The far-right Christian Donald Trump supporters who believe in demonic possession, rapture and spiritual warfare could wreak havoc in the temporal world if their leader is reelected, a theological expert warned Wednesday.
Concordia University professor André Gagné, author of "American Evangelicals for Trump: Dominion, Spiritual Warfare, and the End Times," spoke with Salon and raised serious concerns about the evangelicals who believe the former president will usher in “god’s kingdom” on Earth.
"Demons and the type of spiritual warfare prayers made in public seem ridiculous to many people as they don't resonate with the way we generally perceive the world," Gagné acknowledged. But he added, "Their adoption of aggressive spiritual warfare language and vilification of political opponents is concerning."
Gagné sources the lack of concern to the Jan. 6 hearings, noting there was a lack of media coverage on the role "White evangelicals" played in the Capitol riots.
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"The reason behind this inadequacy is the highly privileged position that Christianity enjoys in the U.S.," Gagné said. "A significant portion of Americans, in one way or another, identify themselves as Christian, and many are part of the political class."
Far-right Christians' move toward MAGA was also easy to laugh about since some of their beliefs seemed strange to the mainstream, Gagné argued.
But should their leader regain the White House, those beliefs could have real-world consequences for the people they see as spiritual enemies, Gagné concludes.
"Democrats, Muslims or those identifying as LGBTQ+, become assimilated into evil spirits," Gagné explained. "Those who do not support their vision of a Christian-dominated America may be at risk."
Read the full interview at Salon.
