What is Christian Nationalism? Support grows for the ideology in the GOP

• GOP lawmakers have recently floated Christian nationalist ideas, even embracing the declaration.
• Christian nationalism affirms the intrinsic connection between being American and being Christian.
• Critics say the political ideology is incompatible with either Christian or American values.

Although Christian nationalism goes back hundreds of years, the concept gained attention when Republican lawmakers openly embraced aspects of the ideology and called for Christianity to play a larger role in American life and institutions.

Colorado Rep. Lauren Bobert said in June that she was “tired of this separation of church and state garbage” and that “the church runs the government.” Former President Donald Trump was seen in July conflating being an American with Christianity, saying, “Americans bow to God, and God alone.” And Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene She has repeatedly described herself as a Christian nationalist, saying that the GOP should be the party of Christian nationalism.

Green and other proponents of Christian nationalism sound the alarm on the concept simply because of the The “godless left” who hate America and God.. But some Republicans and Christians have condemned the concept, which critics say runs counter to American and Christian values.

So what is Christian nationalism?

“The Integration of Christianity into American Public Life.”

Christian nationalism can be expressed in many ways, but it can generally be combined with the belief that Christianity and America are so intrinsically linked that religion should have a special place in American society.

Sociologists Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry make a powerful statement in their 2020 book, “Reclaiming America to God: Christian Nationalism in the United States.”

“Simply put, Christian nationalism is a cultural framework—a collection of myths, traditions, symbols, narratives, and value systems—that aligns and empowers Christianity with American civic life,” they write.

Americans who espouse such ideas may not identify themselves as Christian nationalists, so Whitehead and Perry used survey questions to determine where a person falls on a scale of Christian nationalism.

The questions were part of a regular national survey of American religious beliefs conducted by Baylor University. The questions used to develop the scale asked Americans to rate how strongly they agreed with the following statements, ranging from strongly disagree to strongly disagree.

1. The federal government should declare the United States a Christian nation.
2. The federal government must support Christian values.
3. The federal government must strictly enforce the separation of church and state.
4. The federal government should allow religious symbols to be displayed in public places.
5. The success of the United States is part of God’s plan.
6. The federal government should allow prayer in public schools.

Positions vary widely, suggesting that all Americans cannot be divided into whether or not they support Christian nationalism. Instead, the authors say, people may accept some aspects, but not others.

Americans of various demographics have come in everywhere, but the most receptive to Christian nationalism may come from a particular group: white, conservative, evangelical Christians.

Who are Christian Nationalists?

The authors found that 52 percent of Americans could be classified as “ambassadors” or “hosts” of Christian nationalism, while the rest could be classified as “opponents” or “resisters.”

Facilitators, who were less undecided but more inclined to embrace Christian nationalism, were the largest group at around 32 percent. Ambassadors, or full converts to Christian nationalism, make up about one-fifth of Americans.

Ambassadors believe the United States has a special relationship with God and the government should declare the country a Christian nation, advocate for Christian values ​​and restore prayer to public schools, the authors said.

More than half of evangelicals are known to be Protestants. They were also the oldest of the four groups, were predominantly white, and lived mostly in small towns in cities, many of them in the South and Midwest. Two-thirds considered themselves politically conservative, and more than half identified as Republicans, although one in five were Democrats.

People who score high on the Christian Nationalism scale are more likely to hold racially intolerant views and support racist or xenophobic policies. They are also more likely to view serving in the military as a “good guy.” Christian nationalists may believe in religious freedom, but they believe that Christianity should be favored over other faiths in American society.

Although Christian nationalism is gaining support in the GOP, the authors note that faith in the ideology has declined over the past three decades, particularly as more and more Americans become religiously unaffiliated.

Christianity, Trump and Rebellion

A significant driving force behind recent discussions of Christian nationalism is the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.

Many Trump supporters carried Christian signs as they stormed the building to disrupt the 2020 election they believe was stolen from the former president.

A report published in February by faith leaders, historians and theologians – including Whitehead and Perry – detailed the extent to which Christian nationalism had influenced and manifested itself in the rebellion.

Flags with messages such as “Jesus is my savior, Trump is my president” and “Make America God again” were common in the crowd. The photos showed phrases such as “In God We Trust” and “God Bless the USA” written on a wooden hanging pole.

In one image, a man with a “Trumpet 2020” flag draped over his shoulder kneels in prayer before a large cross.

The report’s authors — the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, the Religious Freedom Foundation, and a joint project of Christians Against Christian Nationalism — argued that Christian nationalism had played a role in “reinforcing, justifying, and intensifying” attacks on the U.S. Capitol. .

The authors examine the role of white Christian nationalism, particularly highlighting the overlap between Christian nationalist ideologies and racism.

Christians oppose Christian nationalism

Scholars and activists argue that Christian nationalism is not the same as Christianity, and that criticizing an ideology is not the same as criticizing a religion.

“I think we’re very concerned that Christian nationalism is becoming more violent,” said Amanda Tyler, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, citing the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and the 2019 mosque shooting in New York. Zeeland In both cases the suspects harbored Christian nationalist ideologies.

Tyler is the lead organizer of the Campaign and Coalition for Christian Nationalism, which launched in 2019 with a manifesto signed by more than 27,000 Christians.

Tyler says that Christian nationalism is a perversion of the Christian religion that “leads people to idolatry instead of worshiping God.” The ideology violates the basic Christian belief of love your neighbor as yourself, she says, because it is “second-class to our non-Christian neighbors.”

She said it is important to speak out against Christian nationalism, especially to show that Christian ideology is dangerous to people of faith.

“Many of our signatories believe that a push against Christian nationalism is essential not only to our democracy but also to our faith.”