Christian nationalist 'ReAwakening' rally, headlined by Michael Flynn, coming to Missouri

A rally headlined by retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and an array of other speakers who tout ideals of Christian nationalism and conspiracy theories is coming to southwest Missouri later this year.

Scheduled to appear at the Freedom Encounter theater in Branson from Nov. 4-5, the event is one of more than a dozen rallies around the country featuring Flynn and his allies as part of what they call "The Great ReAwakening" tour. It is hosted by Clay Clark, an entrepreneur and podcast host based out of South Dakota.

A graphic advertising the event includes the faces of about 50 different people, though it's unclear how many of them will be present and speaking at the Branson event. Among those displayed are Flynn, MyPillow CEO and election conspiracist Mike Lindell, as well as Roger Stone, a onetime Trump confidant who was convicted during the Russia interference investigation and later pardoned by the former president.

"Just 3,000 tickets will be sold to this epic event!" the graphic declares, advertising a 50% off discount for "all pastors."

It also features advertisements for Branson and two attractions in and around the city; however, Silver Dollar City did not grant permission to the event to advertise the Showboat Branson Belle, an employee told the News-Leader. The event also did not get authorization to use "explorebranson.com" in their marketing, according to Rachel Wood, chief marketing officer for the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau. The group was working Wednesday to get the URL removed from the event's promotional materials.

The event marks the latest foray into southwest Missouri by prominent activists on the far right, who have used similar events to spread misinformation and conspiracies surrounding COVID-19, elections, government and society at large while calling for action among their supporters.

Southwest Missouri:Mike Lindell holds conference in Springfield, featuring Marjorie Taylor Greene & conspiracy theories

Flynn, along with Trump attorney Lin Wood, spoke at an event in Springfield last year centered around "preserving America." Several local elected officials, including Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott and former Springfield city councilwoman Angela Romine, attended. Lindell, who has become one of the most prominent conspiracy theorists around the 2020 election in the country, held a weekend-long summit in Springfield last month. The event featured U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and continued to tout debunked theories that the election was wrongfully decided against Trump.

Flynn was fired from an intelligence position under former President Barack Obama before a brief stint as former President Donald Trump's national security advisor. He resigned from that post after lying to the FBI about his interaction with Russian officials. He pleaded guilty to one criminal charge relating to a probe into Russian election interference and was then pardoned by Trump.

From 2021:Michael Flynn and Lin Wood speak in Springfield at 'Preserving America' event

A recent investigation by The Associated Press and PBS "Frontline" found that Flynn's public appearances and speeches around the country have channeled themes of Christian nationalism, while attempting to energize local and state Republican officials, far-right extremist groups and conspiracy theorists. The "ReAwakening" rallies have also drawn criticism from prominent Christian leaders, who have warned that the events distort the teachings of the religion in an attempt to harm American democracy, The Guardian reported in June.

At one similar rally in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Stone told the crowd, among other conspiratorial claims, that there was a "satanic portal above the White House" that could only be "closed by prayer."

Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@news-leader.com, (573) 219-7440 or on Twitter @galenbacharier.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Christian nationalist rally, headlined by Michael Flynn, coming to MO