Matthew D. Taylor, Ph.D.

Protestant Scholar

Matthew D. Taylor, Ph.D., is the Protestant Scholar at ICJS, where he specializes in Muslim-Christian dialogue, Evangelical and Pentecostal movements, religious politics in the U.S., and American Islam. Prior to coming to ICJS, Taylor served on the faculty of Georgetown University and The George Washington University. He is a member of the American Academy of Religion, the North American Association of Islamic and Muslim Studies, and the Company of Teachers of the Reformed Institute of Metropolitan Washington. Taylor holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies and Muslim-Christian Relations from Georgetown University and an M.A. in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. His forthcoming book, Scripture People: Salafi Muslims in Evangelical Christians’ America (Cambridge University Press—August 2023), offers an introduction to the oft-misunderstood Salafi movement in the U.S. by way of comparison with American Evangelicalism. He is also the creator of the acclaimed audio-documentary series “Charismatic Revival Fury: The New Apostolic Reformation,” which details how networks of extremist Christian leaders helped instigate the January 6th Insurrection.

EXPERTISE

Muslim-Christian Relations
Comparative Religion
Evangelicalism and Pentecostalism
Salafism in the U.S.
Christian Nationalism
Interreligious Encounter

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Works in Progress

Book, Scripture People: Salafi Muslims in Evangelical Christians’ America (Cambridge University Press—2023)

Article, “Between Saudi Authenticity and American Integration: AlMaghrib Institute and the International and Domestic Possibilities of Salafism”

Publications

“Can Salafis Become Democratic Innovators?” (under review) in forthcoming volume from the Christian-Muslim Studies Network Conference – anticipated 2021

“Dabru Emet’s Imagined Future: Doing Eschatology with an Interreligious Sensitivity” (online forum) American Religion

Book Review: An American Biblical Orientalism: The Construction of Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Nineteenth-Century American Evangelical Piety by David D. Grafton for Dialog: A Journal of Theology (September 2020)

Book Review: Sacrifice in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam by David L. Weddle (NYU Press, 2017) for Reading Religion: A Publication of the American Academy of Religion (January 2019)

Book Review: Why I Am a Salafi by Michael Muhammad Knight (Soft Skull Press, 2015) for the American Journal of Islam and Society, Vol. 35, no. 2 (Spring 2018)

“A Cautionary Tale for Interreligious Studies from Comparative Fundamentalism: Who is at the Table?” in the Journal of Interreligious Studies, Issue 21 (October 2017)

SELECTED PRESENTATIONS

“Shofars and a Messianic Rabbi at the Capitol Riot? American Christian Nationalism’s Jewish Edge” at the American Academy of Religion, San Antonio, TX (November 2021)

“‘We are going to rule and reign through Trump and under the lordship of Jesus Christ’ – A Stereotype-defying, Immigrant, Christian Nationalist Pastor at the January DC Protests” at the American Academy of Religion, San Antonio, TX (November 2021)

“Between Saudi Authenticity and American Integration: Post-Salafi Shaykhs Straddle National and International Identities” at the British International Studies Association (June 2021)

“Reformed Theology’s Reasons for (and Hesitation about) Interreligious Dialogue” for The Reformed Institute of Metropolitan Washington, Washington, DC (June 2021)

“Engaging Evangelical Christians in Interfaith Dialogue” at the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom National Conference, Doylestown, PA (November 2019)

“Common-sense Idioms in a Shared Environment: Why do Salafis in America sound so much like Evangelical Christians?” at the North American Association of Islamic and Muslim Studies, Boston, MA (September 2019)

“White Supremacy, Christian Theology, and the Rising Violence against Jews and Muslims” for Hadassah of Greater Baltimore (May 2019)

“Evangelical Christianity, American Politics, and the State of Israel” for the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation – Interfaith Institute (March 2019)

The Roots and Reality of U.S. Christian Nationalism

2021-11-02

Is the United States a “Christian nation,” a “Judeo-Christian nation,” or a “secular nation?” This has been a much-debated question throughout American history. As religious diversity, congregational membership, and racial demographics have shifted, some American Christians have created a reactionary response, which includes violence, as evident at the Capitol Insurrection. Their goal is to “take back” and “restore” America’s Christian identity. In this 3-week course, ICJS Protestant Scholar Matt Taylor explored the theological and historical ideas that underpin the American Christian nationalist narrative, examining both the deep roots and the present-day realities of this Christian nationalist identity in the U.S. and consider the threat that it poses to American religious pluralism.

Making Sense of Religions Amidst Insurrection at the Capitol

2021-03-25

From crosses to nooses, shamans to shofars, it can be hard to make sense of the wild mix of religious, civic, and conspiracy-theory images and symbolism that came together in Jericho Marches protesting the election results and culminating at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. ICJS scholars unpack the religious symbols present, their significance, and what does this mean for our religious communities and our country? Moderated by ICJS’ Matthew D. Tayler

Select Publications and Presentations

Charismatic Revival Fury: The New Apostolic Reformation

Podcast series that details how networks of extremist Christian leaders helped instigate the January 6th Insurrection.

A Cautionary Tale for Interreligious Studies from Comparative Fundamentalism: Who is at the Table?

Article in the Journal of Interreligious Studies.

Dabru Emet’s Imagined Future: Doing Eschatology with an Interreligious Sensitivity

Article published in American Religion.