Welcome

As a regular Bluesky poster, and let’s be honest social media addict, I have been considering writing a blog for quite some time. My social media posts tend to become threads, as I analyze or add additional information to media pieces, current events, and evidence of extremism.

My area of research is in the darkest areas of political humanity, meaning conspiracy theories, Christian nationalism, populism, extremism, and hate. The convergence of these topics is evident in the world we live in today. Far-right militia movements, moral panics, attacks on human rights seem to be flourishing globally, yet many writing on these topic are reactionary. The analysis is of the moment, making it appear as though this “just happened.” The truth is many of these current events, movements, and violent mobilizations are the result of a steady buildup of propaganda, fearmongering, and a hierarchical nesting of conspiracy theories, religion, the occult, and a sense of constructed victimhood.

I decided to start this Substack for a few reasons. The first being that as an academic I find it incredibly frustrating that research that can help people understand what is happening now and why, takes months to appear in academic journals. When they do appear the moment has moved on, and a new crisis has arisen. I chose my academic route because I wanted to help in someway, to inform, and perhaps even make a change. The limitations of academic publishing does not allow this to happen with the long process of review and the fact many academic journals are behind the academic walls of accessibility, limiting readership. This Substack I hope will enable me to have conversations with people interested in conspiracy theories, politics, Christian nationalism, and extremism/hate.

Religious Studies departments are being removed from university programs, and this is the moment we need them most. Nothing happens in isolation. Beliefs, personal values, and morals are not removed from people’s political choices. As Jeffrey Stout argued, the separation of church and state is not a wall in the heart of the believer. Religious beliefs can validate hate, worldviews, and ideologies, providing the group or the individual a sense they are on the side of the eternal. Fears, conspiracies, and populism can provide an understanding of the world, that promotes harms to others. While universities are closing religious studies programs, I hope to create here a community that has an open dialogue sharing insights, expertise, and most importantly a place to learn together.

My plan is to write as events happen, or as media pieces are published, to allow us all to expand on the amazing journalism that is happening, in spite of the monopolization of legacy media. I will also write an overview of events or right-wing/extremist groups available each Monday. Understanding these movements from a transnational perspective is essential, yet often Canadian stories are not included. We are not immune to the hate, extremism, Christian nationalism, and conspiratorial beliefs that we often regulate to Americans. These are not movements bounded by national borders.

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