Religion and the Racist Right: The Origins of the Christian Identity Movement

Religion and the Racist Right traces the emergence and evolution of Christian Identity, a fringe religious movement that shaped white supremacist ideology in America. The book examines the complex theological and historical threads that transformed British-Israelism into a doctrine of racial supremacy. Through extensive research and documentation, Michael Barkun maps the key figures, organizations, and theological innovations that marked Christian Identity's development from the 1920s through the 1990s. The narrative follows its spread from Britain to the United States and its eventual absorption of antisemitic and racist elements. The book reconstructs the institutional networks and doctrinal changes that enabled Christian Identity to influence various right-wing movements in the latter half of the 20th century. Barkun draws on primary sources including newsletters, pamphlets, and correspondence to establish the movement's reach and impact. This scholarly work reveals how religious beliefs can be transformed to serve political and racial ideologies, demonstrating the intersection of theology, identity, and extremism in American religious history.

Readers found this book provided detailed research and documentation on the Christian Identity movement's historical development and ideology. Multiple reviewers noted its academic rigor and thoroughness in tracing the movement's British-Israelite origins. Liked: - Clear explanation of complex theological concepts - Extensive primary source documentation - Objective academic tone - Useful reference for researchers and law enforcement Disliked: - Dense academic writing style - Some sections repetitive - Limited coverage of modern movement developments - High price point for academic press edition One reader praised it as "the definitive scholarly work on Christian Identity's origins," while another noted it was "not for casual reading but invaluable for serious research." Ratings: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (38 ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (12 reviews) JSTOR: Cited in 387 academic works Several academic reviewers recommended it specifically for university libraries and terrorism researchers rather than general readers.

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🔹 Christian Identity, the movement explored in the book, evolved from British-Israelism - a 19th century belief that Anglo-Saxons were the true descendants of the lost tribes of Israel 🔹 Author Michael Barkun is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Syracuse University's Maxwell School and has served as a consultant to the FBI on domestic terrorism cases 🔹 The book traces how British-Israelism transformed from a relatively benign religious movement into a racist ideology that influenced numerous white supremacist groups in America 🔹 The first edition of this book (1994) won the Outstanding Book Award from the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Human Rights in North America 🔹 The research draws heavily from rare primary sources, including pamphlets, newsletters, and personal correspondence that had never before been systematically analyzed by scholars