The Identity Christian Movement: Ideology of Domestic Terrorism
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| Author(s) | Sharpe, Tanya Telfair |
|---|---|
| Abstract | In past years, terrorism has been most often associated with countries other than the United States. Concomitantly, acts of terrorism on American shores were formerly linked to foreign resident extremists. However, an increasing body of evidence suggests that domestic terrorism in the United States perpetuated by Americans is increasing, especially in the past 20 years. The causes of violent acts directed at the government and its officials, ethnic and other minorities, synagogues, and Black churches have confounded law enforcement agencies. These acts of violence include from the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995; mail bombs directed at federal judges and NAACP leaders; random acts of violence targeting homosexuals, Blacks, Jews, Hispanics, and Asians; the burning of Black and mixed congregation churches in the South; the July 24, 1998 shootings at the nation’s capitol; and most recently, the beating death of a gay Wyoming university student and the June 1998 dragging death of a Black man in Texas. On the surface, these appear to be separate and unrelated incidents. None of these events can be linked to a grand conspiracy or plot perpetuated by a single organization. However, acts of domestic terrorism in the United States may be connected to a religious ideology that has created the climate for and given legitimacy to violence aimed at these specific targets (White, 1989). The Identity Christian movement provides motivation for many acts of terrorism in our country today. This aberrant form of Christianity is an outgrowth of the White supremacist philosophy; however, the definition of White is narrowed to include only White, Anglo-Saxon Protestants (Aho, 1990). The theology is fully expressed in so-called Christian Identity churches and Christian patriot organizations. However, tenets of the belief system are found among the long lists of White supremacist groups, neo-Nazis, skinheads, some militia and survivalist organizations, and other White racial separatists. This belief system is a common link among these fragmented groups (False Patriots, 1996; Intelligence Report, 1997a). White’s (1989) journal article “The Road to Armageddon: Religion and Domestic Terrorism,” suggested that identity theology was capable of inspiring violence; however, his prophetic warning went unheeded. The purpose of this research is threefold. First, the etiology of the Identity Christian movement is analyzed by examining its foundations and tenets. Second, the communication strategies and organized activities that link the belief system’s worldwide proponents are examined. Third, evidence of Identity Christian underpinnings in domestic terrorist acts was sought. |
| IssueNo | 4 |
| Pages | 604-623 |
| Article | Access to Article |
| Source | Journal of Black Studies |
| VolumeNo | 30 |
| PubDate | March2000 |
| ISBN_ISSN | 0021-9347 |
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