Christian Identity movement
The Christian Identity movement is a religious belief system primarily found within a small number of churches, political organizations, and study groups in the United States. Central to its doctrine is the belief that white people, particularly Anglo-Saxons, are the true descendants of the Israelites and thus the chosen people of God. In stark contrast, adherents of this movement assert that modern Jews are not the descendants of the ancient Israelites but are instead considered children of Satan. Furthermore, Christian Identity followers anticipate an imminent apocalyptic struggle between good and evil, positioning whites as the defenders of good against Jews and people of color, whom they view as representing evil.
Originating from the British-Israelism movement of the late 19th century, Christian Identity gained traction in the U.S. through influential figures, including Wesley Swift and William Potter Gale, who intertwined their religious beliefs with white supremacy and political extremism. The movement has been associated with various extremist groups and has sometimes intersected with anti-Semitic ideologies. Notably, it drew substantial national attention during the 1992 standoff involving Randy Weaver. Though the movement has splintered over time following the deaths of key leaders, it continues to exist within specific factions that advocate for its controversial beliefs.
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Christian Identity movement
The term “Christian Identity” refers to religious beliefs expressed by a small number of churches, political organizations, and biblical study groups scattered around the United States. These religious beliefs are based on three points of doctrine. First, followers of Identity hold that White people, especially Anglo-Saxons, are the true Israelites and, therefore, the true chosen people of God. Second, they hold that modern Jews are not descendants of the ancient Israelites but children of Satan. Third, they maintain that the world is about to plunge into a final struggle between good and evil. In their teachings, White people are on the side of good in this ultimate battle and Jews, and people of color are on the side of evil.
Christian Identity emerged from a religious movement known as British-Israelism or Anglo-Israelism that appeared in the late nineteenth century. Adherents to Anglo-Israelism maintained that the British and nations related to the British were descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel. Anglo-Israelism won a number of followers in the United States, notably the attorney Howard Rand and William J. Cameron, a public relations officer for automobile manufacturer Henry Ford. Although Anglo-Israelism was generally not antagonistic to Jews, many of the American Anglo-Israelites were strongly anti-Semitic. Cameron, for example, was involved in producing a series of anti-Jewish articles that appeared in Ford’s newspaper, The Dearborn Independent. Some anti-Semitic political extremists, including Gerald L. K. Smith, established close connections with the American Anglo-Israel movement.
From the late 1930s to the 1960s, individuals influenced by Anglo-Israelism created Christian Identity as a belief system entailing both religious faith in White racial supremacy and political extremism. Two of the most notable of these individuals were Wesley Swift, a former Methodist minister, and William Potter Gale, a retired army colonel who had studied for the Episcopal ministry. Swift founded the Church of Jesus Christ Christian, a church name that was later taken by white supremacist leader Richard Butler, who claimed to be Swift’s successor. Butler, who became the best-known Identity leader after Swift’s death in 1970, also founded the racist organization Aryan Nations as the political wing of his church. Gale, together with Swift, established the Christian Defense League, which dedicated itself to promoting the Identity ideal of White Christian patriotism. Gale was also one of the founders of the extremist organization Posse Comitatus, which denied the constitutionality of all government except local, county government.
The Identity movement received national attention in 1992 when Identity believer Randy Weaver and his family were besieged for eleven days in Idaho by federal authorities seeking to serve a warrant for firearms violations. However, many less well-known racial extremists, such as the members of the heavily armed and now defunct Covenant, Sword, and Arm of the Lord, are Identity believers. In addition, several non-Identity American political figures, including former Ku Klux Klan leader and Louisiana politician David Duke, maintain close ties to Identity followers. After the deaths of several key figures in the movement, such as Butler, various factions splintered off. Between 2017 and 2019, members of the racist movement declined by an estimated 45 percent. By the mid-2020s, around ten active Christian Identity hate groups remained, including Scriptures for America Worldwide Ministries in Colorado, Sacred Truth Publishing and Ministries in Tennessee, Mission to Israel Ministries in Nebraska, Kingdom Identity Ministries in Arkansas, Fellowship of God’s Covenant People in Kentucky, Euro Folk Radio in Illinois, Covenant People’s Ministry in Georgia, Church of Israel in Missouri, Christogenea in Florida, and Assembly of Christian Israelites in Ohio.
Bibliography
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"Christian Identity." Southern Poverty Law Center, . Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.
"How the Christian Identity Movement Began." Southern Poverty Law Center, www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/1998/how-christian-identity-movement-began. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.
Kaplan, Jeffrey, editor. "Christian Identity." Encyclopedia of White Power: A Sourcebook on the Radical Racist Right. Altamira, 2000. 50–53.
Linder, Douglas O. "Ruby Ridge (Weaver) Trial (1993)." Famous Trials, UMKC School of Law, . Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.
Quarles, Chester L. Christian Identity: The Aryan American Bloodline Religion. McFarland, 2004.