Spirit and Power: Charismatics and Politics in American Life

S2 Ep 3: Mama Bears, Queen Esther, and "Don't Mess w/ Our Kids"

Mar 20, 2025

45:43

On October 12, 2024, tens of thousands of Christians gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., answering a call from charismatic activist Jenny Donnelly and pastor Lou Engle. The event, held on Yom Kippur, blended prayer political mobilization as speakers urged believers to take action ahead of the 2024 election. With banners reading #DontMessWithOurKids, the rally tapped into fears about gender and sexuality, echoing similar movements abroad. The results of the 2024 election suggest Donnelly's efforts were effective. With insight from journalists Alice Herman and Elle Hardy, Dr. Leah Payne asks: who is Jenny Donnelly? How did she rise to this unique position of influence in the Trump media-verse? And how is her fusion of faith, activism, and conspiracy shaping the Christian right?

Links and Additional Resources:

“‘Mama bears are rising up’: the rightwing Christian entrepreneur aiming for a takeover of local US government,” The Guardian, Alice Herman
Beyond Belief: How Pentecostal Christianity Is Taking Over the World, Elle Hardy
“Kamala Harris is being called ‘Jezebel’ – a Biblical expert explains why it’s a menacing slur,” The Conversation, Meredith Warren
“The particularly Pentecostal flavor of Mayra Flores' Christian nationalism,” Religion News Service, Erica Ramirez
Gender & Pentecostal Revivalism, Palgrave Macmillan, Leah Payne

Join Leah & many other scholars, activists, and artists considering music the rise of Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity at the 2025 Summer Institute for Global Charismatic & Pentecostal Studies at Candler School of Theology at Emory University, May 21-23 in Decatur, GA. Registration is free!

Spirit and Power is produced by the Institute for Religion, Media, and Civic Engagement with generous funding from the Henry Luce Foundation.

Created by Dr. Leah Payne
Producer: Andrew Gill
Executive Producer: Dr. Bradley Onishi
Audio Engineer and Music: R. Scott Okamoto
Production Assistance: Kari Onishi

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