Defining the Problem
Christian nationalist authoritarianism is on the rise in the U.S. and it is being fueled by, among other forces, some evangelical Christian leaders. In 2024, Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) found that 3 in 10 Americans are Christian nationalist adherents or sympathizers -- but that number skyrockets when correlated with religious beliefs. The same survey found that 66% of white evangelical Protestants hold Christian nationalist beliefs -- so much so that being white and evangelical is, according to the survey, "predictive" of holding Christian nationalist beliefs. The Pew Research Center goes further -- they found that 81% of white evangelical Protestants believe that America should be a Christian nation, a cornerstone of the Christian nationalist belief system.
While PRRI's research shows that most Americans do not support authoritarianism, more specifically, those numbers again change radically when correlated with religious beliefs, with 64% of white Protestant evangelicals scoring high on the Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale (RWAS). The same survey also showed that many white evangelical Protestants agree with apocalyptic religious views such as "God wants Christians to take control of the '7 Mountains' of society" (48%) and "America was chosen by God to be a new promised land for European Christians" (33%). It also shows that 77% agree that "America is in danger of losing its culture and identity" -- a significant indicator for belief in authoritarianism and Christian nationalism.
An article in Baptist News Global sums up the problem well: "Indeed, many evangelical churches are knowingly complicit in cultivating this cultural identity among their followers. They promote a version of Christianity that emphasizes all the elements of Christian nationalism, while deemphasizing any teachings from Jesus that might undercut their very narrow perspective. They will say Jesus was a capitalist, when, in reality, Jesus despised materialism. They will say Jesus desires violence against the enemies of the United States, when, in reality, Jesus was heavily pacifistic. They will say Jesus deplores homosexuality and abortion, when, in reality, he never addressed the subjects at all in the Gospels."
While PRRI's research shows that most Americans do not support authoritarianism, more specifically, those numbers again change radically when correlated with religious beliefs, with 64% of white Protestant evangelicals scoring high on the Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale (RWAS). The same survey also showed that many white evangelical Protestants agree with apocalyptic religious views such as "God wants Christians to take control of the '7 Mountains' of society" (48%) and "America was chosen by God to be a new promised land for European Christians" (33%). It also shows that 77% agree that "America is in danger of losing its culture and identity" -- a significant indicator for belief in authoritarianism and Christian nationalism.
An article in Baptist News Global sums up the problem well: "Indeed, many evangelical churches are knowingly complicit in cultivating this cultural identity among their followers. They promote a version of Christianity that emphasizes all the elements of Christian nationalism, while deemphasizing any teachings from Jesus that might undercut their very narrow perspective. They will say Jesus was a capitalist, when, in reality, Jesus despised materialism. They will say Jesus desires violence against the enemies of the United States, when, in reality, Jesus was heavily pacifistic. They will say Jesus deplores homosexuality and abortion, when, in reality, he never addressed the subjects at all in the Gospels."
Evangelicals are Leaving
Much has been written about "religious nones" -- those who do not identify with a religious tradition. Religious nones might be atheist, agnostic, or "nothing in particular" -- and many of them are formerly evangelical. According to both qualitative and quantitative surveys, people are leaving Christianity generally for many reasons -- including that they just stopped believing the teachings. But those leaving the evangelical church specifically are disproportionately more likely to leave because of "the religion’s negative religious teachings about or treatment of gay and lesbian people," "you stopped believing in the religion’s teachings," "it was bad for your mental health," and/or "your church or congregation became too focused on politics." [Taken from cross-tabs of this survey.]
While there are some efforts to describe this "dechurching" as purely pragmatic (someone moved, got married, couldn't find a church they liked that was convenient, etc.), this only tells part of the story. The harm experienced by many in the evangelical church (often referred to under the umbrella term "religious trauma syndrome") takes different shapes, including LGBTQ condemnation, purity culture, white supremacist ideology, and more.
While there are some efforts to describe this "dechurching" as purely pragmatic (someone moved, got married, couldn't find a church they liked that was convenient, etc.), this only tells part of the story. The harm experienced by many in the evangelical church (often referred to under the umbrella term "religious trauma syndrome") takes different shapes, including LGBTQ condemnation, purity culture, white supremacist ideology, and more.
Exvangelicals are Everywhere
While there is no solid data on how many Exvangelicals there are in the U.S., some surveys have cited that upwards of 15 million American adults are formerly evangelical – maybe far more. Regardless of the exact number, there are certainly many millions of unorganized people who could be deployed to confront white Christian nationalism head-on as a powerful moral voice against the Christian nationalist leaders who are enthusiastically ushering in authoritarian rule – but who are also skeptical of organizations/institutions, reckoning with experiences of hypocrisy/harm/trauma, and questioning leaders and leadership writ large.
Project 21:12 addresses this gap by developing a trustworthy organizing structure that can help Exvangelicals connect with a values-aligned community with some level of common experience, and to translate that connection into action that supports the communities most targeted by the evangelical leaders who are leading their congregations toward Christian nationalist authoritarianism.
Project 21:12 addresses this gap by developing a trustworthy organizing structure that can help Exvangelicals connect with a values-aligned community with some level of common experience, and to translate that connection into action that supports the communities most targeted by the evangelical leaders who are leading their congregations toward Christian nationalist authoritarianism.
Who's Behind Project 21:12?
Heather Cronk (she/her-ish) is founder and co-director of Project 21:12. Prior to launching this project, Heather was Chief Strategy Officer at Faith in Public Life and, prior to her work at FPL she supported the civic and political organizing efforts of domestic workers with both the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Care in Action. She has also served the progressive movement as national co-director of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) and national co-director of GetEQUAL.
Heather hails (mostly) from Kentucky, and lived all over the Southeast before moving to the Mid-Atlantic region, which she now calls home. She graduated from Berry College in Georgia and Wake Forest University Divinity School in North Carolina. She was a founder of the Asylum-Seekers Sponsorship Project, serves on the boards of Faithful America and GetFree, and enjoys sharing a glass of bourbon with other organizers.
Adiel Pollydore (she/her) is co-director of Project 21:12. Politicized through the social movements of the early 2010s, her journey began in Boston, where she organized students impacted by the school-to-prison pipeline. Together, they led a youth effort to win juvenile expungement and raise the age of juvenile jurisdiction in Massachusetts as part of a historic omnibus criminal justice reform package.
She spent the past decade working primarily with young people on issues of education, race, economic justice, and elections at People’s Action and Get Free. She comes to this work having spent the last few years reflecting on her organizing journey, harvesting lessons, and building curriculum to support organizers across the country as Training Director at Momentum.
Adiel is from upstate New York but calls the Bay Area home. She graduated from Tufts University where she studied sociology. She enjoys drinking bubble tea and talking pedagogy.
Heather hails (mostly) from Kentucky, and lived all over the Southeast before moving to the Mid-Atlantic region, which she now calls home. She graduated from Berry College in Georgia and Wake Forest University Divinity School in North Carolina. She was a founder of the Asylum-Seekers Sponsorship Project, serves on the boards of Faithful America and GetFree, and enjoys sharing a glass of bourbon with other organizers.
Adiel Pollydore (she/her) is co-director of Project 21:12. Politicized through the social movements of the early 2010s, her journey began in Boston, where she organized students impacted by the school-to-prison pipeline. Together, they led a youth effort to win juvenile expungement and raise the age of juvenile jurisdiction in Massachusetts as part of a historic omnibus criminal justice reform package.
She spent the past decade working primarily with young people on issues of education, race, economic justice, and elections at People’s Action and Get Free. She comes to this work having spent the last few years reflecting on her organizing journey, harvesting lessons, and building curriculum to support organizers across the country as Training Director at Momentum.
Adiel is from upstate New York but calls the Bay Area home. She graduated from Tufts University where she studied sociology. She enjoys drinking bubble tea and talking pedagogy.
Organizational Norms
We seek to hold ourselves accountable to the norms outlined below in all of our calls, events, campaigns, and interactions:
1. We have different journeys
Everyone’s path is different. There is no single way to leave or reconstruct. We come from diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and identities. Some may still be people of faith, while others are not. Honor those differences and avoid assumptions by speaking from your own experience!
2. We practice empathy, care AND accountability
Many people here have experienced harm, exclusion, or trauma in religious spaces. Move with compassion, treat personal stories as confidential and recognize that good intentions do not always prevent harm. Be open to feedback, take responsibility when needed, and extend grace to others. We practice accountability with care, not shame.
3. We take space and make space
Be mindful of how much space you take up. Step back if you’ve shared a lot; step in if you haven’t. Be mindful of time, energy, and emotional limits—your own and others.’
4. We center dignity and belonging
We are a community that actively affirms the dignity of all people. This includes practicing anti-racism and affirming people across gender identities, sexual orientations, and lived experiences. Harmful behavior or language will be addressed in ways that prioritize accountability and care.
5. We are biased towards organizing and taking action
This space can’t hold everything! This space is not only for processing but also for organizing, rebuilding, and imagining new ways forward.
Everyone’s path is different. There is no single way to leave or reconstruct. We come from diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and identities. Some may still be people of faith, while others are not. Honor those differences and avoid assumptions by speaking from your own experience!
2. We practice empathy, care AND accountability
Many people here have experienced harm, exclusion, or trauma in religious spaces. Move with compassion, treat personal stories as confidential and recognize that good intentions do not always prevent harm. Be open to feedback, take responsibility when needed, and extend grace to others. We practice accountability with care, not shame.
3. We take space and make space
Be mindful of how much space you take up. Step back if you’ve shared a lot; step in if you haven’t. Be mindful of time, energy, and emotional limits—your own and others.’
4. We center dignity and belonging
We are a community that actively affirms the dignity of all people. This includes practicing anti-racism and affirming people across gender identities, sexual orientations, and lived experiences. Harmful behavior or language will be addressed in ways that prioritize accountability and care.
5. We are biased towards organizing and taking action
This space can’t hold everything! This space is not only for processing but also for organizing, rebuilding, and imagining new ways forward.