What is Christian nationalism?
The First Amendment together with Christian nationalism are the ingredients of the buzzword tossed salad now in the forefront of the news. Many are consuming this salad, because “first amendment” is frequently a first-class buzzword, and of course anything that’s “Christian” must be good. Right? But how many have actually read and understood the First Amendment? And how many actually understand what Christian nationalism is about?
First Amendment: Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression.
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.
Historically, many of the nation’s founders fled from religious persecution in England and were also knowledgeable about the long history of religious strife in Europe. Consequently, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin, considered the principle architects among the framers of the U.S. Constitution, argued that a secular government would prevent tyranny, corruption, and sectarian conflicts, and promote democracy, equality, and diversity.
"Religion and government will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together." and "Who does not see that the same authority which can establish Christianity, in exclusion of all other religions, may establish with the same ease any particular sect of Christians, in exclusion of all other sects?" — James Madison, chief architect of the U.S. Constitution, fourth President of the United States.
There is no basis in any of the Founder’s intentions, the U.S. Constitution, reference to the founder’s writings, or any modern legal basis that supports the notion that the U.S. was founded as a Christian state or even based on any religious principles.
Hence, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the interpretation of the First Amendment to mean the “separation of church and state” in various rulings from 1879 (Reynolds v. United States) through 2014 (Burwell v. Hobby Lobby).
Christian nationalism
“Christian nationalism” is the term bandied about by right-wing Republicans as something to embrace. For example, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene recently urged the GOP to embrace being "Christian nationalists".
Funny thing, none of Christ’s disciples ever wrote about Jesus embracing anything similar to “Christian nationalism”. So where does the term come from? Does Representative Greene understand what she’s saying, or is she just glibly tossing a popular buzzword salad?
Even more confusing, given GOP legislation, congressional Republicans clearly do not even aspire to Christian principles. For example, the GOP worships the Golden Calf almost exclusively (Luke 11:39-42, Luke 18:18–25) by passing legislation that only benefits the ultra wealthy and corporations worth billion$ The GOP oppress the poor and downtrodden (2 Corinthians 8:14) by cutting funds for social safety nets, rejecting affordable healthcare and medicine for all Americans, and much more. The GOP rejects stewardship of the Earth (Gen. 1:26-28) by denying climate change and undermining efforts to reverse it, by undermining clean air and water legislation; and by continuing to provide huge subsidies for the oil industry.
One would think this confusion is just another case of Republican ignorance and hypocrisy. But it’s not. Christian nationalism is not about Christianity. It’s about division, power and control, which is antithetical to Christ’s teachings, but consistent with the right-wing Republican’s seditious efforts to grab power.
Reverend Chuck Currie of Oregon tweeted "Unlike Marjorie Taylor Greene, I've studied the Scriptures & devoted myself to serving the Church. Christian nationalism is a racist ideology incompatible with Christianity. Jesus was for all the world, not one nation. Beware false teachers like Greene. She dances with the devil," Authentic Christians agree and stand against Christian nationalism.
Reverend Currie is correct, but this ideology goes much farther than racism. According to Katherine Stewart, author of, “The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism” (March, 2020), “Christian nationalism is not a social or cultural movement. It is a political movement, and its ultimate goal is power.“
“It does not seek to add another voice to America’s pluralistic democracy but to replace our foundational democratic principles and institutions with a state grounded on a particular version of Christianity”. Some adherents call this version a biblical worldview. Conveniently, it also happens to serve the interests of its plutocratic funders, allied political leaders, and other power brokers. “This is not a culture war. It is a political war over the future of democracy.”
And it gets worse. Since 2020, plans for the Christian national political war is ready to execute. The Heritage Foundation, a “conservative” “think” tank has published a 950-page document called Project 2025 to undermine our democratic republic, disregard the rule of law, bypass or reconstrue the U.S. Constitution, gut the EPA, and reject climate science, among many other heretical goals.
In essence, Project 2025 would return America to a pre-1930’s or even late 1800’s status by repealing most modern legislative progress, e.g. women’s rights, voter’s rights, worker’s rights, child labor laws, and environmental protection laws, to name just a few.
An analogy to Project 2025 is Margaret Atwood’s “A Handmaid’s Tale” (a depiction of a dystopian fascist, theocratic America) mixed with Orwell’s “1984”—in effect Orwellian Christian nationalism.
What is Christian nationalism? It’s sedition and a power grab—a government take-over plan that emphasizes anti-Truth, anti-Christianity, and anti-Science—in all, it’s anti-American and has nothing to do with either Christianity or the First Amendment.
In the author’s opinion, the word “Christian” was included in the name, and supporters of this movement reference the First Amendment, because these are buzzwords to get gullible, ignorant people to jump on the Christian nationalist’s bandwagon.
Madison, James. Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments. 1785.
Madison, James. A Detached Memorandum. 1819.
Rakove, Jack N. James Madison and the Creation of the American Republic. Pearson, 2007.
Faith Leaders Speak Out Against Christian Nationalism—NPR, July, 2021
Christian nationalism’s opponents are getting organized—RNS Religion News Service, August, 2023
All of US: Organizing to Counter White Christian Nationalism and Build a Pro-Democracy Society—Kairos Center and MoveOn Education Fund, May, 2023
What Is Christian Nationalism, Exactly?—NY Times, February, 2024
The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism—Katherine Stewart, March, 2020