Trewhella’s acceptance into more mainstream circles has surprised extremism researchers who have tracked him for decades. It’s important to pay attention to a man “creating the ideological rationalizations for these ideas,” said Devin Burghart, president of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, a nonprofit that tracks the far right.

“I think that the public needs to know that he’s a dangerous theocrat who would fundamentally alter the United States in irreparable ways that would harm many, including women, people of color and the LGBTQ community,” Burghart said.

Gospel of Matthew Trewhella: How extremist is influencing GOP 

by Phoebe Petrovic / Wisconsin WatchJuly 10, 2024 

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Wisconsin Watch, “Why we investigated Wisconsin pastor Matthew Trewhella” (2024).
Reports that Trewhella signed a statement describing the killing of abortion providers as “justifiable.”

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Podcast   https://www.reconstructionistradio.com/podcasts/datpostmil-podcast/15-doctrine-of-the-lesser-magistrates-with-matthew-trewhella/

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1. PBS Wisconsin   https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/how-a-militant-anti-abortion-activist-from-wisconsin-is-influencing-republican-politics/
   Documents statements supporting criminal penalties for homosexuality based on biblical law.

2. PBS Wisconsin (2024).
   Reports that Trewhella has argued women should not hold civil office in sermons and teachings.

3. ProPublica & Wisconsin Watch (2024).
   Describe his promotion of the “Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates,” which encourages officials to defy laws they deem unjust.

4. ProPublica (2024).
   Reports that Trewhella has voiced support for individuals involved in January 6-related actions.

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Central to Trewhella’s message was his critique of TPUSA’s relationship with the Republican Party, which he sees as diverging from Christian principles. “Understand the connection between TPUSA and the Republican Party. The Party changes the platform to be more baby-murder and homo friendly – while TPUSA brings Christians and others into the Party,” he wrote. Trewhella argues that the GOP’s evolving platform, which he perceives as increasingly supportive of abortion and sodomy, undermines its appeal to Christians, yet organizations like TPUSA continue to draw believers into its fold, blurring the lines between biblical law and political agendas.   https://www.thelancasterpatriot.com/trewhella-please-pray-for-kirks-family-but-the-need-is-repentance/

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For much of his public life, Trewhella has made a career of denouncing the law while railing against abortion and gun restrictions. Twenty years ago, that made him a political pariah. His reputation for blockading abortion clinics, calling for churches to form militias and defending the murder of abortion providers was so extreme that two state chapters of Right to Life, the anti-abortion group, condemned him. 

But today, the world has changed. He has been invited to speak by local Republican parties and other groups across the country. He gave a prayer breakfast sermon to one of the nation’s preeminent law enforcement associations. And a prolific booster of election conspiracy theories has used his work as the basis for a campaign to disrupt elections. 

Trewhella’s ability to tailor his message for different audiences has helped. He’s gracious to the women who introduce him at political events but tells his congregation that the idea of women in government is “sickening” and “perverse.”

In the cast of characters who might influence the upcoming election, he’s not rallying crowds like Steve Bannon, the former Donald Trump strategist, or Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative student group Turning Point USA. Trewhella is more behind the scenes, providing a religious justification for some far-right policies and causes. With the political establishment shifting, he exemplifies how in this splintered landscape, even the most fringe figures can become influencers.