A God that Answers by Fire: The Branch Davidians, New Religious Movements, and White Christian Nationalism Open Access
Clements, Gaberiel (Spring 2024)
Abstract
This thesis examines the apocalyptic worldbuilding of new religious movements by using The Branch Davidians and the Waco Siege as a case study. It uses this case study of Waco to reexamine the events considering the growing influence of white Christian nationalism in the United States to argue that white Christian nationalism exists as a kind of apocalyptic new religious movement. Drawing on the literature of history and sociology of religion and the Branch Davidian archives at Baylor University, the thesis advances the following arguments: The apocalyptic provides new religious movements with a unified worldview that puts them at odds with broader society. Apocalypticism provides new religious movements with a sense of legitimacy, agency, and embattlement that can create conflict when their worldviews are misunderstood and challenged. Finally, it argues that the apocalyptic helps create rage and catalyzes the legitimation of violence among new religious movements. Concluding that understanding the errors of Waco can help us better understand and confront white Christian nationalism.
Table of Contents
· Introduction: A Fire Yet Burns: 1
o Origins of the Branch Davidians and the Label Cult: 4
o The Conflation of Symbols: Defining White Christian Nationalism: 9
o Something More Than Cultural: Religion and White Christian Nationalism: 10
· Chapter One: An Apocalyptic Vision: The Worldmaking of the Branch and Christian Nationalism: 15
o Sister White and Brother Roden: Adventist and Branch Apocalypticism: 17
o The Apocalyptic Goes Mainstream: How Evangelicals Created a Cultural Phenomenon: 26
o Armageddon in America: Apocalyptic Beliefs and White Christian Nationalism: 32
· Chapter Two: 51 Days: New Religious Movements and the Battle for Agency: 37
o Manufacturing Consent: The Construction of the Branch as a Cult: 38
o Preparing for Showtime: Building the Case against the Branch: 41
o Bible Babble? New Religious Movements, Agency, Legitimacy, and the Sense of Embattlement: 45
o The Fire of Rage: How the Waco Siege became a rallying point for the Radical Right: 53
· Chapter Three: The Final Battle: Waco, White Christian Nationalism, and the Fate of Democracy: 56
o They Shall Be Avenged when Symbols Become Deadly: The Oklahoma City Bombing: 59
o Audience: How White Christian Nationalism Operates Like a New Religious Movement: 66
o My God shall not be mocked: Waco as Symbol of Religious Liberty: 68
o Rods of Iron: The Legacy of Waco and the Symbol of Firearms: 73
· Conclusion: The Fire Still Burns: How the Legacy of Waco Resounds Today: 77
· Endnotes: 81
· Works Cited: 88
· Non-printed Sources Cited: 91
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