Mystical Anti-Semitism and the Christian Identity Movement: A Narrative Criticism of Dan Gayman's "The Two Seeds of Genesis 3:15."

The Christian Identity movement is a religious movement derived from the premise that the white race is the offspring of the lost tribes of Israel and that whites, not Jews, are God's chosen people. The "seedline doctrine," which is taught by Pastor Dan Gayman, a former high school principal, and other preachers of the Christian Identity movement, argues that the Jews are the literal children of Satan. Since this doctrine is not well understood by scholars of religion, this paper traces the development of the doctrine in Christian Identity thought and ponders its rhetorical implications through the lens of narrative criticism. To sharpen the focus, the paper analyzes Gayman's "The Two Seeds of Genesis 3:15," a book which is worthy of study because it has been widely distributed among Christian Identity believers. Two research questions guide the paper's analysis: (1) How does Gayman's use of storytelling develop mystical anti-Semitism for creating an ideology of division and vilification?; and (2) Does Gayman's narrative provide motives for violence? The paper begins with a brief historical overview of the Christian Identity movement and then discusses the critical method selected for analyzing Gayman's book.The narrative is examined by focusing on three critical issues: setting, character, and audience. The paper follows the description of the method by its application to the artifact. Finally, it explores the rhetorical implications of Gayman's narrative and the seedline doctrine. Contains 195 notes. (NKA)