Posted on 06/16/2017 4:52:06 AM PDT by outinyellowdogcountry
Earlier today, the Southern Baptist Convention adopted a resolution condemning the movement known as the “alt-right.”
The language of the resolution reads, in part,
WHEREAS, Racism and white supremacy are, sadly, not extinct but present all over the world in various white supremacist movements, sometimes known as “white nationalism” or “alt-right”; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, June 13–14, 2017, decry every form of racism, including alt-right white supremacy, as antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and be it further RESOLVED, That we denounce and repudiate white supremacy and every form of racial and ethnic hatred as of the devil; and be it further RESOLVED, That we acknowledge that we still must make progress in rooting out any remaining forms of intentional or unintentional racism in our midst; and be it further RESOLVED, That we earnestly pray, both for those who advocate racist ideologies and those who are thereby deceived, that they may see their error through the light of the Gospel, repent of these hatreds, and come to know the peace and love of Christ through redeemed fellowship in the Kingdom of God, which is established from every nation, tribe, people, and language.
The resolution initially caused confusion because many Baptists—like most other Americans—are not familiar with the movement. A majority of U.S. adults (54 percent) say they have heard “nothing at all” about the “alt-right” movement, and another 28 percent have heard only “a little” about it, according to a Pew Research Center survey taken last year.
“There were a lot of people [at the SBC annual meeting] who just weren’t familiar with what the alt-right is,” said Russell Moore, a TGC Council member and president of the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. “And then there were others who assumed the alt-right was just a fringy group of people that they didn’t want to dignify by even mentioning them.”
“What I point out is just how dangerous and present the alt-right is. . . . When people recognize what it is that the alt-right believes,” Moore added, “I haven’t talked to anyone who doesn’t immediately reject that.”
Here is what every Christian should know about the alt-right: What is the alt-right?
The alt-right—short for “alternative right”—is an umbrella term for a host of disparate nationalist and populist groups associated with the white identity cause/movement. The term brings together white supremacists (e.g., neo-Nazis), religious racialists (e.g., Kinists), neo-pagans (e.g., Heathenry), internet trolls (e.g., 4chan’s /pol/), and others enamored with white identity and racialism. Where did the term “alt-right” come from?
In December 2008, Paul Gottfried wrote an article for Taki’s Magazine titled, “The Decline and Rise of the Alternative Right.” (The article itself does not use the phrase “alternative right,” and the editor of the magazine at that time, Richard Spencer, claims to have added the title.)
At the time, the “alternative right” was loosely associated with “paleoconservatives” (another term created by Gottfried). Paleocons were self-identified conservatives who rejected the neo-conservatism of the George W. Bush-era. While the group tended to be anti-globalist and anti-war (especially opposed to the Iraq War) it was not necessarily associated with white identity politics. But in his article Gottfried identified “postpaleos” as a “growing communion “that now includes Takimag, VDARE.com, and other websites that are willing to engage sensitive, timely subjects.”
The “sensitive, timely subjects” Gottfried refers to are topics that had previously been the main concern of white identity groups, issues such as non-white immigration (“being physically displaced by the entire Third World”) and “human cognitive capacities” (i.e., the belief that certain racial groups are, in general, intellectually inferior to others).
In 2010, Richard Spencer launched a website, AlternativeRight.com, to promote these views. Since then, the term has been associated with the white identity movement. Who is Richard Spencer?
Richard Spencer is a white nationalist who has become the public face of the alt-right.
Spencer, who comes from a wealthy family (his mother is a cotton heiress, and his father is an ophthalmologist), went to a Catholic parochial school before graduating from the University of Virginia (BA) and University of Chicago (MA). He pursued doctoral studies at Duke before, as he says, “dropping out to pursue a life of thought-crime.”
In the mid-2000s, Spencer worked for the paleoconservative publication The American Conservative. Spencer was fired for his extreme views and went to work for the online publication Taki’s Magazine. With funding from Taki Theodoracopulos and other wealthy donors, Spencer was able to create a career centered on his white identity politics.
Prior to 2016, few people—even white nationalists—knew who he was. But Spencer is a gifted political opportunist. During the election season of 2016 various populists, nationalists, white supremacists, and anti-PC (political correctness) groups started coalescing around the candidacy of Donald Trump. Because the alt-right existed mostly online and was populated by people too cowardly to use their own names, Spencer was able to seize the opportunity to become the public face of the alt-right.
Spencer gained a boost in recognition when Breitbart News began to openly champion the alt-right cause. In March 2016, Breitbart wrote a fawning article of the alt-right titled, “An Establishment Conservative’s Guide to the Alt-Right.” In the article Spencer is listed as an alt-right “intellectual.” A few months later, Steve Bannon, who ran Breitbart before becoming CEO of the Trump campaign, bragged that Breitbart News was the “the platform for the alt-right.” What is “white identity”?
White identity is the defining concept that unites the alt-right.
“Racial Identity,” said Arthur Kemp in March of the Titans: A History of the White Race, “can be defined as the conscious recognition that one belongs to a specific race, ethnicity, and culture and with that comes certain obligations toward their own welfare.” And the alt-right leader Jared Taylor defines “white identity” as “a recognition by whites that they have interests in common that must be defended. All other racial groups take this for granted, that it’s necessary to band together along racial lines to work together for common interests.” Is the alt-right conservative?
No. As George Hawley, a University of Alabama professor who has studied the movement, told The Washington Post, “the modal alt-right person is a male, white millennial; probably has a college degree or is in college; is secular and perhaps atheist and [is] not interested in the conservative movement at all.”
What puts the movement on the “right” is that it shares, along with conservatism, skepticism of forced egalitarianism. But that’s generally all it shares with mainstream conservatism. In fact, many on the alt-right (such as Spencer) hold views associated with progressivism (e.g., support for abortion and gay rights and opposition to free-market economics).
The confusion about the movement’s politics lies in thinking that extremist groups are on each “end” of the left-right political spectrum. It is more accurate to consider them through the lens of the horseshoe theory, a concept in political science that claims the far left and the far right, rather than being at opposite and opposing ends of a linear political continuum, closely resemble one another, much like the ends of a horseshoe. Why does the alt-right hate conservative Christians?
As many conservative Christians on social media can attest, the alt-right seems to have a particular disdain for gospel-centered Christianity. (For examples see here, here, here, and here.) Some on the alt-right (such as Vox Day) claim that Christianity is a “foundational pillar” of the movement. But what they mean by Christianity is often a heretical form (Day rejects the Trinity) a racialized version of the faith (e.g., the Kinist movement), or “religion as culture” (Spencer says he is both an atheist and a “culture Christian.”). The true religion of the alt-right is white identitarianism, which is why the SBC accurately considers it an “anti-gospel” movement. Is white identity and white nationalism the same as white supremacy?
No. The terms are often conflated, making it more difficult to challenge these ideologies.
White supremacy is the belief that lighter-skinned or “white” racial groups are superior to all other racial groups. Modern advocates of white supremacy almost always advocate for white identity, though the reverse is not always true. As alt right leader Vox Day says, “The Alt Right does not believe in the general supremacy of any race, nation, people, or sub-species. Every race, nation, people, and human sub-species has its own unique strengths and weaknesses, and possesses the sovereign right to dwell unmolested in the native culture it prefers.”
White nationalism is a political view that merges nationalism with white identity. White nationalists are racial separatists who believe that to preserve the white race, other racial groups must be excluded or marginalized in “white states” (i.e., countries or regions that have historically had majority-white populations). White nationalists are frequently concerned about miscegenation and non-white immigration because it contributes to what they consider to be “white genocide,” i.e., the replacement of the “white race” by other racial groups.
In rebutting these beliefs, Christians must be careful not to reduce them all to mere “white supremacy.” It’s natural to a want to use that term and apply it to the entirety of an evil movement. Because of the long, despicable history of white supremacy in America, that term retains considerable cultural weight. But if we imply that the problem with the movement is only the elements of racial superiority, then those on the alt-right who can effectively avoid that charge will be let off the hook.
White supremacy is certainly rampant in the movement and should be called out when it’s expressed. However, even if those in the alt-right condemn racial superiority—as many claim to do—the white nationalism and white identity aspects are still detestable and should be rejected.
To more effectively argue against the movement we need to clearly reject the racialized worldview that considers racial categories the primary markers of cultural identity. White supremacy, white nationalism, and white identity are not all the same thing, but they are all equally repugnant. How should Christians respond to the alt-right?
At the core of the alt-right movement is idolatry—the idol of “whiteness.” In building their identity on shared genetic traits the alt-right divides humanity and leads people away from the only source of true identity: Jesus Christ.
The alt-right is anti-gospel because to embrace white identity requires rejecting the Christian identity. The Christian belongs to a “chosen race” (1 Peter 2:9), the elect from every tribe and tongue (Rev. 7:9).
“The chosen race is not black or white or red or yellow or brown,” John Piper says. “The chosen race is a new people from all the peoples—all the colors and cultures—who are now aliens and strangers among in the world.”
This is why it’s impossible to truly follow Christ and be a white supremacist: How can we claim we are superior to people of other races when Jesus has chosen them? This is why it’s impossible to follow Christ and be a white nationalist: How can we claim to be sons and daughters of God while separating ourselves from our brothers and sisters? This is why it’s impossible to serve Jesus and advocate for white identity: How can your identity be found in the finished work of Jesus when you’re rooting your identity in the divisive work of Satan?
“Christians ought to reject racism, and do what they can to expose it and bring the gospel to bear upon it,” Kevin DeYoung says, “not because we love pats on the back for our moral outrage or are desperate for restored moral authority, but because we love God and submit ourselves to the authority of his Word.”
Nearly all conservative organizations have a really bad and self-destructive habit of responding and reacting to any red flag that Leftists and the media wave at them.
I’ll consider or worry about “the alt-right” when they actually exist as something more than just a term some guy at an obscure magazine happened to create.
Or the antifa fascists, for that matter?
Whenever the only descriptions of a conservative movement found on the web are written by proto-communists (Yahoo, Google, and more) one can with absolute certainty believe there is chicanery afoot. Putting an entire political movement into the narrow (size 6 AAA) shoebox such as to be done with it, is a waste of intellectual effort.
Are there racists who identify as conservative? Perhaps. I do not know any and all my friends are conservative.
Are there communists who identify as liberals? Surely. Are there liberals who believe in Marxist principles, including racism? A more probing question is, are there any liberals who are not Marxist? Upon serious investigation, no. All liberals are Marxist.
The only people painting the Alt Right with a racist brush are proto-Marxists, cats scratcing about in their litterbox, trying to hide their stink.
Our church had a vote on whether to affiliate with the SBC last fall. Thank goodness the congregation had the spiritual wisdom to reject it.
Just do a search for southern + baptist + refugees
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=southern+baptists+refugees&t=canonical&ia=news
The big headline = “Southern Baptist Convention urges churches to welcome refugees”
For most of the supposed ‘alt-right’, it’s not about white supremacy, it’s simply not wanting to be forced into being the minority. (or wiped off the face of the earth) It’s about being fed up with being blamed for everything bad in the world. It’s acknowledging that in the 13th-14th century some humans had tools made of iron and were sailing the oceans in ships while other humans were running around the jungle with nary a thought about the world outside their jungles. It’s about not believing in some fairy tale communistic new world order where everyone lives happily ever after because we’ll all be equal. It’s about being sick of the blame for slavery when we were the first to stop practicing and muslims get no blame at all for it even though they’re the king of slavery and still practice it today, not to mention the millions of white Christians enslaved by muslims. It’s about fighting back against the false history being taught in school these days.
Of course there are white supremacists and a lot of them are evil bastards.
Virtual signalling by the SBC.
They’re on the same slippery slope as Methodists.
Very sad.
On the off chance that you actually would appreciate a truthful response to this article here you go. The entire article is an opinion piece not supported by fact. There isnt an “Alt-Right”, it was a made up pajoritive that is being used to demonise anyone not a leftist. It’s the same methodology as fascist “antifa” calling conservatives fascists. There is no truth to it and pointing out how they are literally being fascist doesn’t make them even flinch, because they know they are lying.
Then the article pulls Vox Day into a leadership position of the “Alt-Right” which is a bit silly, considering how iconoclastic Day is and how the “Movement” is fake. That being said, the quotes they use to paint Day as a rascist, do no such thing. In fact compared to almost anyone on the left he sounds pretty fair. It’s not like he is calling for “The Race” to conquer the southwest united states, like La Raza. He isn’t suggesting that all other religions be subjugated, and killed if they don’t convert, like Muslims. He isn’t suggesting that whites be made slaves of blacks to make up for long dead whites having slaves in the past while completely ignoring the slavery that exists today, like black liberation theologists, the black panthers, et al.
Nationalism is synonymous with patriotism. A rational person doesn’t need a defense for patriotism.
Now the real rub here is that you have an organization of religious leaders voting against thier natural allies based on the lies of people that openly and loudly say how much they hate christians. They might be my brothers in Christ but they have lost their spirit of discernment so thoroughly that I question their motives, their faith, their morality, thier intelligence, and thier patriotism.
What Christians should know about the alt-right-
that Islam is alt right. And the left and its secular humanist state run religion has cozied up with it-
mainly because of its hatred and inability to get along with two other major ‘right wing’ religions- Christainity and Judaism.
People need to start labeling Islam alt right or even just ‘right wing’.
“is there a similar proposal for the left?”
Of course not. Black pride: no problem. Gay pride: you go, girl. White pride: racist! hater! Alt-right! Nazi!
I do not know why you begin your comment questioning whether I really wanted a truthful response. I stated I wanted a truthful response.
I appreciate your comment. It was helpful.
The once vernerable SBC is dead. RIP. Maybe they can elect a muslim for their president next go-round.
There should be. The Ctrl-Left is even less Christian than the worst of the Alt-Right, and they are thus even more deserving of condemnation. There is a reason the Nazi (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei) Party had "sozialistische" in their name. Socialism is central to the vast majority of surviving totalitarian political movements.
This is one of the most misinformed articles I have ever read. The author took the very worst smears from the Fake Media and created a toxic stew of propaganda. It’s wrong on every level.
Paul Joseph Watson offered the all-time best short summary of the alt-right. Unfortunately idk how to copy text from a tweet, so I’ll have to link to it. But here’s the gist:
There are two alt-rights. One is large, dynamic, energetic, growing rapidly, and while including all ages, tends to be youthful overall. They reject *almost* all things liberal, are passionate about patriotism and MAGA, and yes, they love their memes. They comprise 90-95% of the alt-right.
The 5-10% of the alt-right that gets ALL the MSM attention has a strong white-pride component. Some of these alt-righters are in fact white supremists. They too reject the Left, but they do it from a white-nationalist POV.
The majority of alt-righters are extremely respectful of Christianity, and strongly pro-life. Many are not Christians, but they honor those that are. Unfortunately, they see no contradiction between showing love and respect for Jesus and dabbling in superficial neopaganism. I haven’t seen evidence that the vast majority takes paganism seriously; they just like to meme about it.
The biggest issue for Christians is that the majority alt-right embraces the LGBT movement lock, stock and barrel/with open arms. That’s the single biggest difference between the right and the alt-right . These are kids who have been raised from kindergarten to revere homosexuality. They genuinely cannot fathom why it’s wrong. (And btw, yes—this includes Bannon and Breitbart.) This is a non-negotiable for them; it will take a miracle of God to change it.
Here’s the link to the PJW tweet. Please take it to heart; PJW actually knows what he’s talking about:
https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Donald/comments/5eej1b/paul_joseph_watson_two_altrights/
Now the real rub here is that you have an organization of religious leaders voting against their natural allies based on the lies of people that openly and loudly say how much they hate Christians. They might be my brothers in Christ but they have lost their spirit of discernment so thoroughly that I question their motives, their faith, their morality, their intelligence, and their patriotism.
Jesus came to divide. He wants to know where we stand. Tough times are the only cure for our problems. Are you prayers getting answered?
Weren’t Southern Baptists behind the Klan?
Anti-semite
Anti-Catholic
Anti-black
Anti-Republican
PS: I noticed that an upthread post says the majority alt-right is anti-illegal-immigration. This is very, very true. They want to conserve the culture of the US, and they want a wall ASAP.
This is why it’s impossible to truly follow Christ and be a white supremacist: How can we claim we are superior to people of other races when Jesus has chosen them?
I would tend to agree....SBC got taken over about five years ago and it’s purely a pagan-charm crowd today. Not to insult anyone who is a baptist, but if your minister Joe or Deacon Bob comes up to chat on resolution ten...you need to tell they are on the short end of a stick with your attendance and membership.
I think “alt-right” is mostly a construction of the Democrats.
deplorable,
etc
Very helpful. Thanks
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