Blood and Faith: Christianity in American White Nationalism

282 Pages·2017·6.03 MB·English

by  Damon T. Berry

Blood and Faith
Religion and Politics
Michael Barkun, Series Editor
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B L O O D
& FA I T H
Christianity in American
White Nationalism
Damon T. Berry
Syracuse University Press
Copyright © 2017 by Syracuse University Press
Syracuse, New York 13244-5290
All Rights Reserved
First Edition 2017
17 18 19 20 21 22 6 5 4 3 2 1
∞ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper
for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.
For a listing of books published and distributed by Syracuse University Press,
visit www.SyracuseUniversityPress.syr.edu.
ISBN: 978-0-8156-3544-4 (hardcover)
978-0-8156-3532-1 (paperback)
978-0-8156-5410-0 (e-book)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Berry, Damon T., author.
Title: Blood and faith : Christianity in American white nationalism / Damon T. Berry.
Description: First edition. | Syracuse, New York : Syracuse University Press, [2017] |
Series: Religion and politics | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017018400 (print) | LCCN 2017031913 (ebook) | ISBN
9780815654100 (e-book) | ISBN 9780815635444 (hardcover : alk. paper) |
ISBN 9780815635321 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9780815654100 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Christianity and politics—United States. | White nationalism—
United States.
Classification: LCC BR516 (ebook) | LCC BR516 .B397 2017 (print) |
DDC 277.3/082—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017018400
Manufactured in the United States of America
For all my teachers

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: Racial Protectionism and White Religion 1
1. Revilo Oliver and the Emerging Racialist Critique
of Christianity 19
2. William Pierce and the Cosmotheist Critique
of Christianity 44
3. Anti-Christianity in Ben Klassen’s “Racial
Holy War” 74
4. “Authentic” Whiteness and Protectionism
in Racialist Odinism 102
5. Esoteric Racialism and Christianity 128
6. The North American New Right and Contemporary
White Nationalism’s Latest Religious Adaptations 155
Conclusion: Making White Nationalism Familiar 191
Epilogue: The “Alt-Right,” Trumpian Populism,
and White Religious America 199
Notes 209
Bibliography 235
Index 251

Acknowledgments
Any book has a long list of people without whom it would not have been
written. This one is no exception. I have space to name only a few
individuals, but let me say that a number of teachers, colleagues, friends,
and confidants from Ohio State’s Department of Comparative Studies
helped greatly with the first draft. Many fellows at St. Lawrence Univer-
sity, including the supportive library staff, colleagues in other departments,
and my friends in the Department of Religious Studies, Kathleen Self and
Mark MacWilliams in particular, have helped me in several ways, person-
ally and professionally. I will always be grateful. And, of course, I owe a
great debt to my supportive network of friends and overseas acquaintances,
who have provided much needed words of encouragement and support.
I specifically thank Michael Barkun, whose work inspired this proj-
ect from the beginning and who was kind enough to invite me to submit
the initial manuscript for publication. I also thank my gracious long-
time teacher Hugh B. Urban, who taught me so very much and guided
me through my graduate studies years. In much the same way, I am very
grateful for the patient instruction from others, especially David Horn and
Merrill Kaplan. Their advice was essential in shaping this book and my
thinking in so many ways.
Ruby Tapia, too, was of great assistance very early on in helping me
work through much of the foundational thinking that shaped this project
even before a single word was written. I also thank Michael McVicar for
his input and suggestions as well as for his friendship. I am sincerely grate-
ful to Kay Clopton, Andrew Culp, Josh Kurz, Elizabeth Marsch, Rachelle
Peck, Gabriel Piser, Jasmine Stork, Vidar Thorsteinsson, Lee Wiles, and so
many others, teachers and fellow students alike, for their fellowship and
ix