Christian Nationalism: In God we trust?
By Luke Dorman
Christian Nationalism emphasises a national, Christian identity over all others, and claims that Christianity is the supremely defining feature of the nation. It encourages us to put our faith in the nation, and political power, before God.
President Donald Trump, the man who has previously claimed he “was saved by God to make America great again” [1] has promised to “protect Christianity” [2] and “bring [it] back in this country” [3]. In February he created a task force to “eradicate anti-Christian bias” [4] and signed an executive order to establish a Faith Office for the White House [5]. Paula White, senior advisor to this body, has said the office will “make our nation what God established it to be” [6]. It seems American political rhetoric is as religiously charged as ever.
The term ‘Christian Nationalism’ is often evoked to describe this language, and recent polling suggests that thirty per cent of Americans are Christian Nationalist sympathisers [7]. However, the prevalence of this term in political rhetoric and personal opinion doesn’t stop it being one of the most contested and ambiguous terms used today. It lives minutely articulated in academic papers and loosely thrown around at dinner tables. It is a thread that connects disparate thoughts, texts, sermons and speeches. This confusion should provoke us to seek clarification. What is Christian Nationalism? How prevalent is it? Is it even biblical?
What is Nationalism?
To understand Christian Nationalism properly, it’s helpful to first understand conventional nationalism [8].
The world hasn’t always been organised according to neat, self-governing nation states [9]. The early Roman Empire ruled over vast peoples who would have felt no participation in the Empire of Rome save as subjects of occupation [10]. However, from the 17th century onwards the notion that the government should represent a unified people, often with a shared language, history and culture grew more common [11]. This resulted in the unification of Italy, and later Germany, and set the stage for the modern collection of countries we see today. Nationalism is a morally ambiguous force. In India, it motivated those who pushed for independence and decolonisation [12], but in Italy, Nationalism mythologised its Roman past and justified its imperial expansion in World War Two.
Nationalism has always emphasised the priority of a national identity over any other religious, social, or cultural identity [13]. In doing so, it asks the key question: “what defines this nation?”. Whatever this key ingredient is, it determines who is part of the nation and how the government should rule.
What is Christian Nationalism?
Following my sketch above, Christian Nationalism:
… emphasises the priority of a national, Christian identity, over any others. It claims that Christianity most defines the nation, and so to be a ‘true’ citizen of the nation, you must be Christian. It is also likely to emphasise national participation in Christian activities and explicitly Christian lawmaking [14].
We should notice that Christian Nationalism makes claims both about one’s personal identity, and the identity of the nation. We will return to this distinction later. I must also emphasise that Christian Nationalism isn’t a uniquely American movement and has rich histories across the world, from Hungary to Ghana [15]. We will, however, be focussing on America because it is the most widely known and influential variety of Christian Nationalism.
It's important to set out a few things that indicate someone may be a Christian Nationalist but are not definitive.
Christian Nationalism isn’t necessarily saying your nation is a ‘Christian nation’. The claim your nation is a ‘Christian Nation’ can be made on many levels. In the case of the UK, you could be noting that we have a state church, acknowledging the Christian values underpinning our political systems or observing that Christianity is the most held religion for residents. These claims all state what is the case. The difference for the Christian nationalist is that they state what should be the case. They argue that it is good that their nation is defined most by its Christianity, and often that their nation should become even more defined by this. To illustrate, David Cameron claimed that the UK is a Christian Nation in 2011 [16], but no one is accusing him of being a Christian Nationalist because he didn’t say that this should be the case, or that this is the primary feature which defines Britain.
Christian Nationalism isn’t necessarily trying to make your laws more Christian. This is a subtle distinction. The everyday Christian supports a Christian cause primarily because of their belief in and obedience to God. Their personal views affect how they think the country should be ran just like any other citizen. In contrast, the Christian Nationalist is primarily motivated by their national, Christian identity, because this takes priority over their other identities. They believe their country should be more ‘Christian’, but this often renders Christianity more of a tribal identity, or accepted moral code, than a personal motivating belief. Indeed, the Christian Nationalist doesn’t even have to personally believe in God to claim that their country should do more ‘Christian’ things. The motivations of the everyday Christian flow from their personal faith in God and his commandments, whereas those of the Christian Nationalist flow from a faith (whether personal or not) in their idea of their nation.
How common is it?
With this broad definition in mind, it’s worth asking how prevalent Christian Nationalism actually is in America. To tackle political rhetoric first, Trump’s claims that he will “protect Christianity” [17] and “bring [it] back in this country” [18] are not definitively nationalist. Though it seems unlikely that Trump has a personal faith [19], it is not our place to judge his salvation [20], and so we cannot rule out the possibility that his is a personal call for religious revival in America. It’s likely, though, that Trump’s call for a return to Christianity is motivated more by an idealised notion of America as a nation supremely defined by Christianity.
More indicative, however, are statements implying that America is a chosen nation. Claims that Trump “was saved by God to make America great again” [21], or that the White House faith office will “make our nation what God established it to be” [22] imply that God is working in the world, not for the good of the Church, or all people, but for the nation of America in particular. To claim you are a nation chosen by God is to claim your nation is and should be defined by its Christianity.
The opinions of everyday people, if you trust polling, are easier to assess. A recent poll from the PRRI found that 27% of Americans believe “the US government should declare America a Christian nation”, 30% believe “being Christian is an important part of being truly American”, and 21% believe “God has called Christians to exercise dominion over all areas of American society” [23]. These statements and the polling results should wake us up to the relevance of Christian nationalist ideology to a large part of the American population. Both in political rhetoric and everyday belief, Christian Nationalism is surprisingly common.
Is it biblical?
As I noted above, Christian Nationalism makes claims about one’s personal identity, and the identity of the nation. I believe the claims it makes on both these levels are unbiblical.
Firstly, and most obviously, to emphasise the priority of a national, Christian identity is deeply misguided. Christians are called to set our “hearts on things above, where Christ is … not on earthly things” [24]. We are told Christ is our life [25]. This doesn’t exclude political engagement; we’re still called to “rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky” [26], “seek justice, correct oppression” [27], and “do good to all people” [28]. Political engagement is a valuable and important way to do this, but the bible is clear what the source of our motivation for this should be: Jesus.
Secondly, to venture into stating the obvious, the bible doesn’t call us to create a Christian nation. This needs some elaboration. What about Israel? Surely this was an example of God calling people to create an explicitly God-fearing nation? Why shouldn’t we imitate this example? Our response to this is rooted in the New Testament, where Paul sets out that there is a new Israel, not determined “by physical descent” [29] but as “children of the promise” [30]. This promise of redemption is true “if you belong in Christ” [31], which means that the new ‘Israel’ is the church. This is why Paul refers to the church as a “holy nation” [32]: God has, at this point in time, chosen to work his will, not through a particular government in his name, but through a Church of people who believe in him [33]. This is revolutionary. It means we’re not called to create a Christian nation, because we’re already part of one: the Church.
It's worth pausing here and entertaining the hypothetical where we’re called to recreate an Old Testament-style theocracy. Even if we were called to build a Christian nation, the model of Old Testament Israel breaks all assumptions which belie the Christian Nationalist ideal. Firstly, Old Testament Israel is glorified primarily by redeeming other nations. We’re told that “all peoples on earth will be blessed through [Israel]” [34], and yet most Christian Nationalists delight in the glory and strength of their own nation. How does American isolationism or hostile rhetoric toward migrants measure against this, not to mention repeated commands for Israelites to “love those who are foreigners” [35]? Secondly, Israel is chosen, sustained and expanded by God, not people. Abram’s call mentions no distinguishing features which make him special [36], and Israel’s exodus from Egypt and subsequent conquest of the promised land are due to God’s power, not human efforts. God is “sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes” [37]. We cannot force his hand.
So, one might ask, the Church is God’s new chosen nation. Why shouldn’t it behave like any other nation and seek to govern territory and people? This is what people expected of Jesus, and yet he arrived, not as a warlord conquering territory, but as a carpenter preaching about a “kingdom of heaven” [38] which is “not of this world” [39]. Jesus’ aims were achieved without political coercion, and our means should be the same. We’re taught to persuade [40] others with gentleness and respect [41]. If people reject our message, we don’t coerce them, but ‘shake the dust off our feet’ [42] and move on [43]. From these principles grows freedom of conscience, and from this freedom of religion. The Bible tells us tolerate the beliefs of others and persuade them with gentleness not power. To wrestle political power from others to win disciples is misguided.
Does this mean that Christians should stay out of politics? By no means. Our duties to love our neighbour [44], and be salt and light in the world [45] should lead us to shape society for the better. Government and politics are desperately in need of biblical insight and Christian love, but our commands to respect those who disagree with us set a limit on the laws and policies we can support. Christians should, when at all possible, avoid coercing others into belief in or obedience to God. This gets messy when you consider actions, such as murder, which will do harm to others. However, we should nonetheless avoid coercing others into our beliefs.
Conclusion
Christian Nationalism is a slippery term. Used by many people in many different ways, it masquerades as authentic Christian political involvement and exploits the grey areas of national and religious identity. If pinned down, however, one finds a twisted reanimation of ancient Israelite promises, in a world where they’ve already been fulfilled. Christian Nationalism is the call to find identity in a national Christianity instead of Jesus, and build a nation without his command, and against his teachings. It encourages us to put our faith in the nation, and political power, before God, and turns an outward looking religion into an insular and inaccessible one.
Further reading:
For a treatment of nationhood in the Bible, see Matt Ceaser’s: Christianity and the Nation: A biblical understanding of nations and nationalism
For a theoretical deep-dive into Christian approaches to political action, see Michael Schluter and Roy Clements’: Jubilee Institutional Norms: A Middle Way between Creation Ethics and Kingdom Ethics as the Basis for Christian Political Action
For thoughts on politics from an Old Testament perspective, see Nick Spencer’s: Apolitical animal? A Biblical Perspective on Engaging with Politics in Britain Today
The views and opinions expressed above are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the Jubilee Centre or its trustees.
References:
[1] CBS News, Trump says "I was saved by God to make America great again"
[2] BBC, How a new Christian right is changing US politics
[3] Religion News Service, Trump promises a revival of Christian power in speech to National Religious Broadcasters
[4] The White House, Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Eradicates Anti-Christian Bias
[5] The White House, Establishment of The White House Faith Office
[6] CBN News, 'In God We Trust': The Mission of President Trump's White House Faith Office
[7] PRRI, Christian Nationalism Across All 50 States: Insights from PRRI’s 2024 American Values Atlas
[8] Nationalism itself is a contested term. Some define Nationalism as the elevation of one nation above others, and contrast this to patriotism, which they term as a simple pride in one’s country. I reject this distinction, as I don’t believe nationalist movements have always believed in the superiority of their nation over others.
[9] For a good overview of Nationalism in the 18th century, see: CrashCourse, Samurai, Daimyo, Matthew Perry, and Nationalism: Crash Course World History #34
[10] This changed, and was complicated by, the extension of Roman citizenship to all freeborn men in the empire in 212 CE. I tell a linear, almost mythologised, story of the development of Nationalism for ease of understanding and brevity. In reality, there have always been degrees to which subjects of authority can participate in governance.
[11] It’s disputed to what extent this notion developed from mass movements or was imposed by government elites. For an interesting investigation of government influence on perceptions of ethnicity see: The Present Past, How to Destroy a State
[12] CrashCourse, Decolonization and Nationalism Triumphant: Crash Course World History #40
[13] For example, Hazony (2018) argues that a decline in Nationalism let to a resurgence of violence between Catholics and Protestants in Ireland in the late C19th. Whether this is true, it nonetheless implies that Nationalism emphasises a national, over religious identity at the personal level.
[14] This is my own articulation but is in line with most current definitions. For example, A. Whitehead argues that Christian Nationalism is defined by the belief that “the United states was founded as a Christian nation and that its success and identity are intrinsically tied to upholding a particular form of Christian values in the public sphere” (Taking America back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States).
[15] I sadly do not have time to tackle whether Christian Nationalism exists in the UK, but a good start would be: Theos, Is there a ‘Religious Right’ Emerging in Britain?
[16] BBC, David Cameron says the UK is a Christian country
[17] BBC, How a new Christian right is changing US politics
[18] Religion News Service, Trump promises a revival of Christian power in speech to National Religious Broadcasters
[19] Bloomberg, We asked Donald J. Trump about his favorite bible verse. Here's what he said
[20] 1 Corinthians 4:4 – “judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes”, Matthew 7:1 – “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”
[21] CBS News, Trump says "I was saved by God to make America great again"
[22] CBN News, 'In God We Trust': The Mission of President Trump's White House Faith Office
[23] PRRI, Christian Nationalism Across All 50 States: Insights from PRRI’s 2024 American Values Atlas
[24] Colossians 3:2
[25] Colossians 3:4
[26] Genesis 1:26
[27] Isaiah 1:17
[28] Galatians 6:10
[29] Romans 9:8
[30] Romans 9:8
[31] Galatians 3:29
[32] 1 Peter 2:9
[33] For a much more detailed treatment of God’s rule, see Figure 1 in: Michael Schluter and Roy Clements, Jubilee Institutional Norms: A Middle Way between Creation Ethics and Kingdom Ethics as the Basis for Christian Political Action
[34] Genesis 12:3
[35] Deuteronomy 10:19
[36] Genesis 12:1
[37] Daniel 4:17
[38] Matthew 5:3
[39] John 18:36
[40] Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others – 2 Corinthians 5.
[41] 1 Peter 3:15
[42] Acts 13:51, Matthew 10:14.
[43] Obviously the Old Testament involves military conquest, but this is highly restricted to the conquest of the promised land and involved severe punishment when the details of God’s commands were not obeyed. See 1 Samuel 15:11, and the story of Achan in Joshua 7. God’s judgement and justice is no longer carried out by Israelite military conquest, and we should not seek to return to this.
[44] Luke 10:27
[45] Matthew 5
