So here’s my hot take: As a Christian, I don’t believe America is a Christian nation, nor do I want it to be one. Christian Nationalism is a threat to democracy and is antithetical to the teachings of Jesus.

There is a lot to unpack here! So let’s take it one bite at a time.

“As a Christian” What does it even mean to be a Christian? This is a question I have been significantly wrestling with recently. The term “Christian” has been used to mean everything from conservative Evangelical to mainline Protestant to progressive or liberal Unitarian. “Christian” has been used to differentiate from, say, Muslim, Hindu, Bhuddist, or Jewish traditions. “Christian” has been used to decribe both individuals and groups; both recognized organizations and vague causes. The reason I struggle so much with the term “Christian”, and why I am at times skittish to include myself in this tribe, is because it’s such a diverse group, with a very wide spectrum of beliefs and practices; that to say one is a Christian is often times no more descriptive than saying one is American. While I don’t want to shy away from naming the name of Jesus, I do want to distance myself from the destructive, divisive, hurtful sect that uses the name of Jesus and the moniker of “Christian” to promote racism, mysoginy, elitism, and discrimination. Yes, I’m looking at you, MAGA. The Merriam Webster dictionary definition is “one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ”. This is the definition I am most comfortable with. I am a Jesus follower. Period.

“America is a Christian nation”. It is not. The “Founding Fathers” deliberately structured our nation to be free from religious coersion. There is no mention of Christianity in the Constitution. The earliest Americans were fleeing state-run religion in England and specifically sought to not re-create that model in America. While it may be true that many “Founding Fathers” espoused some version of Christian beliefs in their personal life/writings, they all took great pains to seperate religion from government. To distort history to say otherwise is simply disengenuous.

“nor do I want it to be one” Consider this alternative scenario: A religious group, let’s call them Religion Power, once a majority of the population in our nation, has been declining in numbers as the nation becomes more pluralistic through legal immigration and a more globalized world with a diversity of thought and religious practice. Through questionable means (gerrymandering, political threats, and bribes), Power has gained an outsized number of representatives in local, state, and nationally elected offices, including the Supreme Court. Power believes that Christians are a threat to national security, democracy, and the American way of life. Power also believes that only left-handed people are the favored people of their god; right-handed people are instructed to learn to live in a left-handed world, including only marrying those who live a left-handed life. In order to protect their interests, the group passes laws and presses the Supreme Court to affirm their rights to marginalize Christians and all right-handed people, make the practice of Christianity and being right-handed difficult, and in some cases, defend those who threaten Christians or those who have a dominant right hand. Power quotes their religious text as it writes laws that marginalize those who have disparate beliefs.

Now subsitute “Christian” for “Power” and see how the paradigm of allowing a nation to grant governing authority to one religious group is devastating to all others, and perhaps hits closer to home. It is both absurd and dangerous. If we believe that Christians should have political and governing authority, then what we are also saying is that, in a democracy, with enough votes and political prowess, any other religious group also has the right to take their turn in power and implement their rules, no matter how unpolular or harmful they may be. These are the rules of engagement in a democracy.

“Christian Nationalism is a threat to democracy” Oof. This one is a doozy. For a great explanation of what Christian Nationalism is, I suggest you listen to the four part podcast by Andrew Whitehead . A full exploration of Christian Nationalism (CN) is well beyond the scope of this blog, but in summary, it is a belief with the end goal to create a Christian theocracy. CN supports the use of the tools of the government to promote Christian beliefs, ideals, and values. At present, current day CN seeks to influence or control all aspects of daily life: media, education, law, culture, entertainment. CN seeks to craft the narrative for sexual ethics, to the point of criminalizing being LGBTQ and to control or limit reproductive health including contraception and abortion. CN desires to instill Christian symbols as part of our national identity: crosses in public spaces, government recognized holidays, and foreign policy. To be blunt, the problem with CN is that if we, as a nation, agree that CN can hold the reigns now, we also agree, that with enough momentum, any other group is also allowed to call the shots. And the rest of us have to live with the consequences. Next up: Atheists in power, then maybe Muslims get a chance, followed by Hindus, and at last free thinking, psychadelic dreamers. See how ridiculous this is? At its heart, CN is a system of supremacy and power, not Jesus. Democracy means “a government by the people”. A democracy gives voice to the people, not the powerful few. A Christian nation is a nation that wields power over the vulnerable, provides cover for discrimination, and weaponizes the teachings of the Bible for power. A true democracy protects the vulnerable, gives space, honors differences, and allows ALL of us to practice our faith without coercion.

“antithetical to the teachings of Jesus” An honest reading of the teachings of Jesus gives us no model to co-opt government to advance the cause of Christ. Indeed, at every turn, Jesus can be heard criticizing the religious leaders AND paying due respect to government institutions. (Matthew 22:21) There is never a command or model from Jesus to take over the government in order to control the law or the culture. In fact, when asked, Jesus distills ALL of the laws into these two simple commands: Love God. Love your neighbor. That’s it.

There are countless scholars, authors, theologians, and podcasters who know this content far, far better than I do. A simple blog entry cannot begin to do it all justice. But as we approach another voting day on November 7, there is no time like the present to consider the power we still hold in a democracy; and the consequences of failing to choose to use our voice and our vote.

My deepest hope is that we honor the words of Jesus in creating a nation that is welcoming, loving, kind; that we find blessing in being meek, peaceful, gentle, merciful and pure. The grand American experiment depends on inclusion and respect, not authority and power. I have no evidence that Jesus called us to be a Christian nation, but I have ALL of the receipts that Jesus called us to love. Period.

Resources I have found hopeful over the past few years and have helped me formulate these thoughts:

Straight White American Jesus podcast; a scholarly look at politics and religion

The New Evangelicals podcast; a place to question and unpack years of unhealthy spiritual beliefs and practices, while still maintaining love for Jesus

American Idols podcast; an authoritative explanation of Christian Nationalism

Myth America by Kevin M. Kruse and Julian E. Zelizer; unpacking the lies we have been told in American history

Laboratories of Autocracy by David Pepper; behind the scenes look at what it takes to gain and maintain power; it’s not pretty

American Crusade by Andrew L. Seidel; how the Supreme Court has been bought and leveraged to promote a specific conservative agenda

PRRI chock full of research about religious and political beliefs
Not In It to Win It by Andy Stanley; a look at politics through a pastor’s eyes

Disclaimer: My viewpoints are not necessarily reflective of my employer, or any local, regional or national organization that I belong to. As a matter of fact, I pretty much just speak for myself. Please keep that in mind.