The Christian Identity movement is a loose network of individuals and churches that promote a radical form of racial supremacy and anti-Semitism based on a distinctive interpretation of the Bible. The movement emerged in the United States in the mid-20th century and remains active today. Here is an overview of the key beliefs, history, and influence of the Christian Identity movement.
Key Beliefs
Christian Identity adherents believe that white people of European descent are the lost tribes of Israel described in the Bible, making them God’s chosen people. Based on their reading of certain Biblical passages, they argue that Jews are imposters claiming Israelite heritage and that people of color are soulless “pre-Adamic” peoples created before Adam. This leads them to conclude that the white chosen people have a God-given right to rule over other races.
In Identity theology, Jews are seen as the literal biological descendants of Satan via Eve and the Serpent in the Garden of Eden. They are sometimes referred to as the “Synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9). Jews are believed to control the governments and financial systems of the world in service of Satan’s designs. Christian Identity followers believe there will be an apocalyptic race war, after which whites will regain their rightful place ruling the world.
Christian Identity churches generally follow a theology of legalism that places great emphasis on obedience to Old Testament laws and rituals like dietary restrictions and Sabbath observance. They oppose interracial marriage, integration, and race-mixing as violations of divine law. Some also embrace elements of Nazism, occult mysticism, and white nationalism.
History
The origins of Christian Identity date back to 19th century England. An Anglo-Israelite movement emerged claiming that the Anglo-Saxon and Celtic peoples of Britain were descendants of the lost tribes of Israel. This theory was brought to America in the 1870s by preacher named Charles Fox Parham. In the 1920s, Howard Rand further developed the idea that the Israelites had migrated throughout Europe before coming to North America.
In the 1930s, Wesley Swift merged these British Israelite teachings with extreme antisemitism and the idea that non-white races descended from “beasts of the field” created before Adam. He founded a church in California based on these doctrines. Through Swift’s efforts and subsequent leaders like Richard Butler, the Christian Identity movement took shape and grew in popularity within radical right-wing circles.
Several prominent white supremacist and anti-government militia groups have been influenced by Identity theology, including Aryan Nations, the Order, the Posse Comitatus, and the Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord (CSA). While estimates vary, Christian Identity adherents are thought to number in the tens of thousands in the US. The movement has also spread to parts of Canada and Europe.
Christian Critique
From an orthodox Christian perspective, the racist theology promoted by the Christian Identity movement represents a gross distortion of the Bible’s teachings. The New Testament strongly rejects racial superiority, teaching that all humans are equally created in God’s image and that salvation is offered to all through Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross (John 3:16, Acts 17:26, Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11).
The church consists of believers from every tribe, tongue and nation (Revelation 5:9). Paul taught that followers of Jesus are counted as descendants of Abraham by faith, not bloodline (Romans 2:28-29, Galatians 3:7). There is no biblical basis for the virulent antisemitism that undergirds Identity theology. Christians are called to love others, including enemies (Matthew 5:43-48).
By promoting racial hatred and violence, Christian Identity adherents utterly reject the way of Christ. Christians should denounce this movement’s heretical teachings and continue to proclaim the inclusive, universal Gospel of God’s love and salvation for all people through Jesus Christ.
Influence and Status Today
While the Christian Identity movement has declined since its peak in the 1980s, it remains influential within the radical right-wing. The Southern Poverty Law Center estimates there are around 5,000 Christian Identity followers and at least a dozen active churches. Other white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups often draw inspiration from Identity theology even if they do not openly identify with the term “Christian Identity.”
A number of recent white supremacist killers and extremist group leaders have been linked to Identity churches and literature, including the infamous 1995 Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. The ideology continues to motivate violence by positing armed conflict as inevitable and divinely ordained. This highlights the ongoing dangers posed by this radical belief system.
The most well-known Christian Identity organization today is Kingdom Identity Ministries, a church and media ministry located in Harrison, Arkansas. Through its publications, website, and outreach efforts, Kingdom Identity promotes doctrines of white supremacy and antisemitism rooted in the Christian Identity worldview. Many other independent fundamentalist churches, pastors, and writers advance similar teachings throughout America.
Christian Identity theology has also inspired the emergence of other fringe sects with similar beliefs. For instance, the Christian separatist group Church of Israel and its leader Dan Gayman have broken with the Christian Identity label while upholding essentially identical ideologies. Such offshoots attest to the lingering, if dwindling, influence of Identity thought within extremist circles.
Looking Ahead
As American society continues to wrestle with the persistent legacies of racism, antisemitism, and religious extremism, the Christian Identity movement stands as one of the most glaring embodiments of the convergence of these dangerous trends. While its popularity has faded over time, its pernicious teachings still pose a threat by providing ideological justification for radicalization, violence, and domestic terrorism.
Particularly in times of social change and upheaval, fringe movements that scapegoat marginalized groups gain traction among certain segments of the population. Christian Identity theology feeds on fear, resentment, and supremecist notions of racial chosenness. History demonstrates how unbiblical, pseudo-Christian ideologies like this can give rise to horrific acts of violence and oppression when their power goes unchecked.
For this reason, it remains important for mainstream Christian churches and leaders to explicitly reject Christian Identity doctrines as heretical and unchristian. The promotion of racial reconciliation, religious tolerance, and equal dignity for all humans are essential to resisting the pull of radicalization. Through faith and discernment, Christians must repudiate these distorted teachings and stand boldly for truth in love.