The Church of the Creator Part II: Later Developments and the Sacralization of Race in Multicultural America

Abstract

AbstractAfter the death of Ben Klassen in 1993, the Church of the Creator languished for a few years, but in 1995, an enterprising young law student, Matthew Hale, revived the church and became the movement’s recognized leader. He rechristened the organization as the “World Church of the Creator” and in the months that followed, numerous Creativity branches united under Hale’s leadership. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the World Church of the Creator was at the center of several free speech controversies that strained communities and divided legal scholars. The Creativity movement has always been a relatively modest operation, yet, it has had a significant influence on the broader racialist movement of which it is only a small part. Although, the church is currently in retreat, it is likely that its ideology will continue to inspire extremist activists in the future.