The Department of Homeland Security has acknowledged what the American people have suspected over the past eight years: The extreme religious right's stranglehold on the country is slipping, and with that loss of power comes the possibility that this group will radicalize and try to hang onto its influence through more violent means. The report issued last week, titled "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment" is directed to, in this writer's opinion, a specific breed of far-right fundamentalist Christians who believe it is their divine mission to make the letter of national law follow the letter of the Bible by whatever recourse necessary.
It would be remiss to paint all Christians with the same brush - not every man and woman who believes in God belongs to this extreme fringe group. However, this group has benefitted from the power held by the general Christian right for the past several years. In 2004, perhaps the height of the Christian right movement, a disproportionate number of interns on Capitol Hill - seven of the mere 100 - were students of Patrick Henry College, an aggressively fundamentalist school made up of mostly home-schooled evangelical Christians. This college demands that students and faculty agree to and uphold religious interpretations of science and, in 2004, had roughly 240 students. Somehow, seven of them beat out thousands of applicants from universities across the nation to secure spots at the seat of our nation's leadership.
Kenneth Copeland, head of an international Christian ministry and the radio broadcast Believer's Voice of Victory, said, "This country belongs to God … He raised it up and it's not going to be taken from Him." This is an example of the aim of these extreme far-right groups. It's not just about the conversion of the people; the long-term goal is to make America a Christian nation. Some even have a name for the individuals they hope will bring about this change: the "Joshua Generation" (named for Moses' military leader who, coincidentally, is best known in the Bible for taking Canaan from its "godless" inhabitants). The goal of the Joshua Generation was to work its way up into the higher levels of government, with the help of an already right-inclined government, and implement "Christian" laws.
Now, though, there's a new administration in town, and the extreme right has found its power waning dramatically. In just the past few months two more states have legalized same-sex marriage, abortion bans have been lifted, stem-cell research is back on the table and the line between church and state has been redrawn. Everything the extreme right has worked for is unraveling. We would be stupid, though, to assume they're just going to throw in the towel.
Certainly the far-right isn't the only group capable of radicalizing. The fringe of any moderate majority is capable of becoming violent if they think they're entitled (just look up "eco-terrorists," for example). But Homeland Security is right to direct our attention to the extreme right: to think they are above or incapable of radicalizing is to stick our heads in the sand. Look at abortion clinic bombings or the insidious RaHoWa (Racial Holy War) movement. The extreme right became this strong because of the social and political power the general Christian right has held for years. The extreme right may not hold that same power anymore, but they still hold their convictions and are determined to see them implemented. We must not, and won't, ignore them.
Katherine Hall is a staff columnist. khall6@luc.edu
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