The Christian Patriot movement is a subset within the broader American
Patriot movement that promotes and emphasizes
Christian nationalism as their core goal and philosophy. Like the larger movement, it promotes an interpretation of American history in which the
federal government has turned against the ideas of liberty and natural rights expressed in the
American Revolution.
Ideology
The movement originally referred to the
Posse Comitatus, a
far-right militia organization. The Posse Comitatus followed an ideology based on the teachings of
William Potter Gale, who was also a
Christian Identity minister, and the majority of the Christian Patriot movement's members still adhere to Christian Identity's
white supremacist views.[1][2] This ideology holds the view that
state and
federal governments are agents of an arcane
conspiracy to deprive Americans of their rights as "
sovereign citizens." It also holds the view that this conspiracy can be undermined through various legal pleadings from
English common law and other sources, such as a motion protesting the way a defendant's name is typeset in a legal complaint.[3]
The ideology persists despite numerous court rulings that have declared its theories
frivolous.[4]
Status
The movement grew during the 1990s after the
Ruby Ridge and
Waco Sieges appeared to confirm the suspicions of Christian Patriots.[5] The movement maintained its ties with the
American militia movement of the same period. A highly publicized federal confrontation with Christian Patriots occurred in 1996, when
Federal marshals arrested the
Montana Freemen.[3]