Category: Christianity

Just Released: On Christian Nationalism: Critical and Theological Perspectives

In late November 2025, Routledge just released the edited volume, On Christian Nationalism: Critical and Theological Perspectives, edited by David M. Gides and Joan Braune. In it, I have a chapter entitled, “Messianic Ruscism: Christian Nationalism and the Lure of Putin’s Russkii Mir,” which discusses why certain American Christian Nationalists look to palingenetic Russia, with its reversal of Soviet theomachism for the resurgence of Orthodoxy and autocracy, as a model of what they’d like to do in America. The “symphonia” of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Putinist state is a template for a renewal of “Christian America” for many self-avowed Christian Nationalists, who see “shared values” in the conservative values of the anti-West politics of Putin (and Alexander Dugin). Obviously, I’m deeply critical of this vision for America as well as for Russia. Get yourself a copy of this book. Joan and David did an excellent job!

You can find the book at Routledge’s website: On Christian Nationalism.

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Artificial Intelligence and St. Augustine’s Just War Theory – St. Mary’s University – Edinburgh

On September 3rd, 2025, I had the opportunity to present my work on the ethical problems of AI in warfare at the “Catholic Social Teachings and AI” conference at St. Mary’s University-Twickenham-London, Edinburgh campus. Stephen Dolan was the genius who organized the conference and I’m especially grateful that he invited me to address the attendees. My presentation discussed the ethical issues regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence in warfare, with Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza as a particular egregious case. While I’m no expert on the technical side of AI, the ethics of its use for military means seems deeply problematic, especially as it relates to the 7-point Just War Theory.

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New Book Chapter: St. Paul, Carl Schmitt, and Alexander Dugin on the Katechon

The book, The Many Faces of Christianism: The ‘Russian World in Europe, edited by Mariëtta van der Tol, Sophia R.C. Johnson, Petr Kratochvíl, and Zoran Grazdanov, has just been published by DeGruyter-Brill, in their Political and Public Theologies series. In this book, I have a chapter entitled, “From St. Paul and Carl Schmitt to Alexander Dugin: The Katechon as a Political Category in Empire building,” wherein I trace the development of the notion of the “Katechon” (The Restrainer of the Apocalypse) through St. Paul’s theology, Schmitt’s political theology, and Dugin’s political philosophy. This book chapter came out of a paper I presented at a 2023 conference, Political Theologies after Christendom, at the University of Oxford, New College. The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has written the forward. I’d like to send a big thanks to all those who contributed to the book, and to all those who edited the book; it is a work of sheer genius!

An email response from a colleague: “Having just read your excellent article “The Russian Restrainer of the Apocalypse: The Katechon in St. Paul, Carl Schmitt, and Alexander Dugin,” I would like to express my admiration and hope that your astute analysis will be widely read.” ~ Dr. Michael Hagemeister (Ruhr University Bochum Germany, Department of East European History).

If you’d like to read my chapter, you can download it below:

Byrd – Katechon – 2025Download

To purchase a copy of the book, see Brill: The Many Faces of Christianism, or see Amazon: The Many Faces of Christianism

Or, as the book is open access, download the whole book for free here:

Book – The Many Faces of ChristianismDownload
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Discussing the life and legacy of Pope Francis with Dr. Rudolf J. Siebert

On May 31st, 2025, I sat down with the critical theorist and Catholic theologian, Dr. Rudolf J. Siebert, to discuss the life, work, and legacy of Pope Francis. We discussed the Pope’s life before the papacy, the twelve years of his papacy, and the numerous ways in which he “changed the tone” of the Catholic Church, making it more inclusive and open to the world. Elected in 2013, Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, 2025. To the end, he maintained his positions against Russia’s war on Ukraine, Israel’s genocide of Palestinians, and the need to address Global Climate Change before it is too late. In many ways, Pope Francis was a force unto himself, as he, as Dr. Siebert says, put the poor at the forefront of faith, as the church should be a “field hospital” as opposed to a bunker. Our discourse was sponsored by Ekpyrosis Press and the Institute for Critical Social Theory.

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Islamophobia in Granada, Spain

On May 22, 2025, I had the awesome opportunity to present my work on the metaphysics of Islamophobia at the Fourth Annual International Islamophobia Studies Research Association (IISRA) Conference, which took place in the shadow of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. The conference was sponsored by the Instituto de la Paz y los Conflictos (Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies) and Departments Studios Semiticos (Department of Semitic Studies), at the University of Granada. My presentation was based on my chapter in the new book, Secularism, Race, and the Politics of Islamophobia (University of Alberta Press), edited by Dr. Sharmin Sadequee. The chapter is entitled, “The Limits of the Translation Proviso: The Inherent Alien in the Willed-Community,” wherein I discussed Habermas’ “translation proviso” for Muslims in the West, its problems, and the rightwing retreat into metaphysical Islamophobia, especially in the concept of the “Volksgemeinschaft” (ethnic community), as a means of marginalizing Muslims in post-secular societies. No trip to Granada is complete without a tour of the Alhambra and the Albaicín part of the city, which is a historically Muslim part of the city. I also toured the Monastery of St. Jerome, Cartuja de Granada (Carthusian Monastery), and the Basílica Catedral Metropolitana de la Encarnación (Granada Cathedral), which sits on the remains of the central mosque of Granada. I also visited the Islamic madrasa (which is not a madrasa anymore) and the square in which Catholic Spaniards burned the Islamic books from the madrasa. This was an amazing conference and visit to Andalusia. I look forward to returning to visit Seville and Cordoba.

Fourth Annual International Islamophobia Studies Research Association (IISRA) ConferenceDownload

Buy the book here: Secularism, Race, and the Politics of Islamophobia.

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Resisting Fascism: Father Alfred Delp

On May 3rd, 2025, I had the opportunity to discuss with the critical theorist and theologian, Dr. Rudolf Siebert, the life, times, and martyrdom of the Jesuit priest, Father Alfred Delp. Born of his Catholic faith, Delp was a staunch anti-Nazi, and was part of the Kreisau Circle that envisioned a new and radically different society that would come after the fall of the Nazis. Because of this, and because of his tangential connection to Claus von Stauffenberg’s failed assassination plot against Hitler, Delp was arrested, imprisoned, interrogated, beaten, and eventually stood trial in front of the communist-turned-fascist judge, Roland Freisler. Found guilty, Delp was executed on February 2, 1945. This discourse was sponsored by Ekpyrosis Press and the Institute for Critical Social Theory.

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Talking Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Fascism with Rudolf J. Siebert

On March 15th, 2025, I had the pleasure of discussing the life and work of the German Lutheran Pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, with the critical theorist and theologian, Rudolf J. Siebert. We discussed the historicity of the 2024 movie, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Spy, Assassin, and why it is important to remember individuals like Bonhoeffer who resisted fascism, especially in light of the latest rise of authoritarian populism in the West. We also discussed Bonhoeffer’s concept of “stupidity” and “cheap grace” among others. The discourse was sponsored by Ekpyrosis Press and the Institute for Critical Social Theory.

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The Authoritarian threat to Democracy: a discussion with Rudolf J. Siebert

On February 1st, 2025, I had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Rudolf J. Siebert, critical theorist of religion and society, and Professor Emeritus at Western Michigan University, to discuss the ongoing threat to democracy posed by right-wing authoritarian movements and figures. Dr. Siebert is not optimistic, seeing that – at least in America – we’ve already moved into an authoritarian stage of development, and that “anocracy,” the combination of democracy and authoritarianism, is not possible. This discourse was sponsored by the Institute for Critical Social Theory and Ekpyrosis Press.

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