Christian Nationalism

The riot at the United States Capital Building on January 6, 2021 is a violent stain on our republic. Our capital was desecrated, windows shattered and blood spilt. These rioters were threatening even worse atrocities, shooting or hanging those they disagreed with. How can we understand these actions? How can we begin to heal the deep divide plaguing our nation? Why did Bible believing Christians participate in these events? We have a lot of ground to cover.

Christians Amongst the Rioters

We have all seen the riots on TV; there is no need to elaborate. We have also seen videos showing those holding high political office encouraging citizens to march angrily to the capital. These were triggers for the violence but the tension had been building for several months, even years. There are photographs of a man carrying a Bible and others carrying religious banners in the riot. “The name of God was everywhere during” the insurrection.^[1] There was a significant Christian participation. “The responsibility of yesterday’s violence must be in part laid at the feet of those evangelical leaders who ushered in and applauded Trump’s presidency. It can also sadly be laid at the feet of the white American church more broadly.”^[2] Some of the rioters believed they were marching under the banner of Jesus to keep the defeated president in office.^[3]

A prominent Southern Baptist leader said he saw a “Jesus Saves” banner near a gallows built by rioters. “I was enraged to a degree that I haven’t been enraged in memory. This is not only dangerous and unpatriotic but also blasphemous; presenting a picture of the gospel of Jesus Christ that isn’t the gospel and is instead its exact reverse.”^[4]

Robert Jones, CEO of the independent nonprofit Public Religion Research Institute and author of two books on Christianity, said “The fact that we saw QAnon, white supremacy and white Christianity all carried together in a violent attack on the Capitol means that particularly white Christians have got some real soul-searching to do.”^[5]

Christian Nationalism

Christian Nationalism, as observed in the Capital riots and other right-wing events, is not based on the teachings of Jesus; it is certainly not based on the Golden Rule which he taught. Christianity is a set of beliefs based on teachings in the Bible, especially the New Testament. “Christian nationalism is a political ideology about American identity. It is a set of policy prescriptions for what the nationalists believe the American government should do. It’s not drawn from the Bible.”^[6]

Christian Nationalism blends nominal Christianity with nationalism. They use this blending to proclaim what must be done to maintain and build our identity as a Christian nation into the future.^[7] Anyone other than white American Christians have to be excluded, marginalized or violently repressed.

Paul Miller is a professor at Georgetown University and a research fellow with the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. He has stated: “I think that any kind of nationalism in its purest form is religion. It is idolatry. That’s true of Christian nationalism. It takes Christian symbols, rhetoric, and concepts and weaves it into a political ideology that in its ideal form is idolatrous.”^[8] The ideology of Christian Nationalism is based on politics, not on the teachings of Jesus, and not on the truth that God is literally present in every thinking mortal on Earth; no exceptions.

Christian Nationalism is an excellent example of an ideologically driven process. This refers to the doctrines, opinions, and ways of thinking upon which a plan of action is based. For individuals in such a process driven by ideology, their main focus is upon furthering this ideology. Instead of having as a firm moral foundation the truth that God is within each one of us, they base their foundation on a particular political concept. This is exactly what Marxism, Communism, and Fascism do. This is also why each of them has failed and will continue to fail. This is why governments and civilizations fail. For any personal or group venture to succeed, there has to be a firm moral foundation: the truth of God Within.

Misinformation and lies

Those who are part of an ideologically driven process feel their goal is so vital to the welfare of humanity that literally anything is justified in their pursuit of this goal. This goal, based on their firm foundation on some ideology other than God, is their foremost motivation and driving force; it consumes them. Anything is acceptable as long as it helps to attain their goal.

They become fixated on that goal, so they tend to retreat into a group of like-minds for acceptance and confirmation. They feel threatened by people other than white American Christians. This distorts their belief system therefore interfering with their goal; they drift into an (almost) all-white, unbridled society with no apparent rules or values. They certainly have little necessity to honor life – any life, this results in their violence against fellow humans. That is NOT of God.

Interactions with individuals who are not part of their group become irritating and inflammatory. Their presentations are filled with angry passion which may intimidate those who might otherwise speak out against them. “Too many evangelicals have accepted or turned a blind eye to a movement fueled by misinformation and lies.”^[9]

David French, senior editor of a conservative website, has written “Only the Church Can Truly Defeat a Christian Insurrection: It’s time to combat the right’s enabling lies.” and “When you’re in your partisan bubble, the enabling lie is seductive. I’ve fallen for it. In years past, I even spread it.”^[10]

These enabling lies become reality for them; they base their thoughts and actions upon them. Once started down this path of lies and innuendo it becomes increasingly difficult to exit. Misinformation and lies become their way of life.

Why do Evangelicals Accept Christian Nationalism?

One reason evangelicals accept and embrace Christian Nationalism is fear; this fear is almost primal; they are overwhelmed to the extent they embrace activities that run contrary to the teachings of Jesus. This fear is based on unwanted change; it is a fear of things that are different. This fear has been building up over several decades, particularly in rural areas in the south and mid-west. They lash out at those who appear different because of their own insecurity.^[11]

There is also a distinctly racial element to Christian Nationalism, partly because the fervent evangelicals who comprise the pool from which these individuals are drawn are mainly white. “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.”^[12]

“In the last 40 years, Christian nationalists tend to believe that Christians are under attack and are being persecuted.”^[13] This arises because of immigrants bringing fresh blood into our country, bringing in new ideas, religions, and ways of life. These Christian Nationalists feel threatened by all the change they experience.

They felt powerless, unable to make any impact on the situation they were in. Then along came Donald Trump who claimed he would “champion Christian power. That’s why he struck such a deep chord among many white evangelicals. That was their political program for decades, Christian power. It turns out to matter more than Christian principles.”^[14] Once they felt they had real access to political power, they totally fell for the message and were trapped within it.

The Way Forward

In any situation we must absolutely be constantly aware of our moral foundation. No action can succeed in the long run unless it has a firm foundation. This might be constructing a building, a government, a career, or personal leisure activities. A strong awareness of the presence of God, as a distinct part of our being, must be a part of each decision we make. We can still have fun, do exciting things, and love, but these activities must not bring harm or difficulty to any of our sisters and brothers.

Once we have such a foundation we can still pursue idealistic goals, but now we have a way to evaluate any proposed action. At each decision point we must ask ourself: “Will this action bring me closer to God or take me farther away from Him?” Once we have made this determination and acted upon it, we will have a clear path ahead of us. This may not be an easy decision but it will be the righteous one. We do not make these decisions alone; if we have made a sincere personal covenant with God to do His will, we will be assisted every step along the way. At this point any ideological process we adhere to will be Divinely directed by our God within.

Having such a moral foundation is not only important for our personal decisions, but it is vital in making an evaluation about those we interact with in our daily lives. Will my children be safe? Is our car mechanic going to make wild claims only to drive up the bill? Is the candidate we voted for going to make a good effort to fulfill promises made during the campaign for office? We are constantly faced with situations where some evaluation must be made, where we must make some judgment about the moral quality of those we interact with.

This is especially true with political candidates; when we vote for a particular person we are asking that individual to represent is by carrying out their duties of office according to our wishes. In the first place that means we need to be diligent in learning what the candidate stands for, what they want to accomplish, and what are their qualifications for office. Only then can we cast an intelligent vote. Secondly we expect the elected official to accurately manifest our wishes while carrying out the duties of their office. We expect them to have a moral foundation.

How many times have we learned what some elected official has done and then shout “I did not vote for that!”

We can begin our efforts to address issues presented in this posting by becoming comfortable within ourselves, trusting God in our daily activities. Once this has been done we need to be comfortable with change, things will always be changing, accept it. When this has been done we can reach out and seek to understand those who are different from us. The more we accept change and the diversity of humanity the more joy and satisfaction we experience. We embrace change and diversity.

When you totally recognize we are all sisters and brothers, when you honestly follow the Golden Rule as taught by Jesus by desiring to do onto others as you would have them do onto you, then the commonplace dictates of justice, honesty, and fairness will guide you in the just and impartial settlement of every recurring problem of economic rewards and social justice. (The Urantia Book, 1464.4)

We conclude with a word for those standing in the way of progress. Can you not advance in your concept of God’s dealing with man to that level where you recognize that the watchword of the universe is progress? (The Urantia Book, 54.5) We realize progress must be balanced so it can be properly assimilated, but the overall trend is toward progress.

1. “A Christian Insurrection,” Emma Green, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/01/evangelicals-catholics-jericho-march-capitol/617591/, retrieved 1/28/21 ↑

2. “Christian Nationalism Is Worse Than You Think,” Morgan Lee, https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2021/january-web-only/christian-nationalism-capitol-riots-trump-podcast.html, retrieved 1/13/21 ↑

3. Green ↑

4. “Christianity on display at U.S. Capitol riot sparks concerning questions,” Elana Schor, https://globalnews.ca/news/7607091/us-capitol-riot-christianity-questions/, retrieved 2/1/21 ↑

5. Schor ↑

6. Lee ↑

7. Lee ↑

8. Lee ↑

9. “Evangelicals must denounce the Christian nationalism in Capital riots,” Jamie Aten and Kent Annan, https://religionnews.com/2021/01/07/evangelicals-must-denounce-the-christian-nationalism-in-capitol-riots/, retrieved 1/7/21 ↑

10. “Christian Nationalism is not Biblical Christianity,” Cassy Benefield, https://spokanefavs.com/christian-nationalism-is-not-biblical-christianity/, retrieved 1/27/20 ↑

11. Aten and Annan ↑

12. Benefield ↑

13. Lee ↑

14. Lee ↑