A multi-day right-wing event took place at The Gathering church in North Carolina last weekend, aimed at mobilizing pastors to become more active in politics. The event was organized by America's Black Robe Regiment, a Christian nationalist group founded by Rev. Bill Cook, who has made it his mission to see “the government of God [established] throughout every square inch of the Earth.”
Cook is also a radical conspiracy theorist who was among the speakers at a prayer rally aimed at keeping former President Donald Trump in power after he lost the presidential election in 2020. Cook took to the stage that day clad in an Oath Keepers T-shirt. Later at that same event, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes openly threatened bloody civil war if Trump was removed from office. Rhodes and the Oath Keepers subsequently played a key role in the Jan. 6 insurrection, for which Rhodes was ultimately found guilty of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Among the speakers at last weekend's event was Ché Ahn, a Dominionist pastor and leader in the New Apostolic Reformation, who was tasked by Cook with "commissioning" attending pastors into America's Black Robe Regiment.
New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) Apostle Che Ahn recently joined with Pastor Bill Cook in ordaining & commissioning new pastors into America’s Black Robe Regiment, a militant pastors group founded by Bill Cook (who wore an Oath Keepers shirt during the Dec 2020 Jericho March). 1/ pic.twitter.com/02h10Ukp4Q
— jennycohn@toad.social ✍🏻 📢 (@jennycohn1) May 7, 2024
Joining Cook and Ahn was self-proclaimed "prophet" Chris Reed, who in 2021 was tapped to take over MorningStar Ministries from far-right pastor and supposed "prophet" Rick Joyner. Reed opened the event by delivering a speech on Christian nationalism during which he asserted that practicing Muslims can never be true Americans.
"If we were to define what a nation is," Reed declared, "it would be a number of tribes or people groups with a common language, a common religion, [and] a common defense."
"I'm not saying Americans have to be Christians, but I will say this: I don't believe the Constitution ...," Reed said, pausing to think through what he was about to say. "I don't believe you can be a practicing Muslim and be an American, if you follow the Quran closely and believe it."
"I know I'm really stepping in it tonight," Reed acknowledged. "[Islam] is in total disagreement with our Constitution. Now, I'm not against [them]. I don't hate those people. I'm not trying to get them out. I'm not racist against them. I'm talking about a religion, not a people group because, you know, there are people of all skin colors that are Muslim."
Reed concluded by reiterating his belief that a nation must share "a common religion."
The religious-right has a long history of insisting that Muslims cannot be genuine Americans and are therefore not entitled to the basic rights and protections granted to all citizens.
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