From “Defending Democracy from its Christian Enemies” by David P. Gushee
“Authoritarian reactionary Christianity” (ARC) will be the main term I will use to attempt to name the version of Christian politics that leads to support for or indifference to democratic backsliding. This is my coinage; I have not seen the problem named this way by another author. At this moment, at least in the US setting, the term “Christian nationalism” has become the primary shorthand to name and critique problematic Christian politics. In this chapter, I want to propose that “authoritarian reactionary Christianity” may offer a broader historical and cultural framework to name and understand what we are seeing in much of the world today. Labels matter if they enhance understanding, reduce disorientation, and empower response. That is my goal here.