Christian Nationalism is Not Biblical
In God We Trust? The True History of America’s Religious Liberty.
America’s founding fathers created the country many know today as the champion of religious liberty.
Many of them, protestants, came seeking solace in the shores of this new land escaping religious persecutions by their Roman Catholic antagonists in Europe, but the bigotry of the old world still cast a thick shadow in this new land. Some protestants still practiced religious intolerance.
Hypocrisy in Christianity is not new. Protestants in Europe were subject to persecution by the Romish Church, but they practiced the same cruelties on the Puritans. It’s this very act of intolerance in America by the early settlers that necessitated the emphasis on the idea of separation of church and state.
Mark 12:17 — And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marveled at him.
Founding of the Nation
In Massachusetts, the Congregationalist establishment enforced its beliefs under the penalty of death to those who would not accede. As a result, the Massachusetts Baptist clergy advocated for the separation of church and state and an absolute observance of freedom of conscience.
Early advocates of this concept, Baptist pastor John Leland, believed America was a “Christian Nation” and people of all beliefs should have their beliefs protected by the government. It’s unfortunate that this view on what Christian nationalism is has been twisted to mean its complete opposite.
Government should protect every man in thinking and speaking freely, and see that one does not abuse another. John Leland
These were the first advocates of the abolishment of theocracy, and instead, a state where different faiths can coexist in peace, with every person free to practice their beliefs as they see fit.
These early advocates of religious freedom had to be. They vividly remembered a time when reading an English Bible came with a death sentence. A cruel death at that. They lost all they had to the beliefs they held dear, how could they bestow the same standard on others? Freedom to worship God was a privilege enough for them. That’s the vision they had for America.
This is one of the reasons why the translation of what a Christian nation is today is false. It’s ignoring the context of the founding of the nation. Sure, the moral laws in the Bible were the template, but none were set up to limit conscience because the Bible itself advocates for liberty of conscience.
So, where does Christian Nationalism come from?
Christian Nationalism
The term Christian nationalism is a relatively new term but the concept isn’t. Medieval Europe was governed by the Roman Catholic Church, although some might argue the Roman Catholic Church isn’t founded on fundamental Biblical beliefs.
In America, the idea has always been advocated for by some Christians, especially since George Washington’s death. In 1956, the words “In God We Trust” and “under God” were added to the Pledge of Allegiance.
The original version read:
“I pledge allegiance to my flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
But in 1923, it was amended with the words, “the Flag of the United States of America” was added, and in 1954, in response to the Communist threat spreading in the East, President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words “under God,” creating the pledge of allegiance we know today:
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
These additions to the Pledge of Allegiance are used to define America as something it’s not. Something it was never intended to be. However, this redefinition gained momentum and further evolved over the decades.
Christianity and the Right
Beginning in the 60s to the late 80s, the push for Christian nationalism grew even stronger with the emergence of a new medium of evangelism, television. Movements like the Moral Majority created in 1979 by Baptist minister Jerry Falwell Sr. associated with the Christian Right and the Republican party to lobby for evangelical Christian-oriented politics.
The movement was credited for playing an important role in the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 who pushed the Evangelicals and the Republican party even closer. This was essentially the beginning of the Right as we know it today. The official push for Christian nationalism by the republican party with the endorsement of Evangelical Christians.
Which leads us to 2024. This year, the Christian Right is pushing for Project 2025 which is simply a soft theocracy in response to ‘the grip the radical Left has on the country.’ It’s a project that’s backed by over one hundred conservative organizations, and a twenty-two million dollar budget.
So, what’s the project all about?
Project 2025
Essentially, Project 2025 is a blueprint for how to fix a government broken by the left. The project stands on 4 pillars;
- Policy Agenda: Their suggested policies determine how major federal agencies are to be governed. Their plan is to dismantle what they call the deep state. Some of the federal departments targeted by this are the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and the Federal Department of Education. Not only that, they also plan for departments such as the Justice Department to be under the direct supervision and control of the President.
- Personnel Database: A conservative database where potential servants in this new conservative government are vetted.
- Training: Once applicants are vetted, they are trained in bureaucracy and conservative values. Essentially, being prepared for the specific job they will have in the administration.
- 180-Day Playbook: This is the plan on how this project can be implemented effectively within the first 180 days of a conservative administration.
This is a very rough summary of the project. Please read it yourself to get a better understanding of what it is.
Commentary
I get that politics is a hot topic in the United States. Arguably now more than ever. Conservatives feel isolated by the Biden administration, and most of this is a response to that alleged isolation.
I can’t tell how true that is, but one thing I know is ignoring nearly half of your fellow countrymen is not a democratic way to respond, especially not for Christians.
Purging the government and filling it with people who only support your beliefs is a coward’s way of governing. It will transform a conservative administration into what it has been accusing the Biden administration of being.
That’s hypocrisy and a recipe for more political division and strife in the land. It seems control is the goal and not peace and unity. It seems each party is trying to box out the other out of power at any cost.
Compromise from each side at this point seems an impossibility, and it’s unfortunate that Americans, on both sides, will be the ones that suffer the consequences of what comes of it.
As far as I see it, the gradual decline of Bible principles in America is not the result of failure at the civil level, but rather of Christians’ defiance of the very Bible they hold against non-believers (I mean individual Christians).
The hypocrisy in Christianity, especially those in leadership positions, has cast a distasteful reputation on many associated with the faith.
Then, it’s not a surprise that young people are increasingly rebellious against the teachings of these pretenders, and the Bible, and the old folk are progressively intolerant of the pretense and leaving the faith in droves.
If Christians were as honest, integral, and fair as they should be, the majority of Americans would still embrace it. For the record, I’m not in any way suggesting that Christianity has failed, I am a Christian after all, I’m simply saying that Christians themselves have failed. Maybe sincere ones ought to reflect on what they could have done better.
Reform is needed on both sides and this isolationist agenda is not the way to bring it.
