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

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