Why Christian Nationalism is So Dangerous

All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.
~The Age of Reason, Thomas Paine

There are been a lot of talk lately of Christian Nationalism. And rightly so. What is Christian Nationalism, and why is it so dangerous – to both the country and the church?

Christian nationalism is the belief that this country was founded on Christian principles, and that the government should take steps to ensure it remains that way. On the surface, it doesn’t seem all that bad; especially with a simple definition like the one above. However, when we really dig into it, Christian nationalism is problematic on so many different levels.

First off, was America founded on Christian principles, as so many like to claim? The answer is: yes, but not really.

I know, that doesn’t make a lot of sense. Stick with me.

America was founded on Christian principles only in the most general and vague sense. To suggest that it was solely founded on Christian principles is to suggest that there aren’t some commonalities between different moral philosophies. I think you can reasonably argue that the nation was founded with a sense of equality for all (as long as “all” means land-owning, white men) because, after all, that’s part of the Declaration of Independence.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness – Declaration of Independence

I think you could reasonably argue as well that “equality for all” should be a Christian principle. After all, Paul writes about our identity being found in Christ, and not in any of the divisions that the world would want to put up between people.

There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus – Galatians 3:28 (NLT)

However, is “equality for all” solely a Christian principle? I don’t think so. In fact, look back at the Declaration’s quote above. It doesn’t mention anything specifically about a “Christian” God; it simply says “their Creator”. This is not a specifically Christian reference, even within the Declaration of Independence.

Of course, the ironic part about this plea to the Founding Fathers is that by modern, evangelical standards, most of the Founding Fathers would be considered heretics at best. Many of them would actually be considered Deists. They believed that there was a Creator, who created the world and everything in it. But then left it to operate on its own natural laws.

Now, how they approached their particular brand of Deism varied. Some where non-Christian Deists, others were Christian Deists, and still other would be considered orthodox believers.

I think the fairer statement regarding the founding of America is that is it founded on moralistic principles that are more universal than one particular religion. In other words, founding the nation on principles that would be deemed “Christian” is not the same as founding the nation on Christian principles. Put a third way, all root vegetables are vegetables, but not all vegetables are root vegetables. Do you see what I mean? (Sorry, I may be a little hungry as I write this today.)

A second problem with Christian nationalism as we dig deeper has to do with the First Amendment.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances – First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution

Those who follow this line of Christian nationalism will be the first to cry out if they feel like their rights to worship are being trampled. But, let’s not forget, the First Amendment says that Congress shall make no law “respecting the establishment of religion”.

Those who seek to codify their particular understanding of Christianity are indeed seeking to establish “their” religion as primary in the United States. For example, let’s touch (briefly) on the question of the beginning of life. When does life begin? That’s a difficult question to ask. People on both sides will say that the science backs them up. Some go as far back as conception being the start of life, and they would even point to the words found in the prophet Jeremiah.

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations” – Jeremiah 1:5 (NLT)

Of course, what’s ironic here is that Christians will use these words from the Hebrew Bible to say that life begins in the womb; meanwhile, the Jewish understanding of life is that it begins when the first breath is taken. Both faiths would look to Jeremiah as part of their sacred texts. And they completely disagree about what is being said here. At its core, what we are coming to here is not just an ideological disagreement, but a theological one as well. How we read and interpret the same text is significantly different.

And that’s the problem. Trying to codify one’s beliefs will immediately bring one into conflict with the beliefs of another person. By attempting to codify a particular theological and religious belief, and basing it on theological and religious reasoning, we get awfully close to establishing a religion as the primary religion of the land.

And, sure, most Christian nationalists aren’t going to say that Jewish or Muslim or even secular beliefs shouldn’t be allowed (though, some certainly would, especially if they are in front of what they perceive to be a “friendly” audience). After all, who are they going to evangelize if there aren’t unbelievers in their midst? But instead of seeing all faiths as equal in the eyes of the government, Christian nationalists would like to see these other religious beliefs as subservient to their own. They can have their beliefs, as long as it doesn’t get in my way, or prevent me from enforcing my beliefs on society as a whole. It’s a scary line of thinking.

A third problem, and the final one I’m going to address today, is that Christian nationalism is focused around a particular subset of Christianity that isn’t even the majority thought in the larger view of Christian history.

More often than not, Christian nationalism comes primarily from fundamentalist evangelical thought that has a heavy dose of white supremacy thrown in on top of it. This alone should be a red flag.

Fundamental evangelicalism is not, nor has it ever been the majority opinion of Christianity. These are the same type of people who say things like, “progressive Christians aren’t Christian.” They are the self-appointed gatekeepers of two thousand years of Christian tradition that they have never even read, let alone understand. They think they are the pinnacle of Christian thought, when they are merely the new kids on the theological block.

I shared this story a couple weeks ago when a parishioner spoke to me after worship on Juneteenth. I preached on the Galatians 3:28 verse that is above, and afterwards, she told me that there has been a lot of racial progress through the years with Obama being elected twice and Harris as the current VP. Then she started to say that the Democrats were trying to open the borders to “replace white people”.

This is the same woman who talked to me in the past about praying for President Trump because he just had so many people “out to get him” because he’s trying to do “God’s work” for the country. She is a full-blown Christian nationalist, and probably has no idea whatsoever.

This is dangerous. This is the kind of stuff that the CIA keeps tabs on when it’s happening overseas. It’s the underlying reason why something like January 6th happened. It’s why we had a press secretary quote Romans 13 about obeying government officials. It’s the reason why we have politicians pandering to the “white evangelical with just a touch of racism” crowd. (You know, the ones who say things like, “I’m not racist, but…”)

Look, as a pastor, obviously, I want to share the message of Jesus with as many people as I can. I want people to put their trust in Jesus and live a life that is guided by the Holy Spirit.

But I also don’t want to force it on them. That’s not my job. I’m not a Christian nationalist. I think diversity of thought, even religious thought, is a good thing for America because America is full of diversity.