Faith as a Weapon: Inside America’s Theocratic Vanguard

A GPAHE Special Report

Introduction

On January 6, 2021, Christian flags, wooden crosses, and “Jesus Saves” signs mingled with pro-Trump banners as insurrectionists, inspired by a buzzing undercurrent of religion and outrage, reacted with violence and stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Inside the breached Senate chamber, Jacob Chansley — the “QAnon Shaman” with his painted face and horned fur hat — led rioters in prayer, thanking God for “filling this chamber with patriots that love you and love Christ.” Joshua Black, another rioter, declared in a video that he entered the building to “plead the blood of Jesus over it.” Jenny Cudd, a Texas business owner and former mayoral candidate, live-streamed afterward, asserting, “To me, God and country are tied — they’re one and the same. 

We were founded as a Christian country.” These acts of violence, steeped in religious zeal, capped weeks of escalating rhetoric that cast the effort to overturn the 2020 election as a holy war ordained by God.

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