Christian Nationalism: Don’t Embrace It

Certain groups of Americans have been trying to tear down our nation for the last several years. The tactics have been varied, but the message has been the same. “America is evil.” “America is a bad place.” “America isn’t for (insert people group here.)” Hilariously, some of the people repeating the anti-American rhetoric have, due to living in this great and free country, achieved amazing things. For example, Lebron James, four-time NBA championship winner, has sowed divisiveness concerning police and racial matters, especially with the Ma’Khia Bryant incident. His public platform, of course, makes his (uneducated) opinion pervasive and convincing to his fans. Meanwhile, many Christians have responded to these attacks on our country with Christian nationalism. Please, don’t embrace this.

Defining Christian Nationalism

To be quite honest, Christian nationalism is somewhat challenging to define. There seems to be a lot of different variations, but one thing all the definitions agree on is that it is a no good, very bad thing.

Maybe we need to back up to see the full picture.

Defining Nationalism

Nationalism is much easier to define, though, the definition is under construction in some circles. It is loyalty, love, and commitment to your country. Nationalism also encompasses the idea that nations should be sovereign states. That is, they should self-govern, pursue their own interests first, and have a shared culture.

Does this sound familiar? It should. Other than great nicknames for his opposition, this was former President Donald Trump’s platform. “America First” and “Make America Great Again” were all about nationalism. And because “orange man bad,” nationalism became a disease of the political Right.

Removing politics from the discussion, however, reveals nationalism as a good thing. It drives the desire to take care of our own. Nationalism motivates brave men and women to put their lives on the line for you and me. Not to mention, it focuses us on the positives of where we live rather than on the less than desirable parts.

Don’t be fooled, though. Nationalism can be a bad thing when it turns our country into an idol or leads to a sense of superiority. Currently, nationalism is usually meant as a negative term unlike patriotism.

Defining Patriotism

Simply stated, patriotism is love and devotion to your country. As with most things, patriotism can be negative or positive. Generally, people still view it positively, but I’m not confident that will continue much longer. Patriotism will die a quick death if social justice warriors like Gwen Berry have anything to say about it.

Back To Christian Nationalism

So, then what is Christian nationalism? After reading about a dozen articles trying to define the term, here’s where I landed. Christian nationalists view Christians as more important than other Americans. They define the United States as a Christian nation, and thus, must stop the culture from changing. This could include stripping some groups of rights, if necessary.

In addition, according to Christians Against Christian Nationalism (CACN), Christian nationalists try to make American and Christian identities into one unified identity. CACN also claims Christian nationalists believe that in order to be a good American one must also be a Christian.

As you can see, Christian nationalism takes patriotism and nationalism a few steps too far. If people didn’t know what it was by the end 2020, they were about to find out.

Christian Nationalism’s Big Event

January 6, 2021. The media had already decried the evils of Christian nationalism for four years, but CNN and its ilk finally had their day. People protested in front of the Capitol building and a riot ensued. People stormed the Capitol in hopes of…something. There’s a lot of disagreement about that day, but what we can all agree on is that the mainstream media had the chance to point to Christian nationalism on live television. As for the rest of us? We got pulled under the bus!

Time has fully placed the blame for January 6th on Christian nationalists. The article says they are all racists because they want less mail-in voting and “strict” voting laws. The piece goes on to warn readers of code words like heritage, values, and culture. Any excuse to push talking points, I guess, but these arguments are weak yet very well-accepted.

NPR supports blaming Christian nationalism for the January 6th event because some people had “Jesus” on signs they carried. This makes no sense to any Christian because we all know by now that using His name doesn’t make you a believer (Matthew 7:21-23).

The term Christian nationalism is loaded with negativity, presumptions, and assumptions by spectators watching from the outside. Additionally, there are some truly unbiblical beliefs on the part of the Christian nationalists, themselves. Oh, but there’s more to it.

The Trump Problem

Hold on! Let me explain. Every negative attribute of Christian nationalism, whether real or perceived, is linked to former President Donald Trump. I’m not blaming him, but the political Left and the mainstream media are definitely doing that. Because so many people see nationalism and Christianity associated with Trump, both of those things are made even worse in the eyes of the Left. It’s certainly childish to look at things that way, but here we are.

My Take

I blame Evangelical leaders. Men like Franklin Graham and Robert Jeffress pushed so hard for Trump leading up to the 2016 election that they practically turned him into a religious figure. Love him or hate him, former President Trump is a political figure, not a religious one.

These leaders downplayed and/or ignored obvious moral failings in Trump’s life while hailing him as the answer to Christian America’s prayers. That left a bad taste in some mouths, and it sent others down a road of Christian nationalism that hurt the Church and the Christian testimony of the Church.

That’s my take, though. All opinion. Don’t come for me!

Speaking of Robert Jeffress, take a look at the worship service he put on last week. You can find it HERE. I have two things to say about it. 1.) It is beautiful. The musicians and singers are so talented, and it is quite a spectacle to behold. 2.) That was not a service designed to honor and worship God. It honored America. And I am not surprised Jeffress was behind it given his bent toward Christian nationalism.

What Do We Do With Christian Nationalism?

We need to remember who we are, ladies. It’s not in Trump we trust or in Biden we trust (thankfully). We trust the God of the Bible. Here’s why.

1. “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

God cares for you and can handle the weight of your worries.

2. “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

The Lord offers peace and hears our wants and needs.

3. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

Jesus never changes. The political winds will never alter who He is or diminish His power.

4. “Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;” (1 Timothy 6:15)

We have one Ruler over all, and that is Jesus.

Simultaneously, we do have commitments to our own earthly government. I’m not trying to tell you to overthrow ungodly leadership. Actually, expect ungodly leadership. Here are a couple of things the Bible tells us about our government.

1. “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” (Romans 13:1)

God has placed our leaders in their positions, and we are to submit to them. Of course, God is the highest Power, therefore, we refuse to comply with a government instructing us to sin. That’s part of a different conversation, though.

2. “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

In this Scripture we see Paul instructing Timothy to pray for leaders. We don’t have kings here in the United States, but we do have people in authority over us. Biblically, despite our fleshly reaction to them at times, we are told to pray for these people.

Where We Direct Our Love

God gave us an amazing place to live. Yes, Earth, but specifically America. Our nation is a large expanse of beauty in nature, various people groups, museums, spectacular cityscapes, and food that has influences from all over the world. We are rich and comfortable as a country, and our government, if we are honest, is pretty great. (Think big picture on that last one.)

We live in a nation built on Christian values. The founders were not perfect men, and they may not have even been truly Christian (we don’t really know). However, they created a government and built a nation on Christian ideals. So, let’s be thankful and appreciate what we have and what has been done for us.

Be patriotic. Be a nationalist. But love God first.

Final Thought

Sadly, believers have been clumped into a group that uses the name of Jesus as a political and cultural message. Sometimes as a weapon. However, just like 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ is not here to overthrow governments or to make America great again. He changes lives through His sacrifice on the cross. He saves souls. No political party, protest, or piece of legislation is going to do that.

I ask you to reject Christian nationalism. We can love America, support our troops, vote by our consciences, follow the news, and even be political while still acknowledging Jesus is our one true hope. If the U.S.A. has taken preeminence in your life, then repent and bring your focus back to Jesus.

Are you in favor of Christian nationalism? Have you ever even seen a definition for it? Let me know in the comments.

Image courtesy of Joshua Eckstein via Unsplash.