“Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple,
​and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves.”
Matthew 21:12 (NRSV)
Project 21:12 aims to provide clear on-ramps for community-building and solidarity organizing to former evangelicals (“Exvangelicals” or “post-evangelicals”) in order to help folks make meaning of their experiences, be emboldened in community with others, and take action to diminish the power of rising Christian Nationalism fueled in part by evangelical leaders, while building the power of a social justice solidarity movement.

Building Community

One of the most compelling – and most insidious – offerings from evangelical churches is community. Whether it’s a youth group where awkward teenagers can find their voice or an after-school program where single parents know their kids will be safe, evangelical churches are very successful at both building irresistible communities and offering much-needed direct support to both individuals and families. Unfortunately, those offerings are often weaponized and are offered exclusively to members – and leaving the church means giving up what is often the most important community in one’s life. In fact, many Exvangelicals tell stories of deconstructing their faith but returning, painfully, to an evangelical congregation in order to meet these very deep needs. We will offer a community without contingencies, ensuring that Exvangelicals have a way to combat the pain and isolation of losing deep relationships when leaving a church.

Telling Stories

Evangelicals are *GOOD* at navigating and shaping American culture. While most liberals are caught off-guard and offer nothing like the kind of opposition movement that regular people want, the Christian right is taking victory laps. We need better stories – and Exvangelicals have them. Those of us who have seen the ugly side of churches and have lasting (though complicated) relationships with those who still identify as evangelical are the most potent messengers to pull people away from the siren song of authoritarianism and to contest for a democratic future of the country. We cannot continue to pretend that we will win with better theology, better policy, or better messaging – we’ve got to tell the irrefutable stories of harm and hypocrisy that we know, in language that we know can be heard by those who are considering stepping away or withdrawing their support for religious authoritarianism.

Fostering Solidarity by Taking Action

This project is rooted in a solidarity-based approach that seeks to organize alongside those who have experienced (and continue to experience) the greatest harm by evangelical white Christian nationalism. While Exvangelicals often belong to groups and identities that have been and continue to be targeted by evangelical leaders, this project is focused on both organizing out of our own experiences *and* coming alongside additional targeted groups to build a broad solidarity movement. This means building deep and accountable relationships with LGBTQ (particularly trans and gender non-conforming), undocumented, religious minority, poor and working-class, and disabled organizers and organizations – and finding ways to build power together for our shared future.