Preparing for War
The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism--and What Comes Next
by Bradley Onishi
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Pub Date Sep 10 2024 | Archive Date Sep 30 2024
1517 Media | Broadleaf Books
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Description
"A clear-eyed, compelling study of the road to Jan. 6 and the possible future of the politics-versus-religion battle in the U.S." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Watching the eerie footage of the January 6 insurrection, Bradley Onishi wondered: If I hadn't left evangelicalism, would I have been there?
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. This paperback edition includes a new preface from the author that speaks to the contemporary currents of White Christian nationalism.
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.
Advance Praise
"A rigorous and earnest grappling with the intersection between religion and politics."
—Publishers Weekly
"A clear-eyed, compelling study of the road to Jan. 6 and the possible future of the politics-versus-religion battle in the U.S."
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"This persuasive account documents the rise of White Christian nationalism and warns of the very real threat it poses to American democracy."
—Booklist
"In this compelling and scholarly mix of memoir and cultural and political history, Bradley Onishi brings to bear his experience as a former Christian nationalist movement insider to expose the radicalism behind the January 6th insurrection. Gripping and essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the threat that this movement poses to American democracy."
—Katherine Stewart, author of The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism
"In Preparing for War, Bradley Onishi traces the history of White Christian nationalism from the John Birch Society to the Big Lie and the January 6 terrorist assault on the U.S. Capitol--a narrative enlivened by the author's own intersections with the movement. This is an excellent and important book, both chilling and prophetic."
—Randall Balmer, historian author of Bad Faith: Race and the Rise of the Religious Right
"Hinging on the Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021, Preparing for War presents the New Religious Right in light of their aggressive political ambitions. Bradley Onishi is ringing the alarm bells. He believes we are not at the end but rather a beginning of a religiously sanctioned extremism that threatens our American democratic future. Following the best scholarship on the nature of Christian nationalism and the further developments of the Religious Right. Onishi roots his story of historical changes in his life experiences in Southern California. The challenge is for all of us to examine how these momentous shifts have affected our own lives, and then seek ways to counteract the destructive paths being forged in our communities and our nation. This is a book to read with care."
—Dr. Gerardo Martí, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Sociology at Davidson College and author of American Blindspot: Race, Class, Religion, and the Trump Presidency
"Bradley Onishi takes us on a sweeping yet personal journey through modern American religious and political history to understand the violent, extremist strains of White Christian America that led to the January 6th insurrection. With insight from countless interviews, deep scholarship, and his own escape from White Christian nationalism, Onishi's Preparing for War is a clear account of what happened and clarion warning about what is coming. Compelling and timely."
—Andrew Seidel, attorney and author of The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism Is Un-American
"Preparing for War is Bradley Onishi's exposition of White Christian nationalism from its roots in the antebellum South, to the 'family values' discourses that took control of Republican Party in the 1980s, all the way to the reactionary movement that still puts Donald Trump at the helm of a culture war. That movement wants to turn back time to a point when everyone other than White, Christian men knew their place, and White Christian men had a social order to keep everyone else in their places through violent displays of both public and private force. At this moment, when those reactionary forces threaten to regain control of the American state and impose their theocratic vision on the rest of us, Onishi's thorough and meticulous history is crucial. If you've ever found yourself confused and questioning how a nation supposedly founded for 'religious freedom' could evolve to become a 'Christian nation' bordering on theocracy, Preparing for War is necessary reading."
—Tori Williams Douglass, writer, speaker, educator, and creator of White Homework
Marketing Plan
- National and online publicity campaign to national newspapers and magazines on evangelicalism, Christian nationalism, and religious extremism
- Niche publicity outreach coinciding with the four-year anniversary of the Capitol insurrection
- Trade and Christian advertising
- Podcast tour based on author's extensive media contacts
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9798889833499 |
| PRICE | $19.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 238 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Lee S, Reviewer
Thank you, 1517 Media, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Mr. Book just finished Preparing For War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism—and What Comes Next, by Bradley Onishi.
The author was a former christian nationalist who has turned his life around. He is now currently the co-host of the Straight White American Jesus podcast, which speaks out against the movement. I have listened to that occasionally, but since I have way too many podcasts to listen to, as well as audiobooks, I haven’t listened to it that often. After reading this book, I will be listening to that one more often.
The author very early on sums up the problem we are facing in this country with white christian nationalism: “Expressing a desire to overthrow democracy is an extremist position. But it is also now a mainstream one in the United States.” He asserts that, “While Trump’s ascendancy to the presidency and the events following January 6 may have been shocking, they were the outcome of sixty years of Christian nationalist organizing to ‘retake’ the country from those who want to ‘destroy’ it. If the idea that ‘this country needs a dictator’ or the desire to ‘overthrow’ democracy is now mainstream, it is because of the white Christian nationalist organizers, pastors, fundraisers, politicians, and shadow network operatives who have been preparing for war on their own country since the 1960s.” He then successfully proves his case over the course of the book.
The author was one of the few who got this right about Trump. He “was not an imperfect candidate who somehow managed to garner the votes of White Christians. He was the prototype of the candidate White Christians had been searching for since the early 1960s.”
The book did a very good job on the history of the movement, as well as his coverage of today’s time. The chapter on “MAGA Myths” was the strongest of the book.
While the book is about the movement, the author did an outstanding job bringing in his own experiences as a former follower to help make his points.
I give this book an A. Goodreads and NetGalley require grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).
This review has been posted at NetGalley, Goodreads and my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews
I originally finished reading this on July 18, 2024.
Go to Mr. Book’s Book Reviews homepage
Vicky W, Reviewer
Bradley Onishi paints a fascinating look at the converging paths of White Nationalism and Christian conservatism. I really appreciated his historical analysis, but I think the strength of the book is in the fact that he pulls in his own experiences within these communities. The influence of these forces on modern American politics is a concerning trend that I think all Americans need to be aware of. I would highly recommend this book to those who want to better understand how the United States got to where it is today and why many of these actors are not just an anomaly.
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