James Crossley holds a mirror up to English politics, examining how Christianity is often used to legitimise ideological positions and parties.
From the paternalistic Christianity used to justify ever-intensifiying neoliberalism, to the ethnonationalist and economic protectionist Christianity of Theresa May and Brexit, and encompassing the socialist constructions of Christianity by Jeremy Corbyn and a resurgent Left, Crossley guides us through politics' love affair with Christianity.
Drawing on interviews with politicians, leave and remain voters, activists, and revolutionaries, Crossley reveals how religion is linked to positions relating to class, capitalism and foreign policy: obfuscating potential causes of unrest, justifying military intervention and challenging dominant class interests.
Introduction
1. Religion in English Political Discourse, 1979-2017: A Brief History
2. Brexit Means Christmas, Christmas Means Socialism, and a Time for 'Homosexual Sex': Shifting Notions of Religion from the Frontbenches
3. Muslims, the 'Perversion of Islam', and Christian England on the (Far) Right
4. Brexit Barrow: Religion in Real-Time During a Summer of Political Chaos
5. Manufacturing Dissent from the Centre: Cults, Corbyn and the Guardian
6. Red Apocalypticism on the Corbynite Left: Martyrdom, Rojava and the Bob Crow Brigade
Epilogue
Notes
Index
