BEFORE WE BEGIN: Christian nationalism is a cultural framework that idealizes and advocates fusion of certain Christian views with American civic life.” We are not talking about Fourth of July picnics and fireworks, we are not talking about our supporting our veterans and troops. Instead, Christian Nationalism is a movement that seeks to promote Christian, white, male dominance in our world and at its extreme is willing to sacrifice democracy and use violence against minorities and those who challenge the system under the guise of Christian freedom. Christian nationalism is about division and bears little resemblance to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Many congregations are struggling with the rising tide of Christian Nationalism in their pews and communities. This political movement continues to put pressure on pastors, Sunday School teachers, and mission team leaders to form their faith around a political ideology that too often is counter to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As Christian communities reach out into the community, there will be fear that our communities desire to love and serve is a shroud to hide Christian nationalism.
Reachers identify four categories of Americans as it relates to Christian Nationalism:
Rejectors (21.5%) - Those who have very few Christian nationalist views
Resisters (26.6%)
Accommodators (32.1%)
Ambassadors (19.8%) - Those that align many/most of their values to Christian Nationalism.
Obviously this is a sliding scale, but nearly half of Americans are likely to subscribe to some of the Christian Nationalist views - and some are likely to be in our congregations. The research also tells us that many Christian nationalists do not attend worship regularly and worship attendance is not a sign of Christian nationalism. While there might be accommodators and ambassadors of Christian nationalism in your congregation, there are likely many more resisters and rejectors.
What Do Christian Nationalists believe?
Approve of authoritarian tactics like demanding people show respect for national symbols and traditions
Fear and distrust religious minorities, including Muslims, Atheists, and Jewish people
Condone police violence toward Black Americans and distrust accounts of racial inequality in the criminal justice system.
Believe racial inequality is due to the personal shortcomings of minority groups and Report being “very uncomfortable” with both interracial marriage and transracial adoption.
Hold anti-immigrant views & Fear refugees
Oppose scientists and science education in schools.
Believe that men are better suited for all leadership roles while women are better suited to care for children and the home.
Christian Nationalism is not about traditional partisan political ideology and views that we can debate and discuss. For example, there are many strategies we can adopt to end childhood hunger. (Let’s discuss!) Christian Nationalism, though, moves the conversation from a debate on public policy into a debate on whether or not certain children are even ‘worthy’ to receive food.
As faith leaders, we are called to love our neighbor and sadly many people we love are falling into this rigid belief system and are supporting the growing violence against religious minorities. We are called to love Christian Nationalists, but we are also called to love those outside our congregations that are under threat. We cannot allow Christian Nationalist movement to grow within our congregations or do harm.
6 tips for congregational leaders navigating Christian Nationalism in the Congregation.
1) Proclaim the Gospel:
The Gospel tells us to love one another (Mark 12). It is our call to lift up the hungry, the marginalized, and those under attack by the Christian Nationalist movement (Matt 25). Christian Nationalism promotes a
strong hero on a war horse, while Christianity promotes a man on a donkey (Luke 19). Christian nationalism lifts up the strong leader in a position of honor, while Christianity is modeled off of a man who assumes the lowest level of service - washing the feet of his guests (John 13). Christian nationalism is built on division - placing one group of people above others - The Christian faith is grounded in repentance and reconciliation. Sometimes this can lead to tense and uncomfortable moments, but faith leaders are called to this difficult work
Christian Nationalism seeps into many fairly gradually. Speaking up early on can help stop it earlier on, before it becomes an idol for those in our communities.
Make sure your congregation knows that your love as Christian expands to groups often seen as outcasts. Jesus embraced the woman when the world wanted to stone her. (John 8). It is important for us to remember that keeping silent in the face of harm is serving our own desire to avoid confrontation not the difficult message of the Gospel. Remember Dr. King’s interpretation of Matthew 10 “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice” (Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.)
2) Talk about issues before they Are political
It often feels that politics has replaced Must See TV, sporting events, and local carnivals as the topic of discourse for many in our community. While it might feel as if we talk about politics too much these day, it is actually the opposite. We must talk about community issues more - even when they are complicated. We can disagree on the political solutions to immigration, poverty, or caring for creation. However, as people of faith we are called to welcome the stranger, feed the hungry and be good stewards of God’s creation. These are theological goals not political solutions. The more we can talk about these issues through sermons or in forums BEFORE they are on the front page of a candidates fundraising newsletter, the more we can help educate our faith communities on the theological call of our faith community before it can be corrupted by those seeking to lead through fear and power. I highly recommend Preaching in the Purple Zone to help shape some of this work.
3. Limit Judgmental attitudes:
Christian Nationalism seeks to divide our communities, while the Gospel of Jesus actually worked to break down the barriers of class, ethnicity, and status. When confronting our friends and family members we should remember that we too are sinners and come up short often. When we begin a conversation with “I am right you are wrong” we will immediately put people on the defensive. This often leaves us ignoring racist, sexist, homophobic and Christian Nationalist comments. But when we can illustrate our own complicity in sin, it opens people up to a new dialogue that leads away from idolatry of white, male heteronormative culture into a more diverse and beautiful view of God’s creation.
True Story: I preached a sermon in rural Ohio and made a joke about being a Cleveland sports fan during the sermon. It landed well and received the desired amount of laughter. I preached this sermon only a few months after the Cleveland baseball team announced it would finally change its name. A parishioner from the congregation came up to me after worship and said, '“I bet you are pretty mad about the name change!” I responded,
“well I remember going to games in the 1980s, and I saw Native American protestors way back then. I remember what I wore and the cheers and chants that I participated in."
I continued by emphasizing that I always admired those guardians of traffic statues and understood that the name needed to be changed. In my response, it opened up a part of Cleveland culture that the national talking heads ignored - those really cool statues. It opened up my own complicity and knowledge that it was wrong. No longer was I casting blame on this man, but inviting him to move forward on the issue.
4. Avoid engaging Christian Nationalists on Social Media:
Remember that your boundaries extend to social media. Commenting on a post - even to disparage its content helps it spread. Many people share Christian nationalist posts, feel good posts, and then will post products for sale once the algorithms recognize their content as engaging. This means marketing companies will intentionally post things to get a few people to share, and then to receive the angry pushback. (That boosts the original post!) So don’t let the hate and divisive content win - just ‘hide’, block or ignore it.
5. Stories over Science or statistics:
The Christian Nationalist movement dismisses a lot science and experts. Too often, we want to fall back on science and rationality that no longer carry much weight with those who are supporting Christian Nationalists. Instead, share a personal story that shows why you trust a specific doctor or scientists view.
True Story When my daughter was born she had a lot of complications, including oxygen loss, during her birth. The doctors quickly transferred Ella to Nationwide Children’s in Columbus and cooled her body for 3 days. They put her into a medically induced hypothermia. Her body was able to focus on healing her brain. Those doctors saved my daughters life with their expertise and compassion. In 2023 and 2024, when doctors and researchers from the Children’s hospitals came to the Statehouse to advocate for gender affirming care I knew to trust them over the hate-filled speech of politicians that wanted to divide our communities.
6. Recognize the Root causes of Christian Nationalism.
Many Christian Nationalists are brought into the movement over economic and political anxiety and fear. The reality is that yes, the rich are getting richer, prices are going up, and retirement is less secure. The reality is these factors have been used in the 1920s and 1930s to aid another Christian Nationalist group in rising to power in Germany.
The propaganda aimed to exploit people’s fear of uncertainty and instability. These messages varied from ‘Bread and Work’, aimed at the working class and the fear of unemployment, to a ‘Mother and Child’ poster portraying the Nazi ideals regarding woman. Jews and Communists also featured heavily in the Nazi propaganda as enemies of the German people.
Today, hungry neighbors, migrants fleeing violence, and trans kids who want be on a sports team are not the enemy or cause of the economic struggles of others. As faith leaders we should help our neighbors process their anxieties and fears without scapegoating other neighbors that we are also called to love. To truly love our Christian Nationalist neighbor, we must accompany them through this fear and anxiety and help them to use their energy toward real change and hiding our own insecurities.
These are just a few ideas to begin our conversation. Over the next 6 months we will continue to publish blogs and share resources on Christian Nationalism in the United States and specifically its growth here in Ohio.