Date of Award
Spring 5-4-2022
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Communication
First Advisor
David Cheshier
Second Advisor
Carol Kay Winkler
Third Advisor
Walter Patrick Wade
Abstract
The Evangelical participation attack on Capitol Hill that happened on January 6th, 2021, that almost toppled American Democracy, was an eye-opening experience to the dangers of radicalization. For this paper, the central question is, do recent evolutions to Christian Eschatology (Premillennialism/Postmillennialism) give exigence to the radicalization of mainstream American Evangelicalism via a Dominionist ideology? This study is a rhetorical criticism that will examine sermons of four prominent Neo Charismatic around the time of the 2020 National COVID Lockdown Announcement and the Capitol Hill Insurrection. This study uses a Constant Comparative Method (CCM) to inductively identify the possible themes, and a Cultural Discourse Analysis (CuDA) to provide a more detailed examination of their rhetoric. Findings illustrate that increases in Millennialism rhetoric correlate with radicalization tendencies to create grievances that dehumanize outsiders while stoking existential crises in their own members to propel them into action via quests of significance.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/28912982
Recommended Citation
Sharp, David, "Hijacked Christianity: How An Aberrant Eschatology Enables A Grievance Culture That Supplants Christian Grace For An Extremist Meritocracy." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2022.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/28912982
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