There’s mounting evidence of a Christian migration movement within the United States.
Many families of believers are fleeing ‘woke’ Democrat states for conservative states that embrace Judeo-Christian values.
A small group of developers is even planning designer Christian communities in states like Kentucky and Tennessee.
Pastor Andrew Isker is among the participants in one of these projects.
He’s originally from Minnesota where his family has lived for six generations.
WHY CHRISTIANS ARE FLEEING FROM ‘PROGRESSIVE’ STATES
The breaking point for him was when the Democrats took control of the state in 2022.
Kamala Harris’s presidential running mate Tim Walz was the governor, and the Democrat-controlled Congress began implementing liberal policies that were an offence to Pastor Isker’s Christian values.
They included allowing partial birth abortions and taking children away from parents who opposed them undergoing a medical gender transition.
One of the pastor’s children was autistic and he feared his son would be targeted by this woke agenda.
He also observed in Minnesota churches, a watering down of the Gospel and growing acceptance of LGBT ideology.
PLANS TO BUILD CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES IN KENTUCKY AND TENNESSEE
Andrew Isker has joined developers building a small town in Tennessee’s Appalachian region that will be centred around Biblical Christian values.
They aim to attract businesses that function with Christian values, so the town can grow and the children of the residents can continue a Christian education.
The trend towards rural communities serving families who work from home for big city employers or run their own small businesses has accelerated in post-pandemic years.
“It’s happening on all sides,” developer Josh Abbotoy told Religion News Service (RNS).
He runs developer RidgeRunner and describes himself as a “conservative Christian who does land deals.”
HOW A SMALL TOWN IS BEING DEVELOPED IN NORTHERN TENNESSEE
He observed: “People want to live in communities where they have a better shot of having alignment on some really basic political issues.”
His company purchased land that was once a 180-hectare farm in Whitleyville, Jackson County, Tennessee.
RidgeRunner is in the process of dividing the land into parcels and selling them.
He hopes to develop the farmland into an “agrihood” — with about 30 estate-style homes dotting the hillsides.
AIMING FOR A SLICE OF HEAVEN IN THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS
“The fields will be filled with livestock as God intended and as Jackson County remembers,” the RidgeRunner website read in announcing the purchase.
“Our goal will be to preserve the sweeping views for those who build and live on the farm’s ridgetops,” said Josh Abbotoy.
He explained it’s too early to tell how much lots on the farmland will sell for, adding there will be a premium for ridgetop views.
A similar RidgeRunner project in Kentucky, where land prices are lower, has lots priced from A$55,000 to A$500,000.
STILL A LONG WAY TO GO ON DEVELOPMENTS
While the Whitleyville farm has access to city water, high-speed internet and electricity, there’s still a lot of work to do on the property’s infrastructure.
Some of the buyers are people Pastor Isker knows, and some are just seeking exile from Democrat-run ‘blue states’.
The pastor plans to build a church which he will lead since he’s an ordained Evangelical minister.
Most neighbours have no objection to a Bible Belt development, but expressed concerns about Pastor Isker’s vocal support of ‘Christian Nationalism”
CONSERVATIVE MIGRATION FROM BLUE STATES BEGAN 35 YEARS AGO
The growth of Christian developments coincides with another trend that began in 1990.
It’s estimated that a total of 13 million residents have moved out of the socially ‘progressive’ states of California, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts between 1990 and 2021.
At the same time, the conservative states of Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Arizona, Tennessee, Nevada, and South Carolina experienced a population gain of 13 million.
An Inland Revenue Services (IRS) report found those who fled ‘progressive’ states blamed their exodus on issues such as out-of-control state spending, high taxes, high crime, homelessness and ineffective policies on housing, school choices and parental rights.
In 2022-2023, the states with the fastest growth in their populations were South Carolina, Florida, Texas, Idaho, North Carolina, Tennessee and Utah — all conservative ‘red states.’
“If these shifts continue into 2030, it will seriously impact the efforts of the Democrats to win back the White House because of how electoral votes will shift,” predicted USA News.
