Christian nationalists are swarming across the country. From dismantling public education to encouraging neighbors to turn on neighbors, this authoritarian political and theological ideology consumes everything in its path. This will lead to the destruction of the Christian witness and democracy overall.

It’s what I am calling the “Locust Effect.”

In the book of Exodus, Yahweh instructs Moses to warn the Pharaoh that a swarm of locusts will destroy Egyptian vegetation if he does not release the Hebrews whom he enslaved.

Listen to Moses’ warning:

“For if you refuse to let my people go, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country. They shall cover the surface of the land, so that no one will be able to see the land. They shall devour the last remnant left you after the hail, and they shall devour every tree of yours that grows in the field. They shall fill your houses and the houses of all your officials and of all the Egyptians—something that neither your parents nor your grandparents have seen, from the day they came on earth to this day” (Exodus 10:5-6).

The Pharaoh, unfortunately, disregards Moses’ warning, putting his people in danger.

The locust effect begins immediately:

“The locusts came upon all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before nor ever shall be again. They covered the surface of the whole land, so that the land was black, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green was left on the trees or on the plants in the fields, in all the land of Egypt” (10:14-15).

As I continue to witness the rise of Christian supremacy across the country, I think about this moment in ancient history. Christian nationalism acts more like the locusts of the Exodus story than the Hebrews desiring freedom and belonging. It devours everything in its path, attempting to enact its draconian policies on the rest of us.

In 2020, swarms of locusts covered East Africa. Researchers found that a swarm of 80 million locusts can consume the food equivalent of what 35,000 people can eat in a day. Local villages referred to the swarms as “invaders” consuming their resources and taking a devastating toll on their mental health.

Christian nationalism’s “Locust Effect” is wreaking havoc across the country, with others beginning to mimic the strategy of invasion, consumption and destruction.  

Invasion

While I want to keep the focus on modern-day Christian nationalism, we would be remiss not to mention the notion of Christian supremacy that is baked into this destructive ideology. Europeans believed they were “God’s chosen” people called to spread the “gospel” around the world.

Therefore, when you’re “God’s chosen,” you can take what you want as long as the ends justify the means. This is known as the “Doctrine of Christian Discovery” and “Manifest Destiny.” Consumed by these false doctrines, Europeans began their invasion of North America, Africa and Asia.

In the modern era, the invasion manifests itself more like “God’s chosen” filling the halls of churches, school boards and every facet of government. This type of Christian nationalism is an extension of hyper-Calvinism, wherein God’s elect are set apart to rule over others.

Like locusts, Christian nationalism invades these areas of our lives to consume the resources the rest of us depend on for life. There is no concern for how these policies will affect the rest of the population, just as long as their wants and desires are fulfilled.

In addition to the “Locus Effect” in America, the rest of the world has been watching and learning. In places like Russia and Israel, authoritarian behavior can be witnessed. Russia invaded Ukraine and Israel invaded Gaza to eliminate indigenous populations, consume resources and steal land.  

Consumption

Once these areas of our life are invaded, then the consumption of resources is expedited. The decades-long infiltration of the American public school system is a prime example. Christian nationalism began its invasion of the public schools shortly after the Brown v. Board of Education decision, which eliminated segregation in public schools.

After Brown, Engel v. Vitale (1962) declared state-sponsored prayer unconstitutional, sending Christian nationalism into overdrive in its attempt to gain greater influence in public education and government oversight. Currently, Christian nationalism is attempting a two-pronged attack on public education: (1) destroying public education by defunding it and (2) diverting public money to fund private religious education.

By consuming resources for public education, Christian nationalism seeks to hoard all resources for itself, with no regard for others’ well-being. Of course, Christian nationalism is happy to educate children outside their community as long as students and families leave their consciences at the door and accept its draconian ideologies and practices.

Christian nationalism, at its core, sincerely believes God created the world for human consumption without any regard to preservation or symbiotic considerations. If Christian nationalism is left unchecked, then it will consume all the resources, leaving the rest of us to fight among ourselves for what little is left behind.

This formula leads to destruction.

Destruction

After invasion and consumption are complete, what is left is destruction. How can I confidently state that this is the result of Christian nationalism? I simply and humbly point out my people, the Indigenous peoples of North America.

Before 1492, North America was home to a diverse array of cultures and thriving economies. While Indigenous peoples were not perfect and engaged in conflicts over resources, their worldview acknowledged the symbiotic relationship humans had with the world and with one another. In other words, it was a worldview based on what Jesus advised: “Love God (the creator and creation—the two cannot be separated) and love your neighbor as yourself (humanity).”

Christian nationalism abandoned the symbiotic relationship and teachings of Jesus. Instead, Christian nationalism implements supremacy at the core of its theology and politics. In the wake of invasion and consumption, Christian supremacy destroys everything in its path because its desire to be supreme outweighs the needs of everyone else.

In the 1939 play about the Gothic South, “Little Foxes,” Lillian Hellman writes: “There are people who eat the earth and eat all the people on it like in the Bible with the locusts. Then there are people who stand around and watch them eat it. Sometimes I think it ain’t right to stand and watch them do it.”

Hellman was correct. It ain’t right.

People of good faith must begin reversing the “Locus Effect” by countering Christian nationalism at every corner of our existence. Instead of invasion, consumption and destruction, people of good faith need to promote Jesus-like values such as inclusion, empathy, compassion, generosity, community, grace, forgiveness, justice and love.

Only then can we avert the “Locust Effect” and replace it with the “Jesus Effect,” where everyone is accepted, cared for and loved.