CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM:
- brittbryan1001
- Dec 4, 2022
- 10 min read
Updated: Dec 5, 2025
Why it's bad for Christianity, and what we can do about it.
How do you identify?
This is a question we are asking now more than ever.
You probably think I am referring to preferred pronouns. I’m not.
I’m talking about your core identity.
Not your gender. Not your nationality or ethnicity. Not your disability or limitations. Not your age, your profession, your relationship status, your socioeconomic status, sexual orientation or even your alma mater. And DEFINITELY NOT your political affiliation.
I’m not even referring to your religious identity.
I am talking about your CORE identity.
Of course, that will depend on the individual and their situation. But, for the purposes of this blog today, I want to pose this question to Christians living in America:
What is your identity?
Any good Christian will quote Philippians 3:20 and tell you their citizenship is in heaven.
But, if we look at the fruits of Christianity in America today, and just look at the reputation of Christians today, I don’t believe the majority of Christians truly place their citizenship in heaven, but rather, in their political party.
Before you tune out, I want to be VERY CLEAR that this post is NOT about politics. I am not advocating for any political position or candidate.
I do not like to talk about my own political opinions because it only alienates people, which is never my goal. But I live in Georgia, and maybe you’ve heard of the mid-term runoff for the Senate between Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker?
Oh my. Those campaign commercials. I know we are all sick of them, so I don’t want to add to our exhaustion over the constant noise of attacks on character and negativity.
But I do want to tell a quick story before I get to my main point.
Like a lot of people, David and I voted early. But we still get lots of political calls and solicitors at our door.
The other day, a woman came to our door from the Faith & Freedom Coalition. She wanted to make sure we voted, which we assured her we already had. Still, she handed us a flyer and gave us her spiel about the importance of voting. She said it did not matter WHO we voted for, as long as we voted our Christian values.
The flyer she handed us told us what our Christian values should be. A quick little jaunt over to their website will tell you all you need to know about this organization. I won't give them any more air time now.
But the fact is that political discourse IS what dominates all the air time right now. It’s filling the space around us all today. Ad space, head space, personal space…it's all permeated by politics.
Here we are in the season of Advent, weeks away from Christmas. This should be the most wonderful time of the year! But we are inundated with political attack campaigns interrupting our peaceful silent nights.
So, that’s why this topic feels relevant today.
I already said that this post is NOT about advocating for a particular political position.
What I AM attempting to do with this post is to encourage Christians to separate our identity in Christ from our political affiliation. These spheres should not overlap, if the result of that is harm to others.
This blog is my call to Christians, in our highly politicized environment, to be very careful about where we place our allegiance in the days ahead. Regardless of the result’s of Tuesday’s runoff, I want to help us to remember that our loyalty is not to an elephant or a donkey, but to The Lamb.
It’s easy to say that. We probably all say that, maybe even believe we truly mean it. But I’m not convinced that’s actually true.
It will likely come as no surprise that more and more people today are placing their political tribe at the center of their sense of self. And Christians are no exception.
In fact, there is a movement called “Christian nationalism” that is increasingly picking up steam in our culture today. That’s what I want to talk about. What it is, how we got here, why it’s anti-biblical, and what is needed instead.
WHAT IS CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM?
It's slippery. There is no really clear, universally accepted definition.
I think it’s best to start with nationalism. The dictionary definition of nationalism is: “identification with one's own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.”
Christian nationalism is the belief that the nation is defined by Christianity, and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way. (1)
Christian nationalism happens in other countries too, but for the purposes of this discussion, I’m speaking about the trend in America. Some people confuse nationalism with patriotism, but they are not the same thing. When Christians muddle them, the result is devastating for both Christianity and America. So, let’s clear things up, shall we?
Patriotism means you love and are devoted to your country. Nationalism is a political agenda for defining your country in a certain way. (1)
American Christian nationalism espouses that America is a Christian country and we need to use the government to keep it that way. It’s a position typically taken by far-right conservative Republicans. (I am referring to the extreme religious right - NOT your regular, reasonable Conservative Republicans.)
But increasingly, politicians are building their platform on the foundation of Christian nationalism.
SO, HOW DID WE GET HERE?
Before you think I am just part of the Radical Left, let me tell you what Conservative academic Paul D. Miller says on this subject. (You should know Miller is a former White House staffer for Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He is very well-respected and has a reputation for being fair and balanced in his politics.)
Miller wrote a book called The Religion of American Greatness: What’s Wrong With Christian Nationalism, in which he presents his case that Christian nationalism is a threat to our democracy.
Miller deeply loves America and is a devout Christian and describes himself as a Southern Baptist. In his book, he explains how our religious identities are being shaped by our racial, cultural, and ethnic identities rather than the other way around. (2)
In her book Jesus and John Wayne, scholar Kristin Kobes Du Mez outlines an extensive history of Christian nationalism, spanning 75 years, showing how we got here.
She gives examples of the political figures who managed to pick up on the country’s fascination with the John Wayne cowboy character. You know, the rugged, “strong man” hero-type. The man who does what he has to do and doesn’t give a damn what anyone thinks. (3)
Several politicians contributed to that shift in Conservative Christian politics. Pat Buchanan was one such figure. Buchanan ran for president in 1992 and 1996. At the Republican National Convention in 1992, he said that winning the “religious and cultural wars” and protecting America’s identity as “God’s Country” was the responsibility of the Republican Party, which obviously resonated with their base. (2)
These politicians advocated on behalf of the “moral majority,” and claimed to uphold Christian values. Part of those values included being at war with certain policies.
(Again, I am not advocating for or against a particular political party. This is just the history outlined in both Miller and Du Mez’s books, as it pertains to the rise of Christian nationalism.)
Flash forward twenty years, and Donald Trump put Christian nationalism back at the forefront of society with his 2016 speech where he claimed he was going to restore “Christian power” in America. (2)
Photo cred: timesofisrael.com
And recently, at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Florida this past February, Governor Ron DeSantis told his audience that they would need to put on the full armor of God to fight back against the “Left’s schemes.” Here’s part of what he said:
“So we have an opportunity to make 2022 the year that America fought back. We’re gonna lead the charge here in Florida, but we need people all over the country to be willing to put on that full armor of God, to stand firm against the Left’s schemes. You’ll be met with flaming arrows, but the shield of faith will stop them. You will emerge victorious.” (4)
I do not believe that is what Paul intended in his letter to the church in Ephesus when he told them to put on the full armor of God…
WHY IS CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM ANTI-BIBLICAL?
I hope you notice I have not one time advocated for a certain political position or policy.
I have tried to make the point that when Christians get themselves wrapped up in politics and policies, they lose sight of people they’re called to love. And that happens on both sides of the political aisle, for sure.
We see this play out all the time in political disputes on social media between friends and strangers alike.
I had a conversation with someone recently who told me he quit all social media four years ago. I asked why and he said it was because of politics. He could not stand to see the fighting and he also could not seem to avoid participating in it himself. It was ruining relationships with friends and family members. So, he deleted all his accounts and claims he’s much happier for it.
I have certainly witnessed a lot of that myself in my own circles. In my own family. You have surely experienced this for yourself... It’s hard to stay out of the fray when you feel passionately about a topic. Believe me - I know that OH-SO-WELL.
It’s especially difficult when conversing with that person who knows more than you do on a subject. (Btw, does ANYONE like a know-it-all??)
The point is that there is a severe lack of humility in political discourse in general, to put it mildly. And if we are severing relationships over politics, we are getting something VERY WRONG.
The apostle Paul saw this so clearly in his day, when people got all caught up in the politics of the law. He said, and this is so stinking brilliant:
“We know that ‘We all possess knowledge.' But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.” -1 Corinthians 8:1
When we allow ourselves to become puffed up by our political party, it’s time to start spending more time building up.
So, political opinions and conversations get heated. We get this.
But Christian nationalism is more sinister because it inherently separates. It places American and Christian culture above all others. It draws boundary lines Jesus himself came to erase. Put more bluntly, it is anti-biblical.
Christian nationalists often quote bible verses 2 Chronicles 7:14 (“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” ) and Psalm 33:12 (“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance”) to support their case.
I cannot believe this needs to be said... but those verses are NOT about America! But Christian nationalists use cherry-picked Bible verses like that as weapons to support their harmful agenda. I cannot believe this needs to be said…. but Scripture should never be used as a weapon of hatred!
What happened at our nation’s Capitol on January 6th was a result of Christian nationalism gone way too far.
That is an extreme example, and the people who participated in that horrible event were once considered to be outliers. Unfortunately, the extreme is becoming more and more of the mainstream. And in the name of God.
I am not saying everyone who was there was part of the violence. I am not saying that everyone who supports Trump and his policies are Christian nationalists. I am not saying we should not care about or participate in political conversation or activism.
We should care about policies that impact our lives and our laws.
I’m just saying as Christians, we must stay vigilant in making sure we do not focus so much on Constitutional Law that we lose sight of the Higher Law: Love.
This concern about making an idol of the law is not an issue unique to our day.
In Matthew 22, the Pharisees, who were experts on Jewish Law (the Laws of Moses, or the Torah, which are the first five books of what Christians call the Old Testament) ask Jesus in front of a crowd of people: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:34-40)
And there you have it.
When Christians become so fanatical about the "law," we miss the whole point.
SO, WHAT IS NEEDED INSTEAD?
The fact is that Christian nationalism is in direct opposition to actual Christianity. It means we form our identity around our politics rather than around Christ.
Christian nationalism, at its worst, is idolatry.
In the Book of Revelation, John describes a vision of what Christianity looks like at its best:
“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9)
It’s a vision of diversity and inclusion. But Christian nationalism separates, which is NOT the biblical vision.
So, can we love our country AND our God? Is it possible? YES! But here’s what we have to do to make sure we keep our priorities in the right order:
We must turn from idolatry. We must call our allegiance from empire back to the Lamb of God. And we must remember that love is the highest fulfillment of the Law.
To be sure, Christian nationalists are not the only group that do a disservice to Christianity. We could all pretty easily list a few groups we disagree with. And I am definitely not trying to act as if I am a perfect Christian!
I have chosen to focus this piece on Christian nationalism because it’s relevant right now, with the senate race in my state, and also because identity politics are at the forefront of people’s attention right now.
For me, Paul’s letter to the Galatians is our very best instruction on our identity:
"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)
When it comes to how we identify as Christians, there is a lot fighting for our attention and allegiance. Our core identity must be in Christ Jesus alone.
So, I ask again. How do you identify?
END NOTES:
This was a hard one to write, because I so do not want to alienate anyone. But I do want to try to help in any way I can to make sure we don’t get too far off course. This blog is my attempt at doing that. I hope I have not offended anyone and if I have, please know that was not my intent.
Here are the books and articles I used for this blog:
(4) DeSantis’ speech: CP POLITICS | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022
You are gifted really enjoyed the new blog!