Matthew D. Taylor
@TaylorMatthewD
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senior scholar at @ICJSBaltimore | https://t.co/yPy5hp1mq4 | author of "Scripture People" (2023) & "The Violent Take It by Force" (Oct 2024)
Baltimore, MD
Joined October 2012
This is the first piece I've written since the 2024 election. It is published in a UK outlet (@NewHumanist) and tries to make sense of many Christians' messianic attachments to Trump.
✨A must-read from @TaylorMatthewD of @ICJSBaltimore:. To many evangelicals, Trump is not just a president but a messiah. How did he gain such mythic power, and where will it lead?.
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It's tempting to give Feucht a big counterprotest to show him he's "not welcome in Seattle," but that plays into his and his allies' hands. If there's no hubbub, no violence, no big reaction, then Sean's just another dude singing in a park, and that's the last thing he wants. 9/.
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Feucht is esp. motivated to try to stir the pot now, b/c a crew of his former associates & volunteers have recently gone public about his abusive behavior, financial fraud, & general villainy. They even launched a site for their whistleblower report: 8/.
truthandfreedomstories.com
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I especially worry, b/c, right now, the Trump Admin is looking to pick fights w/ big, blue cities. An angry, flashy "Christian persecution" narrative in right-wing media could be the ticket for them to trigger a federal investigation or even nat'l guard deployment in Seattle. 7/.
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The Trump Admin signaled their support for these tactics by Dan Bongino saying the FBI would investigate such "targeted violence" against Christians. This fits w/ Trump 2.0's efforts to weaponize claims of "anti-Christian bias" against liberals. 6/.
nypost.com
A total of eight people were arrested for assault during dueling demonstrations as of 8 p.m., according to Seattle Police. No injuries were reported.
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When Feucht's buddies staged a similar event in Seattle a few months ago, counterprotesters got roughed up by police. Organizers def. were taking a page out of Feucht's playbook, & some of these same folks are involved in Feucht's rally this wknd. 5/.
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He was a right-wing media darling before the 2024 election, but now Feucht is more dangerous because he has "friends in high places" (hint: not Jesus) in DC. Feucht can easily get Pam Bondi, Pete Hegseth, & maybe even Trump on the phone to air his complaints and propaganda. 4/
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Feucht's tactics have been to stage provocative, local-ordinance-defying, worship concerts w/ anti-LGBTQ & other harsh messages. When the blue, diverse cities he targets react, either by staging counterprotests or restricting the concerts, Feucht casts that as "persecution." 3/.
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Feucht, who I wrote a whole chapter about in my book, The Violent Take It by Force, is one of the most talented provocateurs of the new Christian far right. Trained by the New Apostolic Reformation network, he's become a major evangelical influencer. 2/.
broadleafbooks.com
When charismatic believers wage spiritual battles, ideas can take tangible form. With scholarly precision and narrative force, religion scholar Matthew D. Taylor makes intelligible the language,...
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PSA - Sean Feucht concert in Seattle this wknd. I think this is worth paying attn to. Feucht's more dangerous & desperate for attention than ever, & he has more powerful friends & allies than ever. My advice: Don't let him dominate the narrative. 1/.
cascadepbs.org
Stoking outrage in progressive cities is part of the game plan for evangelical preachers like Sean Feucht, whose influence has been steadily growing.
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RT @blakevictorkent: Wow. @che_ahn, who @TaylorMatthewD has described as a key player in the New Apostolic Reformation that put Trump in po….
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I went on this podcast about Christian worship, and I got a little spicy with my theology talk. I guess it's getting some pushback online. That's good!. These are the fights and arguments Christians need to be having right now.
instagram.com
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RT @LancasterOnline: New from our features team: Palestinians influenced by 'demons,' homosexuals by 'a pagan god' — Messianic Jews share b….
lancasteronline.com
For the 53rd year running, Messiah University’s campus near Mechanicsburg was the site of the annual gathering of Messianic Jews, a small but influential group that embraces a vein of
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RT @broadleaf_books: It is the responsibility of Christians to confront toxic Christianity. The Violent Take It by Force by @taylormatthewd….
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RT @AsafShaloo: Over the weekend I went to the campaign launch of Che Ahn, who is running for California governor. He has been on my radar….
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The charismatic leaders around Trump know & trust Sheets & listen to him. They've brought him into the White House & invited him to lead major prayer initiatives for them. They see Trump fulfilling a divine mandate to defeat Satan & bring dominion. 18/.
religiondispatches.org
On December 22, the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th Capitol Riot released its report, reopening the question of what forces and figures incited the insurrection as we observe its...
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TL;DR: Evangelical theology is undergoing a major charismatic turn & this brings a new politics of Israel & the Middle East. Dispensationalism, for all its ills (& they are many), was at least predictable. This is far more flexible, leader-driven, violent, & accelerationist. 17/.
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Sheets even served as executive director for CFNI in the early 2010s, & it was from there that he launched his massively influential "Appeal to Heaven" Christian nationalist campaign built around the Revolutionary War flag. 16/.
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Not for nothing: Sheets may have played a role in helping radicalize Vance Boelter, the MN legislators' assassin. Boelter attended Christ for the Nations Institute, where Sheets was a fellow alum who taught classes there while Boelter was a student. 15/.
newrepublic.com
The accused assassin in Minnesota may have seen himself as an entrepreneurial missionary, influenced by a theology of “violent prayer” and spiritual war.
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This is not Dispensationalism!. This is a discourse of modern prophecy that can be as slippery as the prophets make it. They see God fulfilling THEIR prophecies thru Trump & Netanyahu, & they're urging more b/c it's a spiritual war against Iran/the Middle Eastern demons. 14/.
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Sheets also speculates about sleeper-cell terrorists who may have come thru the US border. "We've obeyed all God's instructions to secure our borders [i.e., Trump fulfilling their prophecies thru ICE & DHS]. " so now they need to pray against Satan's use of such terrorists. 13/.
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