Mama Bears, Queen Esther, and “Don’t Mess w/ Our Kids” (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast) (Spirit and Power S2 Ep3)

On October 12, 2024, tens of thousands of Christians gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., answering a call from charismatic activist Jenny Donnelly and pastor Lou Engle. 

The event, held on Yom Kippur, blended prayer political mobilization as speakers urged believers to take action ahead of the 2024 election. 

With banners reading #DontMessWithOurKids, the rally tapped into fears about gender and sexuality, echoing similar movements abroad. 

The results of the 2024 election suggest Donnelly’s efforts were effective. With insight from journalists Alice Herman and Elle Hardy, Dr. Leah Payne asks: who is Jenny Donnelly? How did she rise to this unique position of influence in the Trump media-verse? And how is her fusion of faith, activism, and conspiracy shaping the Christian right?

Interview: 

https://www.straightwhiteamericanjesus.com/episodes/spirit-and-power-s2-ep-3-mama-bears-queen-esther-and-dont-mess-w-our-kids/

Thousands rally at Christian nationalist event in DC to ‘turn hearts back to God’ | Far right (US) | The Guardian

The rally is a collaboration organized by multiple far-right Christian leaders affiliated with the New Apostolic Reformation, a movement on the political far right that seeks to establish long-term Christian dominion over government and society as well as get Trump a second presidency in November. 

Matthew Taylor, a senior scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian and Jewish Studies, said the effort was aimed at "creating a network – a mass of people – who see it as their spiritual mission to take over Washington DC". … 

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which characterizes Engle as an anti-LGBTQ+ extremist, notes that Engle has in the past compared the anti-LGBTQ+ push to the secessionist south during the American civil war, calling on opponents of gay rights to emulate the Confederate general Robert E Lee, who "was able to restrain Washington"…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/12/jenny-donnelly-anti-trans-christian-nationalist-rally