“The leaders of Black Lives Matter are telling Americans they have something to do right now. My question: why does Corey worry about fundamentalism and not about Black Lives Matter? His answer might be that Black Lives Matter has a point. But what if fundamentalism has a point? Would that make extremism okay?”
Benjamin Corey thinks fundamentalism is making a come back:
American culture is currently experiencing what some, and now I, am calling New Wave Fundamentalism. The original fundamentalists stem from the early 20th Century, and was rooted largely in fear– fear over this new concept of evolution, fear that culture was growing too liberal, fear that the nation was drifting from God, and fear that it would all come crashing down if they didn’t take culture back.
(Swap out evolution for gay marriage, and you’ll get an idea as to where this is heading.)
So what happens when you swap gay marriage for racism?
Corey goes on to identify three trends that show fundamentalism is on the rise. These all seem to be true of Black Lives Matter also:
1. There’s a large chunk of Christians who believe they are “losing,” and they’re panicked as to what that means.
Many Americans believe they are “losing” to institutional racism and structures of power that reinforce white privilege.
2. Right-wing extremists who would otherwise have nothing to do with Christian fundamentalism (or Christianity) are joining their ranks, giving them critical mass to stage a social movement.
Children of white privilege who attend elite universities and have little experience with African-American communities are joining the ranks of Black Lives Matter to create a large social movement.
