(RNS) — What began as a Tumblr account in 2009, reposting grainy clips of 1990s televangelists, has grown into Christian Nightmares, a multiplatform account with more than 220,000 followers that curates short, viral videos documenting contemporary evangelical Christianity at its most bizarre and politically charged.
The account describes itself as “a satirical look at the world of evangelical Christianity and its effect on current politics,” though its posts rarely rely on overt commentary. The content speaks for itself.
Across several social media platforms, Christian Nightmares routinely goes viral by reposting unedited sermons, political speeches and worship moments. One post on X shows a group of young children appearing to be overcome by the Holy Spirit and is captioned “This is what indoctrination looks like,” with over 65 million views. Another post, reading simply “The Charlie Kirk memorial is a Christian nationalist political rally,” was viewed more than 430,000 times
This is what indoctrination looks like… pic.twitter.com/4wlJrsvfYa
— Christian Nightmares (@ChristnNitemare) July 18, 2023
Videos on Christian Nightmares’ YouTube channel open with a figure wearing a chrome silver mask and looking silently at the camera. He wears a white T-shirt, sometimes scrawled with black Sharpie, sometimes blank, and a long gray wig that moves slightly as he raises a hand in an eerie wave. “Hi, I am Christian Nightmares,” on-screen text announces. Then the videos begin.
Christian Nightmares. (Courtesy photo)
The man behind the account, who was raised fundamentalist Christian and now can’t seem to stop p …