A Christian Response to Fascism: Part 13 of 16
If you’re new to this series, I’m a pastor countering aspects of fascism with Christian theological critique. For this segment, we’ll talk about how fascist leaders embrace a cult of death through militarism. (If you’d like to read previous posts in this series, see the bottom of this page for links.)
I’ve hesitated in the past to call Donald Trump a full-blown fascist because of his seeming lack of appetite for military interventions. Authoritarian? Definitely. I noted his strongman tendencies here and here, and I pointed out his law-and-order rhetoric here, but his most recent threat of military intervention against people protesting police brutality crossed a line he’s been flirting with for a few months. On a televised broadcast he said:
“If a city or a state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them.”
You can watch it here.
The statement caused Trump’s own former Secretary of Defense, General James Mattis, to make a public statement denouncing the ultimatum and warning that it violates the rights of U.S. citizens.
Back in April of this year, Trump issued a series of tweets that included: “LIBERATE MINNESOTA!,” “LIBERATE…
