Mystery Pastor at the Capitol Riot is David Barton Student

Yesterday, David Bonner at his Wondering Eagle blog wondered about the identity of this pastor who showed up in video culled from Parler by ProPublica.

Twitter came through again and identified the pastor as Tyler Ethridge:

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t post about this but I was interested in this detail: Ethridge is a big fan of David Barton and graduated from Charis Bible College’s Practical Government School which is a project of Barton and Andrew Wommack.

In this video, Ethridge explain his view that it is quite possible that Trump could get a second term after mass arrests on Inauguration Day. If that doesn’t happen, the U.S. will surely become completely communist under Biden.

When I started writing about David Barton and Christian nationalism in 2011, I really didn’t think I would be reading and writing about the bitter fruit a decade later. I thought that the demise Barton’s The Jefferson Lies in 2012 would do damage to the entire Christian nationalist movement. It did for awhile, but the movement morphed and thrived. Barton has not had the public prominence he once had, but he is still behind the scenes animating Christian soldiers marching as to war.

I wonder which class at Charis covered insurrection.

 

 

52 thoughts on “Mystery Pastor at the Capitol Riot is David Barton Student”

    1. Around a year ago, it was in the news that the GOP strategy for 2020 was to go full John Birch: “THE COMMUNISTS! THE COMMUNISTS! THE COMMUNISTS!” This got locked in by the origin of The China Virus/Wuhan Flu/COMMUNIST Chinese Cough, etc.

      And that Trump’s personal strategy for 2020 was to whip his Base into a rabid frenzy of Fanaticism and not bother with anyone or anything else.

  1. Remove tax exemptions from churches – they operate like a business so charge ’em business taxes.

  2. If he has not been arrested yet, one could call the FBI with a tip and have a chance at a $1000 reward. If one wanted to be cruel, use that reward money to help pay for an interim pastor at his church.

        1. Unless there is video of him doing something more than crossing the barricade he is not likely very high on either the police or the FBI list for arrest.

  3. Slightly O/T , but does anyone feel a little disconcerted about all the use of social media to seek out and identify the insurrectionists?

    I mean, to be sure, they all need to be punished to the fullest extent of the law and equity in apportion to their crime. But all the (understandably gleeful) participation of the public in rounding them up is a little concerning. With the highest law enforcement organization in the land openly request and supporting that public participation, it’s borderline authoritarian.

    We have a government well known for playing fast and lose with constitutes a crime or a threat. Normalizing neighbor turning in neighbor is not something I am convinced is a good thing.

    Obviously people must assist in apprehending criminals if they can; I’m just not sure what the proper balance would be.

    1. Well then let’s just clear this up here. They are criminals. Full stop. The proper balance is: if you can help apprehend domestic terrorists, you do that.

    2. How is this different than a Wanted Poster put up by LEOs? Or when cops produce a sketch of a criminal, say robbing a liquor store, and then asking the public for help and information? You do understand that all these social media IDs are just one piece. This gives a name to which police can then interview the suspect or the social media ID provides additional means of verification of other evidence. To be intellectually honest you would have the same reservations about the examples I provided. But somehow I feel that you don’t.

      Besides, even if charged, they still get their court date. That Due Process thing, don’t you know.

  4. That 20 minute video from Ethridge is every bit as delusional as the typical Q Anon nonsense, if not more so. I’ve been following conspiracy theorist nonsense even since Alex Jones was plying his trade on Austin Public Access TV 25 years ago, so I’m well aware of how bizarre things can get, but hearing such total disconnect from reality still boggles my mind.

    I honestly don’t know how we get these people back to reality at this point, and that bodes ill for the future, especially if more and more people are starting to believe they have nothing to lose for absolutely no justifiable reason.

    1. Which means ultimately they will die in their delusion. The only question is how many they take with them. Say for argument sake 1% of Trump voters are the delusional nutjobs who will resort to violence rather that face their delusion. That is 740,000 people distributed across all states in thousands of cities and towns. If they decide to fight, are we prepared kill all of them if need be should they rise up? Especially knowing full well hundreds of more thousands may also die? But to save the Republic, this may end up having to be done.

    2. Turn off the sources of “alternate facts” (lies) and disinformation: tRump, Fox, Breitbart, etc. For 4+ years these deluded folks have been immersed in this filth. The sedition of January 6 is the culmination of those lies.

      1. The problem is that any action taken will be seen as part of the conspiracy — and likely an acceleration of the conspiracy to the expected conclusion, be it communism, the New World Order, world depopulation, etc.

        It is almost impossible to bring most of these people back to sanity.

          1. “If your Conspiracy Theory doesn’t fit the facts, INVENT A BIGGER CONSPIRACY.”
            — Kooks Magazine

        1. ..an acceleration of the conspiracy to the expected conclusion, be it communism, the New World Order, world depopulation, etc.

          The Deros swarming up and out of The Hollow Earth,
          The Reptiloids from the Constellation Draco harvesting us all for meat,
          The Greys in their Secret Deep Underground Bases…

        2. “It’s over. We’ve been had.”

          — QAnoner, according to al-Jazeera 1/21/2021

          https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/21/qanon-in-disarray-as-reality-of-biden-presidency-sets-in

          “I
          lost my entire life savings betting on Trump to win. I trusted Trump
          that the Truth would come out and I’d get my money back. Q WHERE IS THE
          ARRESTS?”…
          “Well I’m the official laughing stock of my family now. Awesome.”…

          “OMG none of this was real!”…

          “Q was a LARP the entire F’ing time!”…
          “We’ve been F’ing conned!”

          — QAnoners according to Jimmy Kimmel Live 1/20/2021
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYK0weACAAM

          1. “Well I’m the official laughing stock of my family now. Awesome.”…

            I’m sure this person was a laughing stock long before Jan 20.

    3. Which means ultimately they will die in their delusion. The only question is how many they take with them. Say for argument sake 1% of Trump voters are the delusional nutjobs who will resort to violence rather that face their delusion. That is 740,000 people distributed across all states in thousands of cities and towns. If they decide to fight, are we prepared kill all of them if need be should they rise up? Especially knowing full well hundreds of more thousands may also die? But to save the Republic, this may end up having to be done.

      1. I would say you severely overestimate the “bravery” of these delusional people. While some may die in a “rebellion”, many more are going to be dropping whatever weapons they have and surrendering as soon as they see the person next to them drop from being shot.

        1. Yeah, I would tend to agree. Most will continue to be cosplayers and keyboard warriors safely tucked away in their basement. There’s also the issue of how disorganized these people are, and how quickly petty disputes and jealousies cause them to turn on each other, so I’m not too worried about any competent and organized uprising from the cult of Trump, it’s more about how many lone wolves they spawn.

          Even the Alex Jones level of conspiracy theories have galvanized some individulas to take action. Thankfully, only a few people have lost their lives as a result, but after four years of enabling and affirmation from Trump, we’re likely to see more of that, unfortunately.

          I guess the worst case scenario would be if foreign agents step in to provide the brainpower and logistics the Trumpsters lack and use them as cannon fodder to destabilize the country. Fomenting domestic terrorist operations could be seen as a way to keep the US focused inwards and out of another nation’s sphere of influence.

          1. As an old-school gamer, I call them LARPers,
            And their LARP is Turner Diaries: the Live Role-Playing Game.

            And Putin’s got to do something now that he’s losing his Manchurian Candidate.

          2. Nickname Note: I previously used the nickname CM in here and other forums.

            I dabbled in it a couple of times, but I was never was into the LARPing. I had some friends who did SCA as well as LARP Vampire: The Masquerade back in the day. Like you, I am into old-school tabletop RPGs. Though for military board games, my game of choice is Advanced Squad Leader.

          3. It is those lone wolves and/or small groups of nuts (say 3-10) doing attacks at random that are the most troublesome.

  5. So, Tyler Ethridge, Christian pastor and insurrectionist, is a fan of David Barton? Why am I not surprised, at all?

    1. Sad backstory, and is similar to others in the history of cult joining… some characteristics of many that become diehard include some life shattering event, a lack of purpose or meaning in their lives, and a broken sense of destiny and worth. When the cult leader says “I love you, you are special” he knows exactly what ache, what brokenness he is exploiting. I don’t excuse this but it helps to know how they addict people to them. I was once a cult member, fairly radicalized it was being part of a tribe and belonging to something larger then yourself, that was fed and then exploited. Exploitation is always the end game of cult leaders. Ironically many of my fellow cultists were saved from substance abuse by the cult without realizing the cult leader was just a replacement substance This orange addiction says somethings about an inner pathology.

  6. My BA was in government (yes, actually, government, “political science” was just too high-falutin’ for the Texas Board of Higher Education back then). I studied European politics, particularly the period 1840-1940, and read a lot of socialist, communist and anarchist writings, but I never learned a thing about starting an insurrection.

    I feel cheated! /sarcasm

  7. Any one else concerned about the sweat wiping, nose blowing and coughing going on with the keffiyah around his neck. I had a hard time watching the bodily fluids dripping out while making insurrection noise….

    1. Noticed that too. Would not be surprised if he tests positive for COVID-19 (along with a number of the insurrectionists.)

      1. apparently it was tear gas. I saw the entire clip at prorepublica where he states he was tear gassed and while speaking in the rotunda he said “I’m not doing anything wrong here” then proceeded with his screed. the false prophets directed his steps apparently

        1. Apparently, he doesn’t understand that being in the rotunda after pushing past barricades is doing something wrong.

  8. As one would imagine, this guy is oblivious to the fact that he is an enthusiastic member of a bonafide cult. I’ve come to the sad conclusion that human beings must each fight hard to maintain a rational understanding of our world. Our minds will all too easily believe just about anything when we want it badly enough.

    1. And he was a member of a bonafide cult even before he got the idea to go to D.C. The Andrew Wommack people are as culty as they come. They had a coronavirus hotspot at their Colorado HQ not once but twice last summer if memory serves. I’m curious, though, if this is something he came up with on his own, or if he picked it up in the rarified atmosphere of Andrew Wommack’s craziness.

  9. To rely on the ravings of a man who has told a documented 30,000+ lies since being in office is not what anyone sane would call smart.

    The refusal to think critically about propaganda is the mark of a deluded person. The evidence of a clean election is overwhelming. Nothing’s hidden here – do your research, don’t accept the claims of a proven liar. He said he would march with you to the Capitol. Did he?

    1. Ethridge believes Biden — the consummate establishment Democrat — is going to turn America into a communist state overnight. He believes China has troops ready to move on the Canadian border and the Gulf of Mexico and he believes Trump has sacrificed everything to defend American freedoms. He also believes American freedoms were lost by the previous generation and then goes on to give a shopping list of rights *gained* by American women and the LGBTQ+ community over the last few decades.

      He’s way past the point where doing his own research will help, unfortunately.

      1. He’s way past the point where doing his own research will help, unfortunately.

        TRUE BELIEVER.
        The Dwarfs are for The Dwarfs, and Won’t Be Taken In.

    2. To rely on the ravings of a man who has told a documented 30,000+ lies
      since being in office is not what anyone sane would call smart.

      Not even if he is LOOORD and God?

    1. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.”

Comments are closed.