JR Forasteros, Jason Stanley and understanding Fascism
Words mean things and have consequences.
FASCISM is an authoritarian, far-right, ultranationalist, political ideology – and ideologies grounded in domination, racism and greed are not the way of Jesus.
When Elon Musk gave this nazi salute in January, the word FASCIST got used a lot to describe where the United States is headed and where some believe we are. The leader of the Nazi Party was Adolf Hitler from 1921-1945 and he presided over the genocide of 6 million people Jewish people.
Adolf Hitler was a FASCIST. The Nazi government was FASCIST. But most of us are still murky on what FASCIST what does that actually mean?
I read this piece by
, put Jason Stanley’s book on my wishlist and I think you should too. And since most people don’t know what FASCISM actually is, how it happens or why it’s a threat to marginalized folks, you should forward it to a friend, the way I am sending it to you. Here’s a snippet:“It’s no accident that, around the globe, fascism has been on the rise in the first part of the 21st century. This has been an era of massive social upheaval as the ripples from the fall of colonialist governments reverberated through the global South (contributing to multiple refugee crises) and nations like Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran fought back against the Western powers that had dominated and exploited them since the fall of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the first World War. The US elected our first Black president, which advanced the cause of various minority groups from the queer community, which saw the legalization of gay marriage to the Black Lives Matter movement and the increasing influence of Critical Race Theory from Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow to Ibram X Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning to the 1619 Project.3 Movements like #MeToo and #OscarsSoWhite illustrated that the problem wasn’t liberal vs conservative - Hollywood had as much ingrained injustice as the GOP.
With so much pressure from all sides, it’s no wonder fascist leaders like Vladimir Putin (Russia), Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (Turkey), Viktor Orban (Hungary), Narendra Modi (India) and Donald Trump (USA) have risen to power. Their rhetoric is particularly effective in countries that face cultural change and anxiety.”
This essay coupled with that book will help separate truth from lies, the Gospel from nonsense, and where we should be going vs. what we should absolutely avoid. May God bless all of us to seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly after Him.
Let me know what you think! I look forward to the conversation and comments because our screens make us into lonely consumers but God made us to be a vibrant community.
In Christ and for His Glory,
jonathan
PS. Pre-order your copy of “Beauty and Resistance: Spiritual Rhythms for Formation and Repair” to be released on November 11, 2025.
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