Special Episode: Christian Nationalists Denigrate 9/11 to Celebrate Trump
Christian musician and political activist Sean Feucht wants people to join him on Sept. 11 for a time of worship at the U.S. Capitol Reflecting Pool. It’s not unusual for people to gather for prayer, reflection, and even music on that date as we recall the terrorist attacks two decades ago. But Feucht’s event has a little different branding.
“Pray for America. Pray for President Trump.”
That’s how Feucht’s group Hold the Line titled the Sept. 11 event. After invoking 2 Chronicles 7:14, they issued an invitation: “Join us on September 11th in front of the Capitol in DC to pray for Trump, pray for our country, and pray for God’s divine intervention.”
Brad speaks with Dr. Brian Kaylor who wrote a piece outlining the details of Feucht's event and the ways it denigrates the memory of 9/11: https://publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/when-worship-goes-wrong
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Welcome to Straight White American Jesus.
My name is Brad Onishi, faculty at the University of San Francisco.
Our show is hosted in partnership with the Kapp Center at UCSB.
And I have a return guest with me today, someone who I'm really excited to talk to about an event that has gone under the radar thus far, and that is Dr. Brian Kaler.
So Brian, thanks for joining me.
Hey, it's great to be back.
Thanks.
Let me tell people about you before we get going.
You were here a little while back, but folks don't remember.
You're an author and journalist, the editor-in-chief of Warden Way, which is a Christian media company in Missouri.
Somebody who's published four books on religion and politics, including Vote Your Principles, Party Must Not Trump Principles.
You're somebody who works quite a lot in the Baptist world and the Baptist world that, as we've talked about on our show many times, includes folks who really see freedom of religion as part and parcel of the freedom from religion and really working to Keep our government free from religion so that we can have, among other things, the freedom of religion.
And so, you've written for publications like the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, CNN, Houston Chronicle, and many, many others.
Today, we're here to talk about something that's a little bit distressing, and that's an article that you wrote with Bo Underwood that's about a worship rally that none other than Sean Foyt would like to have.
On 9-11, which is right now, and he wants to do that to remember those who lost their lives, those who were hurt in the attack, the injury it did to the United States.
Maybe, but principally it seems he wants to have a 9-11 rally in order to pray for and honor former President Donald Trump.
So there's a lot to unpack here.
Let me just start by asking this.
I think a lot of us are numb, Brian.
I think we've just endured so many affronts to American norms, American democracy, so many egregious sort of just beyond the pale attacks and rhetoric.
I'll be honest.
I think there's people out there that are like, you know, I saw a headline.
It said Sean Foyt was going to have a rally for Donald Trump on 9-11.
And it almost feels like just another day in 2022 United States.
Would you just help us kind of remember why this should just be so offensive to every person who lives in this country and cares about the memory of 9-11?
Yeah, that's a great question because I think you're right.
You're identifying something that is a problem that is easy to just be like, oh my goodness, all of this is crazy and I'm just, I can't handle any more of it.
And we have to force ourselves to remember what it's supposed to be like.
You know, to not accept all of the crap as if this is just normal, because it's not.
And sometimes that is hard to remember, that this is not normal, this is not, this is weird.
I mean, 9-11, it really is one of those markers of, like, this is where you remember where you were, and for our generation, it was particularly a marker that defines how we see the world.
I mean, it shifted Millennials, I was in college at the time that it happened, as among the oldest millennials, it shifted us and some went one direction politically, some went another direction politically, but it had an impact on all of us.
And we remember where we were when we saw the news and we saw it unfolding.
And it was also that moment of, it brought the American people together.
Now, I mean, there was some, there was obviously some, you know, anti-Muslim discrimination, some Islamophobia and some other things, but in general, the celebrations or the recognitions, the commemorations, of this anniversary have been moments of unification beyond partisan identification.
So we have seen each year since then that the living presidents, all of them who are healthier, there's been times when, you know, former president, now the late George H.W.
Bush, when he wasn't well, and Jimmy Carter more recently because of illness, haven't been able to attend publicly, but all of the living presidents have come together Each year on this date to remember and to mark the solemn occasion.
So that's the way it's supposed to be.
This is supposed to be an event that that we unite around that we come together and reflect on.
And so then when we get something like this, which is in some ways a kind of a follow up of last year, but taking it to the next level.
So last year then former President Donald Trump didn't show up at the commemoration in New York City with all of the other living presidents other than Carter who wasn't able to attend because of health reasons.
He instead, we talked last time about the Unification Church, he sent in some video greetings to the Unification Church for September 11th event.
And then he also spoke via video to Sean Voigt's event in D.C.
So Voigt did this last year as well, and this is what Trump chose to do.
But this year, the framing of the event is so much different.
And I know I've talked a lot here, but maybe we should really set this up, because I mean, the first time I saw the graphic, and it has in big words, pray, and this is from Voigt's Ministry, and then it says, pray for America, pray for President Trump.
And I was like, what in the world?
For September 11th event at the U.S.
Capitol Reflecting Pool, pray for America, pray for President Trump.
I mean, one, there's a little bit of that election denialism, I think, going on in there, right?
And, you know, Why, why is it not pray for President Biden?
Why is it like, well, why is this, we're going to go like, you know, all like Romans 13 and, you know, and Timothy about, you know, praying for kings and those in authority.
Like, why are we not praying for the current guy?
But even then, like, that wouldn't really be the focus, the pray for America, like that, that I get, like that would be traditional.
But this pray for President Trump language, as if he's the focus of 9-11 is, is bizarre.
Even if we put aside, Trump's horrible record when it comes to dishonoring 9-11.
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