President Donald Trump’s campaign coincided with the increasing mainstream awareness of the alt-right, a group which has gained recent national attention after it organized an ultimately violent protest in Charlottesville last weekend.
But while public name recognition of this group has increased in the past two years, the full extent of its breadth and popularity is not always clear. For starters, one important way this group differs from previous far-right movements is its relationship with Christianity.
“The alt-right is now mostly ignoring the religious question,” said George Hawley, the author of the forthcoming book, Making Sense of the Alt-Right. “That sets it apart from earlier far-right movements. Obviously, the KKK presented itself as an explicitly Protestant movement. … The alt-right seems to be of the view that Christianity is becoming marginally irrelevant, at least in American politics, and as such, it seems to be largely avoiding the subject.”
Hawley joined assistant editor Morgan Lee and editor in chief Mark Galli on Quick to Listen this week to discuss the true influence and popularity of this community, its connection—or lack thereof—with Christianity, and what role the church could play in fighting its message.
What is “Quick to Listen”? Read more.
Subscribe to “Quick to Listen” on Apple Podcasts
Follow the podcast on Facebook and Twitter
Follow our guest on Twitter: George Hawley
Follow our host on Twitter: Morgan Lee
Subscribe to Mark’s newsletter: The Galli Report
Quick to Listen is produced by Richard Clark and Cray Allred
