What I Saw…
I was feeling proud and exuberant after having just watched President Biden’s State of the Union address on March 7th (2024). Then the Republican response came on. When I saw a woman sitting in a kitchen with a cross hanging front and center from her necklace, framed by an open collar, I immediately knew where this was going and I shut off the television, not wanting to ruin my good mood.
The following day, after hearing all the comments and criticisms of Senator Katie Britt’s response speech, I was curious and watched the replay on YouTube. It was everything I thought it would be. I am the last person to begrudge anyone from outwardly wearing jewelry that represents their religious identity. However, in my opinion, when one is a politician representing the US government in an official capacity, I do not believe it is appropriate. Despite what some Christian fundamentalists might feel, our system of government still practices a division between church and state, and that should be respected.
A couple of days after having watched Senator Britt’s response, I happened upon a Substack newsletter entitled The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper. The title of her article was, The Fundie Baby Voice. Jess Piper was raised as a Southern Baptist Evangelical and immediately recognized the sound of Senator Britt’s voice for what it was. According to Piper, fundamentalist evangelical girls and women are trained to speak with a breathy cadence and soft child-like high pitched voice. “Be sweet. Obey. Prove it by speaking in muted tones.” The fundie baby voice implies submission, kindness and being a supportive wife. On YouTube you can find a Fox News interview of Speaker Mike Johnson with his wife, Kelly, and you will recognize the fundie baby voice when she speaks as well.
If you are familiar with TLC’s show 19 Kids and Counting then you would know that the mother, Michelle Duggar, also speaks with the fundie baby voice. A very sweet, syrupy voice even when dispensing “encouragement.” 19 Kids and Counting, starting out as 17 Kids and Counting , was a reality show about a fundamentalist evangelical family with 19 children. I recently watched a documentary on Amazon Prime called Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets. The documentary is a four-part series primarily about the family dealing with the scandal of their oldest son, as a teenager, sexually touching four girls (three of whom were his sisters) and then as an adult, husband, and father, being arrested and found guilty of possession of child pornography.
But the documentary also focuses on the fundamentalist Christian ministry (cult) called the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) headed by a man named Bill Gothard. Gothard was neither an ordained pastor nor minister, yet all of his teachings purportedly came directly from G-d. The ministry essentially was a method of raising children so they would always obey, be calm, and not stray. There was always an umbrella of authority one had to stay under. Husbands/fathers were under G-d’s authority, wives/mothers/daughters were under their father’s/husband’s authority and children were under their parents’ authority.
In 1984, IBLP introduced a homeschool program called Advanced Training Institute International (ATI). ATI consisted of a number of “wisdom booklets” that were used to teach the curriculum. These wisdom booklets taught subjects through the lens of Christian Evangelical Fundamentalism.
An off shoot of this cult is the Joshua Generation. According to Alex Harris, a Joshua Generation Leader, as stated in the documentary, “The whole purpose [of Joshua Generation] was really to position…the best and the brightest of the Christian homeschool movement to assume positions of power and influence in government and in the law.
The goal was Christian homeschool graduates who would become US Senators, who would become US Presidents and, most importantly, who would become US Supreme Court Justices. Former House Rep. Madison Cawthorn, NC, Dist. 11, who was part of the [MAGA] Freedom Caucus, came out of this homeschooled program and was a member of the Joshua Generation. Fortunately, he lost his bid at re-election in 2022. IBLP closed its doors in 2021 amid a sexual assault scandal involving the leader, Bill Gothard. However, the wisdom booklets continued to be sold upon request.
I was not surprised when I read that it was Speaker Mike Johnson who chose Senator Katie Britt to give the Republican response. Her presence there, following the president’s State of The Union address, sends a clear message that this is where the Republican party is now. The Republican party is not just the party of Trump. Even more so, I believe, it is a Christian Nationalist party and the selection of Senator Britt, with her diamond encrusted cross and her fundie baby voice is proof of it.
Whatever becomes of Trump after the general election, we will still have Christian Nationalists trying to gain seats in local, state and national government. This fight won’t end in November, but we need to make it as difficult for them as possible by continuing to vote PRO DEMOCRACY.
Post submitted by Robin Katzenstein, a volunteer with The Union.
Note: The views and opinions expressed by volunteer contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of The Union, a single-issue organization that welcomes all and is dedicated to protecting democracy.
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