Godless Crusade

This book postulates that the rise of right-wing populism in the West and its references to religion are less driven by a resurgence of religious fervour, than by the emergence of a new secular identity politics. Based on exclusive interviews with 116 populist leaders, key policy makers and faith leaders in the USA, Germany, and France, it shows how right-wing populists use Christianity as a cultural identity marker of the ''pure people'' against external ''others'' while often remaining disconnected from Christian values, beliefs, and institutions. However, right-wing populists'' willingness and ability to employ religion in this way critically depends on the actions of mainstream party politicians and faith leaders. They can either legitimise right-wing populists'' identitarian use of religion or challenge it, thereby cultivating ''religious immunity'' against populist appeals. As the populist wave breaks across the West, a new debate about the role of religion in society has begun.