Builds on longer history of American civil religion and chosen nation theology
Emerges from fusion of white evangelical political mobilization with populist movement
Amplified through social media and alternative media ecosystems
Intensified during periods of political crisis and cultural transition
Connected to broader patterns of religious nationalism globally
While elements of MAGA Christianism have appeared throughout American history, its current form crystallized during the Trump era (2016-present), when evangelical leaders increasingly portrayed Trump as divinely appointed despite his personal divergence from traditional Christian values.
This legitimation often employed "Cyrus theology"—comparing Trump to the Persian king Cyrus who, despite being a non-believer, was used by God to restore the Israelites according to
Isaiah 45:1.
The movement emerged from the ecological moment of transformation around 1978, characterized by simultaneous disruptions in racial structures, gender systems, technological environments, and economic arrangements that produced profound anxiety creating fertile ground for a theological framework promising certainty, identity, and restoration of perceived lost status.