Report of an Execution From a Future Christian Nationalist State

Idaho carries out first known execution in Christian Commonwealth amid ongoing protests

12/08/2030

Boise, ID – The Christian Commonwealth of Idaho announced on Thursday that it had executed a man arrested during the state-wide protests that have shaken the commonwealth for several months.

The protester, identified as David Hunter by the Idaho news service, is thought to be the first person executed by Idaho’s Christian Commonwealth since the former American state gained independence in 2028.

Idaho’s Constitution specifically makes blasphemy and disturbance of the religious order of the Commonwealth capital offenses for the most serious offenses. Hunter is the first person to be executed under the regime’s new Christian Constitution.

Hunter was convicted of devising, organizing, and leading protests against Idaho’s Christian state. Protesters want a return to religious freedom in Idaho. According to a spokesperson for Free Idaho, the group has no position on independence from the U.S., but they believe religious freedom is a “God-given right.”

Hunter had appealed his conviction to Idaho’s Court of Holy Magistrates, but his appeal was denied.

Governor says laws applied fairly

Idaho’s Governing Magistrate Douglas Wolfe issued a statement saying that “While we regret Mr. Hunter’s decision to violate the laws of God, we applied the law fairly in his case.”

Wolfe’s spokesman, Stephen Wilson, added, “Freedom of religious belief is the law of the land in Idaho. On the other hand, externalized false religion is the object of punishment and sadly Mr. Hunter led many souls astray with his blasphemous and scandalous actions.”

DeSantis calls for ‘restraint’

U.S. President Ron DeSantis’ responded to the execution calling for Idaho’s leaders to “show restraint.” DeSantis, a supporter of Idaho’s independence during his first term, recently told GOP leaders in Congress that he is less favorable toward similar proposals from Oklahoma and Texas.

“Even a Christian Commonwealth must respect democratic values,” said Press Secretary Joel Turnipseed. “As the president said, we expect Idaho to show restraint.”

More executions expected

However, restraint does not appear to be the policy of Idaho’s Christian government.

Rights watchdog Amnesty International has said that more people have been detained and are potentially facing the death penalty following the protests in the former U.S. state.

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Obviously, this isn’t a real news report. Note the date and the fact that Idaho is still an American state. However, the outcome isn’t too far fetched if the Christian Nationalist vision of Stephen Wolfe’s The Case for Christian Nationalism is ever allowed to come to pass in the nation or an American state.

In his book, Wolfe calls for governors to lead the way in bringing about this Christian nationalist vision.

State governors are deputies of God, not deputies of the federal government, and their power from God is for good, not for evil. Thus, they must resist and nullify unjust and tyrannical laws imposed on the people by the federal government. No unjust federal law is an ordinance of God, and so it is not backed by a power of God. Therefore, a state governor resisting an unjust law of the federal government is not resisting God but the tyranny of men. Resistance to such tyrannical laws—which are not laws at all—is obedience to God, for they harm the people, and the state governors have the power of God to eliminate what harms the people. State governors must recall their duties to God and fight against injustices of the federal government. (p. 472)

This dramatized parody was inspired by the news report of an execution of a protester in Iran just a few days ago.  My parody above follows the framework of that news report.

I had been thinking about dramatizing how awful it would be to have a government such as envisioned by Wolfe’s book when I read a short opinion piece in the Carolina Journal by David Larson titled, “Making Space for Heretics.” Indeed, a free society must make space for heretics of all sorts.

In my view, any approach to government which allows for the murder, banishment or imprisonment of people for deviating from Protestant orthodoxy is a non-starter. No need for book reviews or debates or consideration. Such an approach isn’t a serious proposal. It is a death wish.

Here is a thread with quotes from The Case for Christian Nationalism by Stephen Wolfe on these points.

All of this is in chapter nine of the book.

Photo credit: Florida Department of Corrections/Doug Smith

31 thoughts on “Report of an Execution From a Future Christian Nationalist State”

  1. “Such an approach isn’t a serious proposal. It is a death wish.”

    And I hope, for the sake of democracy and just plain humanity, that it stays so. Recognition of Christian Nationalism should never, ever, be considered seriously. Freedom for Christianity must never mean restricting the freedom to practice other religions, or none.

  2. What I never get about these clowns who say some entity can rebel against the ‘federal’ gov is they always stop at the state level… What if my local town council says the same thing regarding their ties/relationship with the state gov above them? Would Herr Wolfe be ok with that? Suppose a whole city within Herr Wolfe’s “Christian state’ declares itself independent in order to preserve Constitutional freedoms for its residents – would not Herr Wolfe’s ‘christian’ magistrates at the state level try to quell (or smash) such an insurrection? (Just as the federal level would be compelled to do so if Herr Wolfe were to try to actualize his independent ‘state’? Even the reddest of states would have millions of citizens with a will and right of appeal to the Feds for protection against Herr Wolfe’s ‘state’…

    Lord, how long… how long till (they metaphorically impale themselves) or You deal with these anti-Christ white christian nationalists troubling your Church and the world with their heresies, their thuggery, their immorality, their idolatry, their stupidity in the Bonhoeffer sense, and their dark bitter angry hearts full of fear and hatred?

    1. We know the answer to your first paragraph; we’ve seen just in the last year or so the would-be theocratic/fascist state governments in Florida and Texas prevent local entities from taking public health measures (like mask or vaccination mandates), from teaching about racism in public schools, from making it easier for their residents to vote, and I’m sure I’m forgetting a few.

      They don’t want governmental power to move closer to the level of the people; they just want the power to be concentrated at whatever level they control.

  3. All I am going to say is that I know there is a civil war coming to this country. Both sides are going to do things that we do not think that they will do. I am not going to take sides as violence is not a way of Jesus Christ. But as far as what happens whatever side a particular person falls on that will be where the deception comes from that is dangerous for them. For the left it will come out of the extreme left. For the right out of the extreme right. Both will make excuses and horrible things will happen because they always do in war. There are no winners in war. Only a mess that is left that someone who is a “Blessed Peacemaker” will have to clean up. Jesus never said that warmakers are blessed. Instead He said that, “those who live by the sword (violence) will die by it.” It gives me no joy to say these things but I know that they are coming.

  4. The most chilling part are the words “President DeSantis” which has a good chance of coming to pass in two years. He’s Trump minus the narcissism plus the ideology. That makes him far more dangerous to democracy that Trump ever was.

  5. Given the percentage of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Idaho (around 20% according to Pew), I suspect strong words from Utah if the Idaho state religion becomes Wolfian (or Wilsonian, the book’s publisher is Canon Press closely connected to Douglas Wilson).

    I also note the proportion of rating stars for the book on Amazon: 71% 5 stars and 25% 1 star; in particular those who like the book really like it.

    From some of the reviews I would also fear for anyone who doesn’t consider themselves non-Hispanic white even if fairly close religiously to what Wolfe wants. See for instance a review of the book by Kevin DeYoung who is certainly a conservative Christian but doesn’t want Wolfe https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/christian-nationalism-wolfe/

  6. Also on topic and worth a watch, the Hulu streaming series “A Handmaid’s Tale”, based on Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel.

    1. Remember, please, that Margaret Atwood said that everything in A Handmaid’s Tale is based on actual events in history. Somebody has already done everything it portrays.

  7. Coming away from such a hypothetical with the thought that “this could never happen here” is a luxury we can no longer afford. Christian Nationalism demands hegemony, the power of Caesar guided by parochial rules. Even if it never comes to the scenario above, a lot of damage can be done to our democracy during the attempt.

  8. considering the amount of rhetoric from the left that would appear to be hateful and calling for harm to those that disagree with their views, i would think this made up scenario would be more likely to take place in a democratic stronghold state.

    1. Well, you would be wrong Richard. Christian nationalists are actually calling for an end to religious freedom.

      1. opinions are like noses…everyone has one…..your circle and my circle appear to be vastly different. i could show you plenty of tweets or leftist rhetoric calling for violence.

        1. Perhaps you could show individual people but can you show people on the left who justify killing people in the name of Jesus? Please cite me some sources.

          1. there are crazies on both sides.
            and killing anyone in the name of jesus i would call a sort of oxymoronic statement, and that they don’t even know Him.

            but the democratic left certainly calls for murder of infants as a fundamental right in the name of progress.

          2. No proof aye? No popular books… no viral articles… oh but I bet you have youtube videos of talking heads saying your belief over and over again… with no evidence other than some graffiti or tweets from nobodies.
            You all gonna be surprised someday before the Almighty when He calls you out for all the false accusations and slander against you-alls outgroups…

          3. Since you had to expand the definition of killing to include a legal activity like abortion, I’ll do you one better and include denying healthcare to people who can’t afford it, which kills far more people very year. If you wish to continue down this road we could discuss right wing denialism around COVID policies and climate change, which also have killed millions.

          4. I would add refusing to register and regulate guns as being accessories to the murder of actual children.

          5. Also, I don’t know of anyone who supports a woman’s right over her pregnant body whom I would describe as “calling for murder.” Like, the majority of pro-choice advocates really don’t want ANYONE to get abortions, they just want it to be available for the times when it’s necessary.

          6. I always thank them for their support of universal free contraception, health care, education and child care since really that’s the starting point if we are going to discuss banning abortion (and even then, individual bodily autonomy still outweigh it). It’s a litmus test to see what they really care about, life or social control.

          7. “there are crazies on both sides.”

            You are avoiding Warren’s question. Warren is specifically talking about “christian crazies.” Further, he was specifically asking you for examples on the left of people using Jesus to justify their extremism.

    2. Have you read TPM’s release of a tranche of private text message exchanges with Mark Meadows and more than a couple of dozen lawmakers in their efforts to invalidate the results of the presidential election and keep Trump in power?

      The Republicans are not only capable of insurrection and dictatorship, they are primed for it, with almost all of them are still in office.

      1. no, i haven’t read them, and a couple dozen out of 535 does not a revolution make. don’t make a mountain out of a molehill

  9. Well, gosh, if “State governors are deputies of God,” how about mayors and county supervisors? Shouldn’t they also be entitled to declare divine authority when they need to oppose the evils of their state governor?

    1. They exist, now. Ever heard of “Constitutional Sheriffs?” These clowns pick and chose which laws they wish to enforce in their county. They run the place as their little fiefdom.
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_Sheriffs_and_Peace_Officers_Association

      They came out of the woodwork in 2020 in response to the covid pandemic, refusing to enforce state health mandates. Dar Leaf in Barry County, MI, is the most notorious, going so far as to get chummy with the terrorists wanting to kidnap [democratic] Governor Whitmer. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/034f53af23c76fcf00ada441234bfb5a20f27170022c20282ee78d091575c28f.jpg

      Christopher Schmaling in Racine County, WI, is another one, refusing to enforce [democratic] Governor Evers’ pandemic shutdown. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e32542866a63c4f8e2bdc2611be64f3a70053418259cdf09e2799e69c77fac3a.jpg

  10. Wolfe’s advocacy that states should “nullify” federal laws is a pretty fringe legal theory. It was tried and rejected in the early 1800s, and I believe the most recent serious attempts at nullification were attempts by states to nullify the Supreme Court’s school desegregation decision in the 1950s.
    Maybe that isn’t too surprising — the white supremacists of the 1950s and 1960s seem like a pretty close historical analogue to the Christian Nationalists of today.

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