BRING BACK YOUR PEOPLE: Ten Ways Regular Folks Can Put a Dent in White Christian Nationalism. By Aaron Scott. Minneapolis, MN: Broadleaf Books, 2025. 209 pages.
When Jesus visited his hometown synagogue, he claimed the mantle that the prophet known as Third Isaiah offered up in Isaiah 61. He told the hometown folks that the Spirit of God had anointed him to proclaim good news to the poor. By that, he didn’t mean he was offering the poor and marginalized the promise of a heavenly reward if they endured their experience of poverty in this life. While it is true that the poor are still with us, as liberation theologians have declared, God has a preferential option for the poor. That should mean something to the followers of Jesus. Maybe Jesus included his followers in his claim to be anointed by the Spirit. After all, doesn’t Paul call the church the body of Christ?
Robert D. Cornwall
At a time in history when far-right political movements have partnered with conservative religious groups in pursuit of power, we have witnessed the rise of a more virulent form of White Christian Nationalism that pursues an agenda that looks to many of us as a cruel rejection of the teachings of Jesus. The question facing those who seek to follow Jesus is what to do about it. When we look at things happening in our midst as individuals, it all seems overwhelming. But what if we joined together and organized our response, reaching deep into our faith traditions for inspiration and guidance? Might that offer a path forward?
Aaron Scott speaks to these questions in his book Bring Back Your People: Ten Ways Regular Folks Can Put a Dent in White Christian Nationalism. Scott is a church worker and organizer affiliated with the Poor People’s Campaign. He is also co-founder of Chaplains on the Harbor, a ministry that seeks to minister to the poor and marginalized in the state of Washington. Scott writes about the need to respond to Christian nationalism and its impact on the poor and marginalized with passion. That passion is rooted both in his place of ministry and his life experience as a transman who has experienced poverty in his life.
The book offers ten ways people can respond to the needs of those affected by Christian nationalism, inviting readers to join together in ministering to those who might be attracted to its message. Thus, the idea here is to bring back people who have been drawn into a form of Christian nationalism that does nothing for them but uses them to further its political aims. To do this he has created a composite character he calls Randy, though he acknowledges that one could speak of “Brandys” as well. He describes Randy as a poor white male who has experienced trouble with the law, is unable to find sustainable work, and may have been caught up in drugs. He notes that many small towns, such as Aberdeen, Washington, that have been left behind as industries left, have led to an increase in the drug trade and sex work because these are often the only ways of sustaining life, making a person susceptible to nationalist messages. I will note here that the language used in the book is rather rough. It’s not the kind of language I use as a white, well-educated, middle-class person. While I found the language off-putting at times, I recognize that this is the kind of language that is used by many who are left behind. If we are to reach a person like Randy, we’ll need to recognize that the niceties that I was raised with will not connect.
With that as an introduction to Aaron Scott’s book, I will note that he offers Bring Back Your People as an introduction to what is at stake in our time as well as a list of ways we can respond. He writes this for ordinary folks who seek to respond to this area of concern but don’t have time to go to conferences and training. He draws on his own experiences in life, especially in his ministry among those who are dispossessed. In line with this call to ministry among the poor and marginalized, Scott introduces us to the “Freedom Church of the Poor.” This is an organizing effort that seeks to provide a counterweight to the pull of White Christian Nationalism in what he calls Randyland. The question that many readers may have concerns how one might implement the message that Scott offers us. Many readers of the book will, like me, live in rather affluent suburbs. While I once lived in a town like the one Scott describes, that was a different time. Back then, my hometown was a thriving lumber and agricultural town with an Air Force Base. Things have changed for the worse as the lumber industry has dried up, the Air Base has downsized to an Air National Guard Base, and tourism that blossomed further north hasn’t found its way to my hometown. In other words, there may be Randys in my hometown, but I haven’t known many Randys. Still, there is guidance here that can be valuable, even as it is enlightening.
As noted above, Scott offers readers ten rules for addressing White Christian Nationalism. The first rule is: “Come Get Your Cousin Randy” (Chapter 1). Here Scott offers a brief introduction to White Christian Nationalism, along with introducing us to this character of Randy, as well as introducing the reader to the methodology of organizing. The second rule is a good reminder that if you are going to organize to reach people like Randy, then you need “Talk to Randy Like You Actually Give a Damn about Him” (Chapter 2). In other words, listen to Randy’s story, and do it in a way that lets him know that you care about him as a person not just a cause. That’s not always easy because the Randys whom Aaron Scott describes do not sound very likable.
The third rule is titled “Get Real About History” (Chapter 3). Here Scott asks us to concern ourselves with the question of how the United States got to the place it has found itself. What are the factors influencing the growth of MAGA and the role of the church in this situation? The next rule (Chapter 4) asks us to “Know Yourself, Know Your Adversary.” That makes sense. Knowing your situation in life will put you in a better position to respond to the Randys you encounter. In doing this, one should also know what White Christian Nationalism entails. Scott is aware that there are possible costs involved, some of which we may not be ready to face. Therefore, Rule 5 is titled: “Calculate Your Risks.” He lets us know that it’s okay to go home and live so that we can engage tomorrow.
One of the concerns Scott has when it comes to progressive organizers is that they tend not to understand the religious motivations of the people they seek to reach. Thus, Rule 6 (Chapter 6) calls respondents to Christian nationalism to “Get a Religious Strategy, Even If You Aren’t Religious.” He offers this rule also because to engage in this work people will need to have an anchor, whether religious or not. Rule 7 calls respondents to “Rehome Randy.” He suggests that people like Randy often get pulled into Christian nationalist groups and churches because they provide something he’s looking for, so it is important to provide an alternative. He offers as an alternative what he calls the Redneck Church of the Poor. While Randy might not be lovable, he needs to be loved. Can we do that? Rule 8 (Chapter 8) invites us to “Stop Blaming People, Start Organizing Them.” We often ask why people embrace nationalism and Trumpism, In asking the question we often seek to place blame. He suggests that they need to be organized so they can address the kinds of concerns poor people have, concerns that often lead people to embrace movements that work against their needs. Rule 9 declares: Pledge Allegiance to the Bottom.” This is a bit like the preferential option for the poor. He reminds us that Jesus was born in Nazareth. Finally, Rule 10 (Chapter 10) declares: “Never Forget Revolution Comes to Randyland Too.” This is a reminder that people on the bottom will do what they need to do to survive. Thus, churches need to decide on whose side they will be.
Aaron Scott offers us an intriguing and thought-provoking book in Bring Back Your People. The kind of work he describes in the book is not easy. The people he describes are not always lovable, and yet they need to be loved. In other words, he believes that the Randys and Brandys in our midst are redeemable. As I read the book, I realized that I don’t have many Randy’s in my life. The MAGA folks I know tend to be white middle-class folks, many of whom have been indoctrinated by conservative religious movements, rather than the poor folks like Randy. Nevertheless, these are the folks who have been left behind. Therefore, they may join groups and movements that offer to alleviate the pain, even if what is offered is false hope. Scott offers to help us understand that pain, so we might work with those on the bottom so that they might find a path of hope. If that happens, then perhaps Western nations like the United States can find a path forward that is not impacted by movements such as Christian nationalism, a form of “religion” that doesn’t look much like what Jesus taught.
This review originally appeared on BobCornwall.com.
Robert D. Cornwall is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Now retired from his ministry at Central Woodward Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Troy, Michigan, he serves as Minister-at-Large in Troy. He holds a Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary and is the author of numerous books including his latest “Second Thoughts about the Second Coming: Understanding the End Times, Our Future, and Christian Hope” coauthored with Ronald J. Allen. His blog Ponderings on a Faith Journey can be found here.
