A phrase elbowed its way into our lexicon in recent years. As I learn more about it, I am alarmed that it threatens to destroy both US democracy and civil society as we know it. What is this phrase? Christian nationalism. What is it and why is it so alarming?
First, let’s define “nationalism.” Nationalism is an ideology that promotes extreme patriotism to one’s nation. Citizens are expected to put the nation above their own interests, rights, and liberties. Political leaders curtail individual rights in the name of national interest and hold its nation’s interests above all other nations. There are many nationalistic movements around the globe. North Korea is an example of a country that embraces nationalism to the point that they literally have the most undemocratic country on the planet. Hungary is an example of a country that is democratic in name only while being controlled by a dictator. Nationalism is a slippery slope to authoritarianism and it starts with disinformation and seeds of division sown between groups of people within a nation.
Christian nationalism, sometimes referred to as “white Christian nationalism,” is a political movement in the US that is associated with far-right leaning citizens and politicians. This American version of nationalism is extreme patriotism wrapped in the cloak of Christianity whose loyalty is not to the US but to its own ideas of government based on its cultural and religious doctrines. It seeks to destroy the US, its constitution, and its institutions in order to remake the nation into its own image.
The term “Christian” is a dog whistle for white, straight, conservative, male (typically), and native-born Americans. It is a term that glorifies themselves as “good, decent people” and to normalize their extreme beliefs. Being a true American (and patriot) is defined as being their version of a "Christian." This excludes nonwhites, LGBTQA+, women, and foreign-born people as true Americans.
Christian nationalism is not a Christian movement but rather a political one. The goal is not to follow Christ but to gain power and societal control. It is a distortion of the Christian faith with the goal of the destruction of democracy.
Through disinformation, divisiveness, and polarization, the movement seeks to subjugate or eliminate all people deemed “other,” including women, the LGBTQA+ community, people of color, and immigrants. They vilify and exclude those they deem different from themselves and seek to take away their rights and liberties, all in the name of “religious liberty.” By doing so, they enhance their own rights, privileges, and power at the expense of everyone else. This ideology does not resemble the teachings of Jesus who never excluded or oppressed anyone.
Recent laws implemented by far-right state legislatures curtail or ban reproductive rights and gender-affirming care*. The agenda of Christian nationalism is clearly anti-women, anti-trans, anti-gay, racist, and xenophobic. With far-right politicians in Congress and conservative judges on the federal bench, the rights and freedoms we all enjoy in the US are being stripped away. Through restrictive laws upheld by a nation’s judiciary, a democracy slides into authoritarianism where ultimately no one will have freedom.
One of the foundational beliefs of Christian nationalists is that the US was created as a Christian nation by the Founding Fathers, that it was always intended to be a Christian nation, and that it has veered so far from being a Christian nation that it must be destroyed and rebuilt. (Sometimes this is called Christian Reconstructionism, not to be confused with an individual who reconstructs their own personal beliefs.) A look at history, however, tells a different story.
The Founding Fathers never intended to create a Christian nation. The first settlers came to the New World to escape religious persecution. They understood the suffering caused by a government that imposed a particular religion on its people. The Founding Fathers created a nation that could withstand and even encourage diversity of thought and of religion, a place where freedom means individual expressions of religion. They created a free nation, but they did not create a Christian nation.
While mostly religious, the Founding Fathers did not agree on any one theology. However, they did agree that this country was not nor ever should be a Christian nation and they took great care to ensure that it did not become a country where one religion ruled supreme. Thomas Jefferson encouraged James Madison when the latter created the Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments to the US Constitution) to include a “wall” between the church and state. The First Amendment includes freedom of religion and declares through the Establishment Clause that the government cannot establish a state religion. The Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment states that everyone has the right to exercise their own religion.
If the Framers of the US Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, wanted to create a Christian nation, they had the power to do so. Instead, they went to great lengths to ensure that never happened. While the phrase “separation of church and state” is not actually used in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights, Jefferson used it when describing his vision for this nation, a vision shared by the Framers who built this principle into the creation of our government. Maintaining the separation of church and state is imperative for everyone’s individual rights and freedoms.
Christian nationalists use the argument that the phrases “In God We Trust” on US currency and “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance are proof that the US was created as a Christian nation. However, neither of these phrases proves that claim. The phrase “In God We Trust” was first added to the two-cent coin in 1864 during a religious resurgence due to the Civil War. “Under God” was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954 by President Eisenhower and members of Congress to distinguish the US from communist countries during the Cold War. In fact, a much older motto for the US was adopted in 1782 by the Continental Congress when designing the official US seal: E Pluribus Unum, which means “out of many, one.” And in 1795, this motto symbolizing the principle of unity and equality that this nation was built upon was added to the $5 gold coin. History teaches us that our Founding Fathers intended this nation to be built on unity and equality, not Christianity.
Well-intended Christians may also believe the falsehood that the US was created as a Christian nation. But as history informs us and as stated above, the US was not founded as a Christian nation and was never intended to be. To believe otherwise is dangerous because it enables Christian nationalists to use Christianity for their own twisted purposes of gaining power and control over society. Violence is often a means to their end, just as we witnessed their destructive insurrection on January 6th, 2021. On that day we also saw Christian symbols co-opted to legitimize the violence.
By portraying Jesus as a warrior-king, Christian nationalists undermine the very tenets of Christianity. We know from reading the Gospels that Jesus did not come as a warrior to overturn the oppressive Roman government. His way was love, not hate. His goal was justice, not tyranny. His actions were merciful, not mercenary. Throughout history, however, many people claiming to follow Jesus perpetrated horrendous deeds in His name for the sake of power. Christian nationalists have joined their ranks.
The main point to remember is that the end game of Christian nationalism is not actually to have Christian values and principles rule the land. These are simply the means to the end which is absolute power and societal control. This slide from democracy to authoritarianism is indeed a slippery slope, one we cannot afford to descend.
Christian nationalism and its end-game of authoritarianism will win if we do not stop it. We cannot be silent or apathetic. Become knowledgeable about the issues. Stand up for truth. Call out disinformation. Vote for candidates who work for the good of all people. Support non-partisan organizations who work for free and fair elections, like the League of Women Voters (https://www.lwv.org/) and give to their education fund (https://www.lwv.org/league-women-voters-education-fund). Support organizations that fight Christian nationalism, like Americans United for the Separation of Church and State (https://www.au.org/).
We cannot ignore this threat; it will not go away. But together we can turn the tide to build a more equitable society where all are free to worship as they please and all have the inalienable rights that the Founding Fathers established in the Declaration of Independence: the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. May it be so!
God, may we have eyes to see the dangers of this movement and may we have the courage to take a stand against it. For Jesus will not be mocked. His principles cannot be twisted for political purposes and for the sake of power. May we be one nation indivisible in our pursuit of love, justice, and mercy. Amen.
In future posts, we will look at the history of Christian nationalism, its major players, and also the dangerous implications for democracy in the US. In the meantime, I highly recommend the following books on Christian nationalism: Jesus and John Wayne by Kristen Kobes Du Mez, The Flag and the Cross by Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, Shadow Network by Anne Nelson, The Power Worshippers by Katherine Stewart, and How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt.
*See previous posts on reproductive health care (Aug, Sept, Oct 2022) and gender-affirming care (June 2023).
DISCLAIMER: I am a member of the League of Women Voters. Views expressed are my own.
NOTE: Hispanic Heritage month began on September 15. See these links for more information: https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/
https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/hispanic-heritage-month
https://latino.si.edu/hispanic-heritage-month
https://www.pbs.org/articles/celebrate-hispanic-heritage-month
Text and photograph copyright © 2023 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Above photo of Klimsenkapelle (Klimsen Chapel) atop Klimsenhorn peak as seen from Mt Pilatus, Switzerland.
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the blog with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.
Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).
Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice. Click here to learn more.
First, let’s define “nationalism.” Nationalism is an ideology that promotes extreme patriotism to one’s nation. Citizens are expected to put the nation above their own interests, rights, and liberties. Political leaders curtail individual rights in the name of national interest and hold its nation’s interests above all other nations. There are many nationalistic movements around the globe. North Korea is an example of a country that embraces nationalism to the point that they literally have the most undemocratic country on the planet. Hungary is an example of a country that is democratic in name only while being controlled by a dictator. Nationalism is a slippery slope to authoritarianism and it starts with disinformation and seeds of division sown between groups of people within a nation.
Christian nationalism, sometimes referred to as “white Christian nationalism,” is a political movement in the US that is associated with far-right leaning citizens and politicians. This American version of nationalism is extreme patriotism wrapped in the cloak of Christianity whose loyalty is not to the US but to its own ideas of government based on its cultural and religious doctrines. It seeks to destroy the US, its constitution, and its institutions in order to remake the nation into its own image.
The term “Christian” is a dog whistle for white, straight, conservative, male (typically), and native-born Americans. It is a term that glorifies themselves as “good, decent people” and to normalize their extreme beliefs. Being a true American (and patriot) is defined as being their version of a "Christian." This excludes nonwhites, LGBTQA+, women, and foreign-born people as true Americans.
Christian nationalism is not a Christian movement but rather a political one. The goal is not to follow Christ but to gain power and societal control. It is a distortion of the Christian faith with the goal of the destruction of democracy.
Through disinformation, divisiveness, and polarization, the movement seeks to subjugate or eliminate all people deemed “other,” including women, the LGBTQA+ community, people of color, and immigrants. They vilify and exclude those they deem different from themselves and seek to take away their rights and liberties, all in the name of “religious liberty.” By doing so, they enhance their own rights, privileges, and power at the expense of everyone else. This ideology does not resemble the teachings of Jesus who never excluded or oppressed anyone.
Recent laws implemented by far-right state legislatures curtail or ban reproductive rights and gender-affirming care*. The agenda of Christian nationalism is clearly anti-women, anti-trans, anti-gay, racist, and xenophobic. With far-right politicians in Congress and conservative judges on the federal bench, the rights and freedoms we all enjoy in the US are being stripped away. Through restrictive laws upheld by a nation’s judiciary, a democracy slides into authoritarianism where ultimately no one will have freedom.
One of the foundational beliefs of Christian nationalists is that the US was created as a Christian nation by the Founding Fathers, that it was always intended to be a Christian nation, and that it has veered so far from being a Christian nation that it must be destroyed and rebuilt. (Sometimes this is called Christian Reconstructionism, not to be confused with an individual who reconstructs their own personal beliefs.) A look at history, however, tells a different story.
The Founding Fathers never intended to create a Christian nation. The first settlers came to the New World to escape religious persecution. They understood the suffering caused by a government that imposed a particular religion on its people. The Founding Fathers created a nation that could withstand and even encourage diversity of thought and of religion, a place where freedom means individual expressions of religion. They created a free nation, but they did not create a Christian nation.
While mostly religious, the Founding Fathers did not agree on any one theology. However, they did agree that this country was not nor ever should be a Christian nation and they took great care to ensure that it did not become a country where one religion ruled supreme. Thomas Jefferson encouraged James Madison when the latter created the Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments to the US Constitution) to include a “wall” between the church and state. The First Amendment includes freedom of religion and declares through the Establishment Clause that the government cannot establish a state religion. The Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment states that everyone has the right to exercise their own religion.
If the Framers of the US Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, wanted to create a Christian nation, they had the power to do so. Instead, they went to great lengths to ensure that never happened. While the phrase “separation of church and state” is not actually used in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights, Jefferson used it when describing his vision for this nation, a vision shared by the Framers who built this principle into the creation of our government. Maintaining the separation of church and state is imperative for everyone’s individual rights and freedoms.
Christian nationalists use the argument that the phrases “In God We Trust” on US currency and “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance are proof that the US was created as a Christian nation. However, neither of these phrases proves that claim. The phrase “In God We Trust” was first added to the two-cent coin in 1864 during a religious resurgence due to the Civil War. “Under God” was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954 by President Eisenhower and members of Congress to distinguish the US from communist countries during the Cold War. In fact, a much older motto for the US was adopted in 1782 by the Continental Congress when designing the official US seal: E Pluribus Unum, which means “out of many, one.” And in 1795, this motto symbolizing the principle of unity and equality that this nation was built upon was added to the $5 gold coin. History teaches us that our Founding Fathers intended this nation to be built on unity and equality, not Christianity.
Well-intended Christians may also believe the falsehood that the US was created as a Christian nation. But as history informs us and as stated above, the US was not founded as a Christian nation and was never intended to be. To believe otherwise is dangerous because it enables Christian nationalists to use Christianity for their own twisted purposes of gaining power and control over society. Violence is often a means to their end, just as we witnessed their destructive insurrection on January 6th, 2021. On that day we also saw Christian symbols co-opted to legitimize the violence.
By portraying Jesus as a warrior-king, Christian nationalists undermine the very tenets of Christianity. We know from reading the Gospels that Jesus did not come as a warrior to overturn the oppressive Roman government. His way was love, not hate. His goal was justice, not tyranny. His actions were merciful, not mercenary. Throughout history, however, many people claiming to follow Jesus perpetrated horrendous deeds in His name for the sake of power. Christian nationalists have joined their ranks.
The main point to remember is that the end game of Christian nationalism is not actually to have Christian values and principles rule the land. These are simply the means to the end which is absolute power and societal control. This slide from democracy to authoritarianism is indeed a slippery slope, one we cannot afford to descend.
Christian nationalism and its end-game of authoritarianism will win if we do not stop it. We cannot be silent or apathetic. Become knowledgeable about the issues. Stand up for truth. Call out disinformation. Vote for candidates who work for the good of all people. Support non-partisan organizations who work for free and fair elections, like the League of Women Voters (https://www.lwv.org/) and give to their education fund (https://www.lwv.org/league-women-voters-education-fund). Support organizations that fight Christian nationalism, like Americans United for the Separation of Church and State (https://www.au.org/).
We cannot ignore this threat; it will not go away. But together we can turn the tide to build a more equitable society where all are free to worship as they please and all have the inalienable rights that the Founding Fathers established in the Declaration of Independence: the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. May it be so!
God, may we have eyes to see the dangers of this movement and may we have the courage to take a stand against it. For Jesus will not be mocked. His principles cannot be twisted for political purposes and for the sake of power. May we be one nation indivisible in our pursuit of love, justice, and mercy. Amen.
In future posts, we will look at the history of Christian nationalism, its major players, and also the dangerous implications for democracy in the US. In the meantime, I highly recommend the following books on Christian nationalism: Jesus and John Wayne by Kristen Kobes Du Mez, The Flag and the Cross by Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, Shadow Network by Anne Nelson, The Power Worshippers by Katherine Stewart, and How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt.
*See previous posts on reproductive health care (Aug, Sept, Oct 2022) and gender-affirming care (June 2023).
DISCLAIMER: I am a member of the League of Women Voters. Views expressed are my own.
NOTE: Hispanic Heritage month began on September 15. See these links for more information: https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/
https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/hispanic-heritage-month
https://latino.si.edu/hispanic-heritage-month
https://www.pbs.org/articles/celebrate-hispanic-heritage-month
Text and photograph copyright © 2023 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Above photo of Klimsenkapelle (Klimsen Chapel) atop Klimsenhorn peak as seen from Mt Pilatus, Switzerland.
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the blog with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.
Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).
Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice. Click here to learn more.
RSS Feed