Center for German and European Studies

With God against Democracy - A German perspective on Christian Nationalism

Blue and white book cover for Arnd Henze's bookTuesday, April 28, 2026
12:00 - 1:30 pm ET (US)
Zoom Webinar

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About the Event

In alliance with the power of the U.S. president, Christian nationalism has radicalized into a global threat to democracy and the rule of law. "They shout ‘Christ is King!’ and want to transform the state and society into a theocracy. They see the current US president as an avenger sent by God. His Secretary of Defense presents himself as a “Christian Warrior.” Arnd Henze shows how religion becomes an instrument of power. The book introduces key players, examines the strategies of the holy warriors, and explains how they network globally.

About the Speaker

Head shot of Arnd Henze smiling at the cameraArnd Henze, German television journalist at WDR, writer, and Protestant theologian. He has worked as a foreign policy editor and reporter for German public television, has traveled to numerous conflict zones, and produced several award-winning documentaries. Henze is also an appointed member of the 13th general synod of the Protestant Church in Germany and gives lectures and participates in social-ethical debates on topics such as war and peace, climate protection, democracy, and anti-Semitism. Henze has written and spoken widely about Bonhoeffer and the role of the church in democracy. His 2019 book on the church and democracy, Kann Kirche Demokratie? Wir Protestanten im Stresstest, deals with the anti-democratic legacy of Protestantism and its current susceptibilities to authoritarian temptations. Following a series of talks in New York, Washington, and Yale on “Weaponizing Bonhoeffer” he initiated a broadly discussed transatlantic Op-Ed of Bonhoeffer scholars and Church leaders against the distortion and misuse of Bonhoeffer by Christian Nationalists.