The Quiet Grooming of America’s Young Men
Most young men buying into it don’t realize they are embracing the beating heart of Christian nationalism.
Though I rarely do this (read: never), it seems fitting to begin this article with a Biblical verse. It will be the first and last sentence I write today that Christian nationalists appreciate - and I’m just fine with that. So here goes …
“There is nothing new under the sun.” - Ecclesiastes 1:9
As is the case with most of the Bible, there are disagreements about this passage. Mostly about who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes. I’m sure if I asked a Christian nationalist who authored it, I’d be given an answer that I would be expected to accept as well, gospel. Setting aside who the man who authored it was, I’m certain that we could at least agree that the author was a man. I would not, however, concede that he was genetically male because what would the fun be in that?
I think a strong argument can be made that there have been one or two new things under the sun since sometime between the fifth and third centuries BCE when Ecclesiastes was written. And yes, we can also argue about whether that’s the correct time period, but none of that really matters. At least not to me. For the sake of my argument, I’m going to take old what’s-his-name at his word and go with there being nothing new under the sun — or more specifically, men attempting to convince other men that women should be dominated and subjugated for our own good, the good of society, and, of course, because it’s God’s will — the ultimate Christian nationalist mic drop intended to end all conversations they prefer not to have.
For the moment, let’s set aside the whole “God’s will” business since the Christian nationalists who are subtly grooming young men to be the next generation of dangerous misogynists aren’t mentioning God at all in their marketing materials.
The indoctrination rampant in digital spaces where millions of young men spend their time leaves out that the hate they’re spreading is in the name of God. God, She must get so tired of that. The memes, podcasts, videos, social posts, and threatening DMs and comments might be using new forms of media, but they are nothing new under the sun: Women reduced to sexual objects, scapegoated as enemies of “real” manhood and young men’s success, with the ultimate goal of relegating us to lives of submission. To these men, women are trophies when obedient, threats when independent, and never truly human. The insidious nature of their grooming means most young men buying into it don’t realize they are embracing the beating heart of Christian nationalism.
In the warped world of Christian nationalist men, women are just another category of inferior people, along with non-whites, LGBTQ+ folks, immigrants, and the entirety of non-Christian nationalists, who are all going to burn in fiery damnation for eternity. I expect I’ll see most of you there. I’ll bring the marshmallows.
The truth is, my flippant comments about turbo-Christians are now less mockery of a fringe few and more of a relief value for the distress I feel over the shocking strides these fanatics have made in my lifetime. Even more shocking is the degree to which Americans still fail to see the lives and laws already been warped, devastated, and destroyed by their progress — and they are far from finished.
Which is why the intense grooming efforts continue. Christian nationalists need more young men to be foot soldiers in their own destruction.
What these groomers masquerade as male empowerment keeps young men in a constant state of resentment. And although many young men find themselves in these online spaces looking for community and acceptance, they find themselves in a constant competition to prove their masculinity and defend against their fear of being labeled weak, or worse still, feminine. With the measure of a man being his willingness to be cruel and dominate others, especially women, the “solution” they found often results in more rejection. If you were having trouble connecting with women before, I promise you that whispering sweet nothings like “the 19th Amendment should be repealed” or “she wasn’t hot enough for Trump to assault” is not the fast track to a happy, lasting relationship.
For as long as we allow it, Christian nationalism will romanticize dominance while sanctifying misogyny, and we will lose more young men to this machinery of dehumanization. Our moral, societal, legislative, and political emergency is the conspiracy of silence among those in power who understand exactly what’s happening and choose to do nothing. That goes beyond people in elected office to members of the media who shy away from any discussion of religion for fear of being called anti-Christian, mainstream Christians who are not calling out the hate being preached in their name, and men who see and hear the cruelty and say and do nothing.
What’s-his-face from 400 BCE might have lacked a bit of foresight in claiming that there’s nothing new under the sun, but those fighting cruelty and to expand rights, extend justice, and embrace empathy have also been here from the beginning and will endure - and there are more of us than them.
No Reset Button
“Thirty-five-year-olds sitting at home playing video games, they’re gonna now have to go get a job — and by the way, that’s a good thing for them. Their mom doesn’t want them sitting in the basement playing video games anyway.”
Christian Nationalism is a bastardization of Christianity. Thanks for your article, Lisa. Take care.
Christian nationalists claim to speak in the name of Jesus, yet the Jesus of the gospels preached service, not domination. He stood up for women, welcomed them into his followers, and if we accept the Gospel of Mary [and why not?], advanced women into leadership in the early church. Christian nationalism is a cult of christianity that cherry picks verses to suit its agenda. What we're dealing with here is white male supremacy gussied up in religious garb. What they're doing to gullible young men is no different from any other thug gang.