The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord: The True Crime Story and Key Facts
The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord: American far-right militant group active during the 1970s and 80s. The documented story, timeline and key facts of the case.
The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord (CSA) was a far-right survivalist anti-government militia that advocated for Christian Identity and was active in the United States during the 1970s and early 1980s. The CSA developed from a Baptist congregation, the Zarephath-Horeb Community Church, which was founded in 1971 in Pontiac, Missouri. Over time, Zarephath-Horeb evolved into an extremist militant group and it was rechristened the CSA. The group operated at a large compound in northern Arkansas, known as "the Farm.”
Why the case is remembered
The The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord story remains one of the most discussed entries in true-crime history, covered in documentaries, podcasts and books. The summary above follows the publicly documented record.
Text adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Facts reflect the documented public record.
Frequently asked questions
Who is The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord?
The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord (CSA) was a far-right survivalist anti-government militia that advocated for Christian Identity and was active in the United States during the 1970s and early 1980s. The CSA developed from a Baptist congregation, the Zarephath-Hore.
Why is the The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord case famous?
It is one of the most documented bank robber cases, widely covered by true-crime media.
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