CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM
As an organization built on the respect of many faith traditions
finding unity through meaningful relationships and
sharing conversation about faith and life together,
we must be clear that
Christian Nationalism is NOT a religion or a faith tradition.
It is a political ideology that appropriates Christian symbols and beliefs to gain power through many strategies including the
use of violence, something Jesus did not endorse.
Please read below to learn more and understand that
Christian Nationalism is a threat to our democracy and
harms everyone, especially the marginalized.
So, what is Christian Nationalism?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, Christian Nationalism is an "ideology calling for a government that incorporates or endorses aspects of Christian religion (as by making decisions, laws, policies, etc., in accordance with Christian beliefs, by engaging in government promotion of Christianity, or by legally enforcing Christian doctrine)". In other words, the belief that the United States is a Christian nation, it was founded as a Christian nation, and, therefore, it should be a Christian nation today and should be so in the future. It has been noted to bear overlap with Christian fundamentalism, white supremacy, the Seven Mountain Mandate movement (a strategy for evangelizing the modern world and enlarging Christ’s kingdom. Followers believe that the best way for the church to be effective is to bring change in the seven major spheres of influence in society) and dominionism (an umbrella term for certain groups of Christians who interpret Genesis 1:28 in the Bible, which refers to people having dominion over life on earth, as meaning that Christians should exercise control over most aspects of modern life).
QUICK BITES...
~ How it Started ~
Article: "The Genesis of Christian Nationalism"
by Propublica
Key Takeaways:
* Christian nationalism has deep roots in American politics.
* Christian nationalism seeks to infuse government with
religious rule.
* Evangelicals have become a powerful political bloc.
* Radical theocratic ideas have influenced modern politics.
* Christian nationalism plays a role in political extremism.
--> Click here to read the detailed takeaways
Quotes:
1. “The belief that God has called on conservative Christians
to rule over society has extended into all levels of
government, from school boards to the White House”
2. “Reconstructionism’s influence is evident in assertions that
the government should fall under biblical law, blurring the
lines between church and state”
3. “The idea that Christians should be in power has become a
central mission of today’s Christian right”
~ Authoritarianism ~
Article: "One Leader Under God: The Connection Between Authoritarianism and Christian Nationalism in America"
by Public Religion Research Institute
--> Click here to read the related press release
Key Takeaways:
* Christian nationalism and authoritarianism are closely
connected.
* Christian nationalists are more likely to justify political
violence.
* Christian nationalism is tied to fear of cultural and
demographic change.
* Most Americans reject Christian nationalist beliefs, but they
are politically influential.
* Christian nationalists favor a leader who can break the rules.
--> Click here to read the detailed takeaways
Quote:
“Most Americans disagree that those convicted of crimes from Jan. 6th are being held hostage by the government or that Trump should do whatever it takes to be President if he is not declared the winner in 2024; authoritarians and Christian nationalists are more likely to agree”
...and extended meals
~ Documentaries ~
From director Dan Partland and producer Rob Reiner, GOD and COUNTRY looks at the implications of Christian Nationalism and how it distorts not only our constitutional republic, but Christianity itself. Featuring prominent Christian thought leaders, GOD and COUNTRY asks this question: What happens when a faith built on love, sacrifice, and forgiveness grows political tentacles, conflating power, money, and belief into hyper-nationalism?
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"Bad Faith: Christian Nationalism's Unholy War on Democracy"
BAD FAITH is a feature-length documentary that explores the dangerous rise of Christian Nationalism in the United States. Part archival chronicle, part exposé, the film reveals the secretive political machinery that has relentlessly sought to weaken and destroy American democracy in order to promote its authoritarian vision.
~ Books ~
Christians Against Christianity: How Right-Wing Evangelicals Are Destroying Our Nation and Our Faith
By Obery M. Hendricks Jr., 2022
Today’s right-wing Evangelical Christianity stands as the very antithesis of the message of Jesus Christ. In his new book, Christians Against Christianity, best-selling author and religious scholar Obery M. Hendricks Jr. challenges right-wing evangelicals on the terrain of their own religious claims, exposing the falsehoods, contradictions, and misuses of the Bible that are embedded in their rabid homophobia, their poorly veiled racism and demonizing of immigrants and Muslims, and their ungodly alliance with big business against the interests of American workers.
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White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America
By Anthea Butler, 2021
The American political scene today is poisonously divided, and the vast majority of white evangelicals play a strikingly unified, powerful role in the disunion. These evangelicals raise a starkly consequential question for electoral politics: Why do they claim morality while supporting politicians who act immorally by most Christian measures? In this clear-eyed, hard-hitting chronicle of American religion and politics, Anthea Butler answers that racism is at the core of conservative evangelical activism and power.
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Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation
By Kristen Kobes Du Mez, 2021
Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping, revisionist history of the last seventy-five years of white evangelicalism, revealing how evangelicals have worked to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism--or in the words of one modern chaplain, with "a spiritual badass."
