Christians Nationalism

 Christian Nationalism

This was a newsletter article I wrote on 7-29-22

There has been some talk in the news about Christian Nationalism lately. A few politicians and pastors have recently made public statements saying that they are “proud to be Christian Nationalists”. This ideology and the embrace of it has the potential to be dangerous.

 All of us are patriotic at times, we love the United States, and as Christians, we should be able to live in the US without compromising our theological convictions. But Christian Nationalism is not merely patriotism or freely living out our faith. It’s an extreme position of politics and religion and it seems to be steadily creeping into our national political discourse.

 Christian Nationalism in the United States is an ideology that equates being a good Christian with being American, and being a good American with being Christian. It believes that Christians (usually certain types of Christians) should have privilege in the US, and that Christian doctrine (usually a certain Christian doctrine) is what our laws should be based on. Some might assume that, as a Christian pastor, I would naturally want our laws based on Christian beliefs. But I don't. I think it's a bad idea because it compromises our democracy, and it compromises our understanding of the Gospel of Jesus.

 Christian Nationalism compromises our democracy because the US was founded on a basis of religious pluralism and gives equal rights to all people of all religions (and even those of no religion at all). To base laws on any religion’s doctrine or rules is a slight to those of other faiths. All people of all faiths should be able to not have compromise their own beliefs. All faiths should be allowed to have a role in our country’s leadership regardless of their religious beliefs, and, while people's faith does inform how they behave and think, our laws should not be based on one group’s spiritual convictions.

 For instance, a Christian belief that we should care for the needy might compel us to support laws that benefit the poor. That would be a proper way that our faith informs our politics. But if our religious belief tells us that we should only marry people of our own faith, we can practice that ourselves, but that should not be enacted as law over other people. That would be Christian Nationalism. I chose a made-up example, but there are many other examples that are real, such as prayer in public school, same-sex marriage, birth control, women’s rights, and abortion.

 Christian Nationalism also compromises our understanding of the Gospel. As Christians, we are joined together by our faith and not by what country we are a citizens of. And even though we might have a fondness of our own country, we know that God loves all people of all countries.

 Christian Nationalism also tends to conflate American policies and systems with Christianity. For example, capitalism. We might believe that it is the best economic system for our government to run under, but we should not make the mistake of thinking that capitalism it’s a Christian system or ordained by God.

 Another way that it compromises our religious belief is that it’s usually a specific, narrow, authoritarian version of Christian doctrine that people often want to make into law. The rule that Christian Nationalists want to impose on others is the doctrine that doesn’t hold forgiveness and grace as paramount, and usually one that promotes exclusion of others and even violence against those who think or act differently. As a Christian, I do not want to be associated with that type of Christianity.

 It can be a difficult and subtle distinction between patriotism and Christian Nationalism, but when we see religious nationalism in other countries, like the Taliban in Afghanistan, who have made their own radical interpretation of Islam into national law, we can more easily see how dangerous and violent it can be. Christian Nationalism has the potential to be just as dangerous for us. As Christians, we don’t want this rhetoric to become normalized.

 In 2019, the ELCA and other denominations signed on to the statement “Christians Against Christian Nationalism.” Elizabeth Eaton, our Presiding Bishop is quoted on the website. She says: “Christian nationalism identifies a human government with God’s will and seeks privilege for Christians from the state. Lutherans teach that government should be held accountable to God but not ever identified with God’s will. The ELCA is committed to strengthening public space as a just place for all regardless of religion or worldview and will defend the full participation of all in our religiously diverse society. This common statement is an important witness on these matters.”

 If you would like to read or sign on to the statement, you can find it here:

 https://www.christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org/