The new documentary Praying for Armageddon looks at the increasing influence of evangelical Christians in the US, and their dangerous fusion of religious fundamentalism and political powerrelig
“We’re going to have a blood bath like we’ve never witnessed since the Civil War,” says Gary Burd, the pastor who runs a ministry-cum-motorcycle club in Texas, as he lays out his vast collection of huge, dazzling silver weaponry on a table. “We’re going to have to defend the Christian life with a sword.”
It’s a scene taken from Praying for Armageddon, a new documentary co-directed by Tonje Hessen Schei and Michael Rowley, that has been eight years in the making and looks at the rising role and influence of evangelical Christianity. While evangelicalism in the US is not necessarily a new subject to document, the film looks to explore just how deeply entrenched it has become in US politics, its military and how there is a growing movement of people who view it as God’s work to actively instigate volatility and violence to bring about the end times and welcome the rapture. People who are not just willing, but actively participating, in bringing about the end of the world.
“I was seeing the increasing power of the fundamentalist evangelicals in the States and how their belief in the biblical prophecy of Armageddon also leads to real political power,” Schei says of what drew her to the subject. “At first, I thought it was fascinating that they actually interpret the Bible literally and believe Jesus is going to come back on a white horse down from the heavens and kick off the big battle of Armageddon. But to have people that actually see it as their responsibility to act at God’s will, and that have real political influence in the biggest superpower in our world, was mind-blowing.”
And these aren’t just some wacky fringe figures who are peddling this stuff to a handful of followers. There are 100 million evangelical Christians in the US, representing almost 30 per cent of all US voters. These include major figures like the Baptist pastor Robert James Jeffress Jr, who was a special advisor to Trump and has spoken about the countdown to Armageddon and how the end of the world is nothing to fear. There are army generals like Jerry Boykin who have publicly claimed that Jesus is coming back with an AR-15 rifle, along with the huge influence of figures like John Hagee and his ten-million-strong membership of Christians United for Israel.
The focus on Israel in particular – because they believe it needs to be under Jewish control in order for Jesus to return and the rapture to take place – has led to a huge focus on providing funding and support from these communities in the US. Along with the hugely controversial moving of the Israeli embassy to Jerusalem, this has led to suggestions that Christian evangelicals are actively pushing for war there. “Trump knew that moving the embassy was seen as an act of war by the Palestinian people,” Schei says. “He knew that doing so would propel and fuel the spirals of violence.”
However, Schei points out: “The film is not anti-religion or anti-Israel. It is a pro-democracy film. It is extremely important for us to protect our democracy and human rights for all. In order to do so I think it’s important for us to take a really hard look at the fundamentalists that now have real political influence and ask: is this what we want?”
The growing spread of evangelical Christians’ influence in the US military has even led to accusations of weaponised Christianity being put into force, with new recruits being targeted and baptised before deployment, as well as rifle scopes being engraved with New Testament citations.
Much of this came to light during one of Schei’s previous films, Drone, about drone pilots in the military. “If they needed to debrief after killing people with drones, they would lose their security clearance if they talked to psychologists,” Schei says. “But they were allowed to speak with evangelical chaplains – where they always got the same answer of: ‘this is part of God’s plan’.” Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Colin Powell, told Schei that it was “part of a much bigger plan where they are working to position themselves in the military to prepare for the battle of Armageddon”.
The movement gained rapid acceleration during the eight-year production of the documentary. “Unfortunately, this film is more relevant and urgent than when we started,” says Schei. “What happened with their power and influence during the Trump and Pence era went far beyond our imaginations.”
Trump is seen as being both a puppet and a loyal facilitator for them. “They saw Trump as being lifted up by God as President because he was propelling the Armageddon prophecy to be fulfilled,” Schei says. “So even though they disagree with his behaviour and maybe some of his personality – and they in no sense think he is a true believer – they see him as an instrument to fulfil the prophecy. And he was definitely manipulating that situation as well as he could.”
Of course, with Trump back in the mix again ahead of the 2024 election, could things destabilise even more? “In the very volatile situation we have in the world right now, it’s extremely concerning to even think about what will happen if Trump wins the election again,” says Schei. “That could be a different kind of Armageddon that is coming our way. But we really hope this film can contribute to a healthy debate, and an awareness, about some of the inner workings of the very dangerous fusion of religious fundamentalism and political power.”
Praying For Armageddon plays at the Bertha Doc House from July 28.