Category: Speaking Events

University of Victoria | November 26, 2026

I will be delivering an invited lecture, Divine Fury: God’s Angry Men and Their Political Playbook, hosted by the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at the University of Victoria as part of its Scholars in the Square series.

Drawing on my book God’s Angry Men: The Political Legacy of the John Birch Society, this presentation examines the role of the John Birch Society in developing political strategies and ideological frameworks that continue to shape contemporary American politics.

Although frequently characterized as a fringe conspiratorial organization, the John Birch Society played an important role in advancing political networks and narratives that combined Christian nationalism, anti-communism, cultural grievance, and distrust of democratic institutions.

The lecture explores the Society’s political legacy, including connections to the Council for National Policy, the Heritage Foundation, and the ideological environment surrounding Project 2025.

By examining these historical continuities, the presentation considers how conspiracy theories, religious nationalism, and political grievance have helped reshape contemporary political discourse and institutional power.

Event details

• Date: Thursday, November 26, 2026
• Time: 5:00–6:00 p.m. Pacific Time
• Location: MacLaurin D-Wing, Room 282, University of Victoria
• Host: Centre for Studies in Religion and Society, University of Victoria
• Series: Scholars in the Square

Event information: https://www.uvic.ca/research/centres/csrs/events/index.php

Official lecture poster: https://www.uvic.ca/research/centres/csrs/assets/docs/2026f_celestini_nov26.pdf

On October 19, 2026, I participated in a panel discussion titled Christian Nationalism in Canada, alongside David O’Reilly and Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme.

The event was hosted by the Institute for Religion, Culture and Societal Futures at St. Jerome’s University.

Christian nationalism has received considerable scholarly and public attention in the United States. However, the intersections of religious identity, nationalism, and political power also warrant close examination within Canada.

My research explores Christian nationalism and its relationships with political extremism, conspiracy theories, grievance-based movements, and the broader religious right. An important aspect of this work is understanding the distinct Canadian context, including the histories, political conditions, and networks through which these movements develop and gain influence.

Public discussions such as this panel provide opportunities to bring academic research into broader conversations about religion, politics, and Canadian society.

Watch the full panel discussion:

Event: Christian Nationalism in Canada
Date: October 19, 2026
Panelists: Carmen Celestini, David O’Reilly, Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme
Host: Institute for Religion, Culture and Societal Futures, St. Jerome’s University

View the Institute’s website

October 19, 2026 | 3:30 PM ET | St. Jerome’s University, Waterloo

I will be participating in a panel discussion on Christian Nationalism in Canada, hosted by the Institute for Religion, Culture, and Societal Futures.

I will be joined by David O’Reilly and Dr. Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme.

Christian nationalism is often discussed as an American political phenomenon, but its presence and influence in Canada deserve sustained attention. My research examines the intersections of religion, conspiracy theories, political grievance, far-right movements, and the ways exclusionary political ideas enter mainstream discourse.

The panel provides an opportunity to consider Christian nationalism in the Canadian context and its relationship to contemporary religious and political life.

Date: Monday, October 19, 2026
Time: 3:30 PM Eastern
Location: St. Jerome’s University, Waterloo, Ontario
Format: Hybrid / Zoom

Register to attend

Hosted by the Institute for Religion, Culture, and Societal Futures.

Presenting this morning!

I’m delighted to be presenting at the Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory conference, Religion, Politics, and Cognitive Warfare: Information, Interpretation, Conspiracy, and the Struggle for Reality.

My paper, “Religion, Conspiracies, and Hate: Orthobros and Catholic Crusades on Social Media,” looks at the growing intersection of far-right Catholicism, Knights Templar and Crusader mythology, conspiracy theories, masculinity, AI and social media, and how these ideas are moving between online spaces and the real world.

I’m presenting this morning as part of the Evangelicalism & Christian Nationalism panel.

The conference runs online October 1–3 and registration is free and open to interested participants.

Next week I’ll be presenting some of my new research on the intersection of religion, conspiracy theories, and online extremism at the JCRT online conference, Religion, Politics, and Cognitive Warfare: Information, Interpretation, Conspiracy, and the Struggle for Reality.

My paper, “Religion, Conspiracies, and Hate: Orthobros and Catholic Crusades on Social Media,” looks at the growing use of crusader and medieval Catholic imagery online, including the Knights Templar, “Christ is King,” and other historical and religious narratives, and how these become entangled with conspiracy theories, nationalism, and extremist politics.

I’m particularly interested in what happens when imagined histories migrate through social media and become tools for constructing contemporary religious, extremist, and political identities.

I’ll be presenting Thursday, October 1, as part of the opening panel on Evangelicalism & Christian Nationalism.

The conference is online, and the full program and registration information are available here.

 On November 8th I am part of a panel at uw to discuss the results of the 47th Presidential election. Experts in international relations, American culture and history, religion and politics, and me with conspiracy and Extremism will analyze the lead to up to the election and implications of the new president.

It will be held at the University of Waterloo at 3pm in Hagey Hall. If you’re in Waterloo come join in on the discussion. Veronica Kitchen, Andrew Hunt, and Scott Kline, are incredibly smart so this panel will be informative, entertaining, and thought provoking.

On April 17th I will be doing a Cathedral Chat, at Christ’s Church Cathedral in Hamilton, ON. The discussion will be live streamed on Youtube as well. We will be thinking about the role of Christian nationalism in Canada, our politics, and how conspiracy theories are used as a mobilizing force.

In May of 2023, I was part of a panel for the Interfaith Conference in Waterloo. The topic of the conference was finding common ground in a time of polarization, and I presented on conspiracy theories and religion, and the role of Christian nationalism leading to populism in North America. It was a great conference, and I was able to present with two of my favourite scholars, Dr. David Hofmann from New Brunswick University and Dr. Ahmed Al-Rawi from Simon Fraser University. The conference presentation was written into an article for Wilfrid Laurier University’s Concensus Journal.

A few years ago I was digging around in a pile of books for sale at the University of Toronto and I found a treasure. In my hands I had an original copy of the proceedings from the first Parliament of World Religions, that was tattered and worn, but it was soon to be all mine. I posted endless pictures of the book’s pages on my social media and it soon took a place of prestige on my bookshelf.

Fast forward a few years and I was shocked and honoured to be invited as a panelist for the 2023 Parliament of World Religions being held in Chicago. I will be joining experts in the field of religion and extremism to discuss the “Rise of White Christian Nationalism: Threats to US Democracy.” The rise in Christian nationalism across the globe is something society as whole needs to be cognizant of and respond to. There are numerous panels and conversations which address the role of religion in society, polarization, fears and hopes at this year’s Parliament, which is being made held in a hybrid format.

Join us at a conference in Waterloo, ON on May 7-9, where academics and religious leaders will gather and speak about polarization in religious communities. Former Premier Kathleen Wynne, and Yale Theologian Miroslav Volf, will be engage through various panels and keynote speeches to help us all understand conspiracy, extremism, fear, and volatility that is the polarization we encounter in our religious institutions and flocks.