Christian Nationalists
Who are they? What do they believe?
Are They Really a Threat to Democracy?
Christian Nationalism appears in various news stories and social media posts. Not surprisingly, there is some confusion about the term because people simply use terms in different ways.
At a simple level, a Christian Nationalist is anyone who wants their nation to be a Christian Nation. Some nations are nominally Christian like the UK, whose King is the Defender of the Faith (Christian). Ironically, there are a higher percentage of Christians in the US, which is constitutionally a nation that does not establish a national religion but guarantees freedom of religion. I don’t think you have to be a professional historian to realize that many of the early British settlers settled in different colonies where they could practice their Christian tradition (Catholic, Quakers, Puritans, and so on).
Core Beliefs
A survey conducted by PPRI listed five statements, which will help readers understand the key positions of Christian nationalism:
• The U.S. government should declare America a Christian nation.
• U.S. laws should be based on Christian values.
• If the U.S. moves away from our Christian foundations, we will not have a country anymore.
• Being Christian is an important part of being truly American.
• God has called Christians to exercise dominion over all areas of American society.
WHO ARE SOME CURRENT CHRISTIAN NATIONALISTS?
Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene identified herself as a “Christian Nationalist” on a Fox News story in 2022. She believes the GOP should be the party of Christian nationalists. Here’s a quote from 2022:
“We need to be the party of nationalism and I’m a Christian, and I say it proudly, we should be Christian nationalists,” she said in an interview with the conservative Next News Network while attending the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Florida.
Republican Representative Lauren Boebert has been called a Christian Nationalist because of her comments for example, Axios quoted her statement: “I’m tired of this separation of church and state junk.”
Republican Representative Mike Johnson was identified by Time as a Christian Nationalist based on a selection of his views. Here’s one example (read more in the Time story).
“Over the last 60 or 70 years our generation has been convinced that there is a separation of church and state . . . most people think that is part of the Constitution, but it’s not.” And in 2022, he stated “The founders wanted to protect the church from an encroaching state, not the other way around.” Johnson, and those he has famously represented, insist the United States is a nation with “Judeo-Christian roots” at which “secular forces are chipping away.”
Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas identified this way : “Robert Jeffress said that if opposing abortion, transgender rights and illegal immigration made him a Christian nationalist, “count me in.” (Washington Post, 2023, January 10)
Brad Onishi was a Christian Nationalist but has since been an outspoken opponent of Christian nationalism. Here’s a link to one of his YouTube talks. https://youtu.be/1qg9HSrNxzs?si=UCL4bC_ECfMCkWVE
I found a Proud Christian Nationalist T-shirt on AMAZON, so perhaps anyone can identify themselves as such without saying a whole lot. (Link to shirt https://amzn.to/40UnqeQ )
Christian Nationalism - Research
PPRI interviews over 22,000 Americans to find out who supports Christian nationalist. Based on the way people answered their questions, about 30% are either “adherents” or “sympathizers.” Most are active evangelical Christians who are also Republicans. Most are white or Hispanic. See this link to learn more about the people: https://www.prri.org/research/support-for-christian-nationalism-in-all-50-states/
Pew Research has also studied Christian nationalism. They found about 45% of Americans believe the US should be a “Christian nation.” https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/10/27/views-of-the-u-s-as-a-christian-nation-and-opinions-about-christian-nationalism/
Are Christian nationalists really a threat to democracy?
Yes and no. If you define democracy as a government elected by the people and if most people want to be a Christian nation as defined by the Christian nationalists controlling government and influential posts in society, then there is no threat. The majority rules. However, if most people do not want to be governed according to the tenets of Christian nationalist and if Christian nationalists have great power over the laws and institutions of a nation, then Christian nationalism is a threat. In addition, if you are a minority and do not like all or most of the Christian nationalist's ideas or plans, then Christian nationalism is a threat.
Are Christian nationalists Christian?
That's an odd question I created to illustrate that there are so many faith traditions identified as Christian that it is hard to find common ground. Christians disagree about so many things including what it means to be a Christian. Of course there are creeds, but even those can be interpreted literally or metaphorically. Generally, the people in the Christian nationalist movement would certainly fit the typical understanding of what it means to be a Christian.
The NAR, A Related Group
There is an affiliation called the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), which shares some Christian nationalist beliefs. Those affiliated with the NAR are not necessarily on board with Christian nationalism but some views allow outsiders to connect the NAR with Christian nationalist. The NAR is a network of Christians associated with charismatic and Pentecostal groups. They believe in a personal relationship with Jesus, the active work of the Holy spirit in believer’s lives, and spiritual warfare. Their “Seven Mountains Strategy” is important to understand how they plan to control a society. See the article in The Conversation to learn more about the NAR.
REFERENCES
https://myfox8.com/news/politics/christian-nationalism-explainer/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/marjorie-taylor-greene-christian-nationalism-republican-party_n_62dd70bde4b081f3a9007344
https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2022/09/16/political-pulse-lauren-boebert-rhetoric-scrutiny
https://www.prri.org/research/support-for-christian-nationalism-in-all-50-states/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2023/01/06/christian-nationalism-groups/
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/10/27/views-of-the-u-s-as-a-christian-nation-and-opinions-about-christian-nationalism/
https://theconversation.com/new-apostolic-reformation-evangelicals-see-trump-as-gods-warrior-in-their-battle-to-win-america-from-satanic-forces-and-christianize-it-243002#:~:text=Core%20beliefs&text=NAR%20proponents%20argue%20that%20select,significant%20figure%20in%20NAR's%20vision.
Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is www.suttong.com
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