In 2005 I began researching what was then called “The Religious Right” and the dangers inherent in merging political and religious power. Most people did not want to learn about it, partly because they thought its influence was declining. Here we are in 2023, and its heir – Christian Nationalism – has made it to the highest levels of our government and directly threatens our democracy.
(Some info may no longer apply.)
In this e-book, you will find posts from my blog about the Reawaken America Tour held in Batavia, near Rochester, NY in August 2022. While many people opposed to the event held a news conference or a workshop, and demonstrated outside the event, I chose to go inside. During 20 hours of fast-paced presentations and speakers, I took notes which helped me write my reflections and responses to this event. These posts are from the following weeks in the fall of 2022 and appear here as they were written at the time.
As Christians, our faith teaches us everyone is created in God’s image and commands us to love one another. As Americans, we value our system of government and the good that can be accomplished in our constitutional democracy. Today, we are concerned about a persistent threat to both our religious communities and our democracy — Christian nationalism.
Christian nationalism seeks to merge Christian and American identities, distorting both the Christian faith and America’s constitutional democracy. Christian nationalism demands Christianity be privileged by the State and implies that to be a good American, one must be Christian. It often overlaps with and provides cover for white supremacy and racial subjugation. We reject this damaging political ideology and invite our Christian brothers and sisters to join us in opposing this threat to our faith and to our nation.
As Christians, we are bound to Christ, not by citizenship, but by faith. We believe that:
People of all faiths and none have the right and responsibility to engage constructively in the public square.
Patriotism does not require us to minimize our religious convictions.
One’s religious affiliation, or lack thereof, should be irrelevant to one’s standing in the civic community.
Government should not prefer one religion over another or religion over nonreligion.
Religious instruction is best left to our houses of worship, other religious institutions and families.
America’s historic commitment to religious pluralism enables faith communities to live in civic harmony with one another without sacrificing our theological convictions.
Conflating religious authority with political authority is idolatrous and often leads to oppression of minority and other marginalized groups as well as the spiritual impoverishment of religion.
We must stand up to and speak out against Christian nationalism, especially when it inspires acts of violence and intimidation—including vandalism, bomb threats, arson, hate crimes, and attacks on houses of worship—against religious communities at home and abroad.
Whether we worship at a church, mosque, synagogue, or temple, America has no second-class faiths. All are equal under the U.S. Constitution. As Christians, we must speak in one voice condemning Christian nationalism as a distortion of the gospel of Jesus and a threat to American democracy.
Learn why this movement grows in power, becoming a threat to democracy. Discover why we see the world so differently from others. Find out how to tell a story of hope, rather than fear, that will make a difference in our world.
Multiple Christian organizations joined together at this site - https://www.christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org/ - to provide excellent resources to learn about Christian Nationalism.
Vote Common Good created a whole video and discussion curriculum about Confronting Christian Nationalism.
If you like to read, I recommend all of these books:
Unholy: How White Christian Nationalists Powered the Trump Presidency, and the Devastating Legacy They Left Behind by Sarah Posner
The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism by Katherine Stewart
Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez
For broader background to this movement, here are two excellent books:
How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America by Heather Cox Richardson
Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America by Nancy MacLean