Matthew D. Taylor
@TaylorMatthewD
senior scholar at @ICJSBaltimore | https://substack.com/@matthewdtaylor | author of "Scripture People" (2023) & "The Violent Take It by Force" (Oct 2024)
This is the first piece I've written since the 2024 election. It is published in a UK outlet (@NewHumanist) and tries to make sense of many Christians' messianic attachments to Trump.
✨A must-read from @TaylorMatthewD of @ICJSBaltimore: To many evangelicals, Trump is not just a president but a messiah. How did he gain such mythic power, and where will it lead? newhumanist.org.uk/articles/6380
Context for Sec. Hegseth's statement that "we give glory to God" after Trump's unilateral and illegal act of war against Iran. There is nothing subtle here.
And, sure enough, Hegseth has 2 Crusader tattoos: a Jerusalem Cross, the symbol of the Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem on his chest, & "Deus Vult" the Crusaders' theological cri de coeur ("God wills it") on his bicep. "Deus Vult" means God mandated Crusaders' violence. 13/
@TaylorMatthewD explains the origins of Trump’s evangelical advisory board. The truth is stranger than fiction! Find out more here: youtu.be/pNyw_Y3ztVA?si…