Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) is promoting an upcoming event at Southwest High School focused on what organizers describe as the “right-wing online radicalization” of “young white boys and men.”
The Oct. 29 event, titled “Is My Child Being Radicalized?” will feature author and journalist Angela Denker, who wrote “Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization of American Boyhood.”
“When tragedy strikes a community at the hands of young adults, we are often asked how this could have happened,” MPS Community Education said in a Facebook post promoting the event.
The post says Denker will explain “the methods/ideology behind much of right-wing online radicalization, and how they play to a sense of disconnectedness and a search for identity among young white boys and men.”
“She will also touch on relevant American culture, social issues, journalism, theology, and parenting, as well as how right-wing fundamentalist Christianity/Christian Nationalism and its ideology is a part of the radicalization targeting young boys and men,” an event page says.
The event is scheduled for 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Southwest High School. Denker also lists the appearance on her own website as “Online radicalization + young men and boys: Disciples of White Jesus.”
Denker describes herself as an ELCA Lutheran pastor, journalist, and author who frequently speaks about Christian nationalism and its theological and cultural roots. Her previous book,”Red State Christians,” examined “white Christian nationalism.”
Her latest book focuses specifically on white boys and men and what Denker describes as their radicalization.
The book’s description opens with two statements: “White boys and men are dangerous” and “White boys and men are struggling.”
“Both of these statements are staggeringly true in America today,” it says.
“Disciples of White Jesus” is described as examining “the rise in radicalization among young white men in America,” with a particular focus on “the role of right-wing Christianity in the increase of religious-based hatred and violence.”
According to the book description, Denker explores “right-wing Christian influencers and conservative Christian ideology to understand how the preaching of ‘traditional gender roles’ and ‘submission of women’ has led to anger, outrage, loneliness, depression, and limiting identities for young white Christian men across America.”
The book’s chapters further reflect that focus, with titles including “The Violence of White Christian Masculinity,” “Created in His God’s Image?,” “Oppressors and Victims,” “Wild West, Wild Men, and De-radicalization” and “Innocuous White Supremacists and Midwestern Small Towns.”
The Facebook post invites members of the public to register for the event through Minneapolis Community Education’s registration site.
Alpha News contacted Minneapolis Public Schools with several questions about the event. The district did not answer the remaining questions, but said, “No public funds were used to pay for this event.”
Symone Harms
Symone Harms is a Media Production and Business Marketing student at Bethel University. She is actively involved in The Royals Investment Fund, The 25, theatre, and other leadership positions. She also cohosts Rooted, a podcast dedicated to being rooted in truth, growing in freedom, and prospering in life. A Minnesota native with a passion for storytelling and digital media, she aspires to a career in broadcasting as a news anchor and reporter.
