigoted eastern European countries like Hungary and Russia. Importantly this book does not go into QAnon-style conspiracy theories about Putin directing American fascists to be fascists - they were like that anyway, and admiration of or from Russia is more of a coincidence than any grand plan.
The single most important idea from this book that I haven't really seen expressed in many other places is the point that Christian nationalism is a secular political ideology dressed up in religious clothes. They borrow a lot of religious trappings, mostly so they can hide their secular political agenda behind freedom of religion, but their movement is fundamentally secular and fascist, intended to impose a homophobic, transphobic, patriarchal and racist sociopolitical order on the rest of the country.
The only important typo that I noticed was a misprint of the 2020 election - someone mixed up numbers and listed it as happening in 2021.
People who have spent substantial amounts of time researching these people and their ideas may have some questions about specific aspects of the timeline (covering as it does everything from 1920s Germany and a 1630 quote from John Winthrop to 4chan and Alex Jones) but for the average person who does not know anything in depth about these topics, this is the perfect book to start with.
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LibraryThing member drneutron
Bradley Onishi converted to evangelical christianity as a young teen, diving deep into the culture before deeper study of religion at places like Oxford brought him out. And so, after January 6th's events at the US Capitol, he asked himself " Would I have been there?"
The answer is a fascinating
The answer is a fascinating
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and terrifying history of the rise of the radical Right and racist Christian nationalism from the John Birch Society to today. And the most scary thing? He concludes that it's not a question of whether something like J6 will happen again, but a question of when. Show Less
LibraryThing member lpg3d
Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism--and What Comes Next by Bradley Onishi is a book that everyone who cares about the future of America should read. It is equally fascinating and frightening how carefully planned and funded the authoritarian take over of America
[Note: a copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer.]
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has been put into motion. Onishi concisely provides the history and some of the motivations of White Christian Nationalism from an insiders perspective. He also provides perspectives (and references) from a large number of experts and scholars.[Note: a copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer.]
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Subjects
Awards
Christian Science Monitor Best Book (Nonfiction — 2023)
Language
Original publication date
2023-01
Physical description
237 p.; 24 cm
ISBN
9781506482163