Theology of Hate

Name: Theology of Hate
Author: George Michael
ISBN: 9780813081779

A History of the World Church of the Creator

by George Michael

Published by: University Press of Florida

This comprehensive history of the Creativity Movement, formerly the World Church of the Creator, details the impact of one of the most radical organizations in the history of the American far right.

296 Pages6.00 × 9.00Notes, bibliography, index

Paperback
9780813081779
Published: September 15, 2026

$28.00

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EPUB
9780813075709
Published: September 15, 2026

(Ebook delivery via Leaf eReader app.)

$18.99

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Description
Authors
Praise

Inside one of the most radical organizations in the history of the American far right

During the weekend of July 4, 1999, Benjamin "August" Smith went on a three-day rampage in Illinois and Indiana, attacking Asian Americans, Orthodox Jews, and African Americans. He left two people dead and nine wounded, and then committed suicide. As a former member—resigning the day before the shootings—of the World Church of the Creator (now known as the Creativity Movement), Smith was praised by the leader of the church as "Creator of the Year" for bringing attention to their existence and radical beliefs.

Smith's rampage was the first many Americans had heard of this small, previously obscure organization. In this fascinating and comprehensive history of the Creativity Movement, one of the most radical organizations in the history of the American far right, George Michael reminds us that some of the most dangerous radical elements in the United States are home grown.

George Michael is professor of criminal justice at Westfield State University in Massachusetts. His books include Extremism in America and Willis Carto and the American Far Right.

"Will meet with considerable interest from scholars and anyone concerned with the interface between race and religion in the United States. A fascinating study by an authority on the American far right."—Martin Durham, author of White Rage: The Extreme Right and American Politics
"Provides valuable insights into the nature of the Creativity Movement and its impact on the far right in the United States and beyond."—Darren Mulloy, author of American Extremism

“Michael draws on his rich experience of studying the extreme right in the USA to examine a group that is important for its involvement in violence, its efforts to recruit women, and its contribution to one of the most noteworthy developments among American extreme rightists, the breach with the Christianity that had for long usually characterised them.”—Terrorism and Political Violence
“Michael demonstrates that the influence of the Creativity movement extends beyond membership numbers. . .by positioning Creativity as a catalyst of contemporary changes on the far right.”—Nova Religio