Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Christian Nationalism Old and New

Christian Nationalism Old and New

Last updated on: December 20, 2023 at 9:05 am by Roger E. Olson

0 Comments

Christian Nationalism Old and New 2023-12-20T09:05:17-05:00 Roger E. Olson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I am now on an email list to receive messages from Christians Against Christian Nationalism. I don’t remember signing up for that list. I think someone else put me on the email list.

Here is all that I want to say here: Christian nationalism is not new; it has been around since before the War of Independence. But it has had different “faces” from time to time.

The one unifying theme of all American Christian Nationalism is the belief that God raised up America as a light to all the nations, to show the dignity of the individual with human rights, and to spread religious and other freedoms around the world by example and testimony.

When I was growing up in an extremely conservative form of Christian life in America I was taught that America’s greatness lies in its freedoms, especially religious liberty and democracy. American governments, government leaders, were often criticized when they seemed to fall short on those ideals and themes. Especially when they seemed to compromise with communist leaders (for example Nixon going to China and the US voting to admit the People’s Republic of China to the UN with expelling Chinese Taiwan from the UN).

Yes, we believed that America was raised up by God as a “city set on a hill” to show the world the better way to live, rooted in basic Christian principles of the dignity of every individual, the sacredness of all human life, and the right of everyone to believe and worship without interference from the state. We did not think America had ever lived up to its God-calling perfectly, but we believed the ideals of the founding fathers were God’s ideals for communal living within a nation-state.

We did not idolize America; we knew and said that God is over America and watching America, and that if America ever strayed from God’s plan for it (as described above) God would judge it harshly.

I now realize that there were strains of rhetoric among us that leaned in the direction of extremism. But that contemporary MAGA extremism of today’s American Christian Nationalism was foreign to us.

As usual, I want to nuance things in a contemporary context where nuance is almost never enjoyed. Today’s media-portrayed and real American White Christian Nationalism is both continuous with and discontinuous with the Christian Nationalism in which I was raised and indoctrinated.

Where lies the discontinuity? In idolatry of the nation-state called The United States of America and in an uncritical near-worship of an obviously deranged and malicious narcissist as its rightful leader. Get me right. The Christian Nationalism of my childhood and youth still exists, but the extremists among us (e.g., the few members of the John Birch Society) have virtually taken over the Republican Party and defined America in a way that elevates it to a near-divine status. They have toyed with ideas akin to Fascism that the Christian Nationalism of my youth would not have countenanced, although we were so afraid of Communism that we ignored the threat of Fascism.

*Note: What I said above about the John Birch Society is my opinion, based on my close working relationship with a leader of the Society years ago. I mean no insult to the character of the Society or its members. I thought they were extremists then, but have not kept up with the Society’s more recent beliefs if they have changed. My colleague back then insisted that Eisenhower was a “dupe of the communists” and that America should use nuclear weapons in both the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. I consider the beliefs he shared with me as a leader in the state chapter of the JBS extreme.*

I am not a Christian Nationalist in the contemporary sense, especially as that is being defined now by left-leaning academics and much of the media. I don’t remember ever calling myself a Christian Nationalist and I don’t remember that term being embraced by our spiritual leaders. But I know we were that in some sense of the phrase. It was a mixed bag of good and bad and, unfortunately, our leaders tolerated the bad among us.

I am a Christian Nationalist ONLY in the sense that I do believe America was part of God’s providential plan for the world, but I do not believe it is the only country in the world God has called and used in his plans. And I do not believe God depends on America; should America fall, cease to exist, that would have no affect on God except to grieve him even if it is his judgement.

I do believe that America has by-and-large abandoned God and become secular and pagan that so far, anyway, tolerates real Christianity. But I believe the ideals of America’s founding fathers were rooted in Christian teaching about every human individual being created in the image and likeness of God and therefore deserving of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” including human right. That is not to say America ever lived up to those ideals perfectly; it certainly has not especially with regard to minorities and, too often, peoples of other countries.

But contemporary white Christian Nationalism has gone off the rails and mixed a kind of fascist ideology of “Americanism,” a religion, with Christianity in an idolatrous way.

*Note: If you choose to comment, make sure your comment is relatively brief (no more than 100 words), on topic, addressed to me, civil and respectful (not hostile or argumentative), and devoid of pictures or links.*

Uncategorized

Previous Post

December 17, 2023

Essentials of Christian Thought Book Discussion Begins

Next Post

December 25, 2023 Notes on a Christian Christmas Eve Service

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"No doubt Lewis was inspired by earlier thinkers. Ironically (or perhaps serendipitously) I am now ..."

Roger Olson

The Abolition of Man: Chapter 3: ..."

"I am sure Lewis would agree. After all, as a Christian he believed in original ..."

Roger Olson

The Abolition of Man: Chapter 3: ..."

"If I’m not mistaken, the quote from Lewis is his interpretation of the “Conditioners’” own ..."

Roger Olson

The Abolition of Man: Chapter 3: ..."

"Thank you! It's been a great re-read of a thought provoking, but somewhat dense, little ..."

Øyvind J. Karstad

The Abolition of Man: Chapter 3: ..."

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Against Liberal Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Capernaum" mean?

Select your answer to see how you score.

City of trade Port of peace Village of comfort Place of water