Adam Kinzinger Condemns Pro-Trump Christian Event as 'Mass Delusion'

Representative Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, on Sunday condemned a pro-Donald Trump event where attendees were engaging with what he called "Christian Nationalism."

"As a.Christian, let me say yet again, this is mass delusion and insane. Pastors need to condemn the Christian Nationalism that is the same thing the Taliban does," the GOP lawmaker wrote in a tweet, sharing a clip of the ReAwaken America event that was originally posted to Twitter by former federal prosecutor Ron Filipkowski.

Several conservative figures and singers attended the event in Branson, Missouri, that kicked off on Friday with more than 3,000 people present, the Branson Tri-Lakes News reported. The former president's son Eric Trump and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell delivered remarks at the two-day rally.

At one point during the event, a speaker on stage told the crowd to believe that the GOP is going to "have a victory on Tuesday" as a band played music in the background in an apparent effort to rally voters for the midterm elections, according to the video shared by Filipkowski.

The person then asked the crowd to "give a victory shout" by striking the ground with imaginary arrows seven times, according to the video. Filipkowski said it was an attempt to "call upon God to bring victory to the Republican Party in the midterms."

During the event, Lindell touted baseless claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, while Eric Trump criticized law enforcement and spoke about Democrats and how he thinks they "weaponized education," the Branson Tri-Lakes News reported.

At a ReAwaken America rally in Pennsylvania last month, speaker Bo Polny warned high-profile American politicians that the "Angel of Death is coming for them" by the end of the year. Polny showed photos of individuals like Senator Lindsey Graham, President Joe Biden, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who he said would face death, according to HuffPost reporter Christopher Mathias on Twitter.

"Crowd cheers as speaker Bo Polny declares prophecy that the 'Angel of death' will be visiting these people by end of year," Mathias tweeted. "Ends speech by saying '45 is coming back!'"

Several Republican lawmakers, such as Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Lauren Boebert of Colorado, have welcomed "Christian nationalism" sentiment, which analysts see rising among conservatives within the country.

Dr. Paul D. Miller, professor of the practice of international affairs and co-chair for global politics and security at Georgetown University, explained in a 2021 article for Christianity Today that Christian nationalism is a belief that America is defined by Christianity and that the government should take "active steps to keep it that way."

"Popularly, Christian nationalists assert that America is and must remain a 'Christian nation'—not merely as an observation about American history, but as a prescriptive program for what America must continue to be in the future," Miller said.

Kinzinger previously criticized the trend and warned fellow Christians in July about an evangelical Christian group that he said is led by "false prophets."

He retweeted a post of a viral video clip from a FlashPoint Live Church event on July 1 in Duluth, Georgia. The speakers at the event included preacher Gene Bailey, evangelical leader Lance Wallnau, preacher Mario Murillo and pastor Hank Kunneman.

"To my fellow Christians: these are the false prophets you were warned about," Kinzinger wrote. "An idol is an idol, whether it's money, power, or a nation."

Kinzinger also previously criticized Boebert as he compared her views to those held by the Taliban, an Islamist group who govern Afghanistan with extreme laws.

His criticism came after Boebert told attendees at a Christian event in late June that she was "tired of this separation of church and state junk."

"There is no difference between this and the Taliban. We must [oppose] the Christian Taliban. I say this as a Christian," Kinzinger tweeted at the time, sharing an article reporting on the congresswoman's remarks.

Newsweek reached out to Donald Trump's media office for comment.