Christian Nationalism has taken hold within the religious and political life of the United States. But it’s not something new. It’s also happening in several other countries around the world today. Christian Nationalism has been the foundation for empire-building and colonization. It’s permeated theology and spiritual practice. In this video, I’m exploring some important aspects of Christian nationalism.
The following is a text version of this posting.
Christian Nationalism: it’s been defined as the belief that a government and society should be governed by certain Christian principles. Further, Christian Nationalism holds that the government should take active steps to ensure that specific beliefs are reflected in both national and local laws.
Today, in American society, the rise of Christian Nationalism has been clear. It’s wedded with a type of conservative evangelical Christianity and embraced by a variety of politicians. It’s not mainstream Christianity, but a rigid right-wing conviction. Many mainstream leaders have said that Christian Nationalism isn’t Christian at all because it’s divorced from the teachings of Jesus.
My focus isn’t an expose’ of Christian Nationalism in the United States today. Instead, I want to invite you to consider that Christian Nationalism is not new. Nor is Christian Nationalism limited to the United States.
Today, in Russia, the Putin regime is intrinsically intertwined with the Russian Orthodox Church. Putin depends on the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in promulgating policy issues. Because of the extent of involvement of Putin’s government with the Russian Orthodox Church, Ukrainian Orthodox churches broke ties with the Russian Orthodox Church. Today, Russian Orthodoxy is outlawed in Ukraine.
In the 20th Century, Adolf Hitler coopted the Christian church in Germany, as many established churches became what were called Protestant Reich Churches. Yes, they were Christian churches that promulgated the vision and policies of Hitler’s Third Reich.
The establishment of Christianity as a religion itself was mired in nationalistic politics. For over two centuries, the followers of Jesus formed a movement that networked throughout the Roman Empire. Each group had its own structure and leadership. The only scripture was the Hebrew Bible. There were no creeds or statements of faith. They viewed Jesus as the Anointed One sent by God with a message of love. It was the Romans who labeled the followers of Jesus as “Christians.” In 313 CE, Roman Emperor Constantine formally recognized Christianity. As Constantine adopted Christianity as the state religion, he oversaw the development of doctrine and the writing of the Nicene Creed. The followers of Jesus the Anointed went from being small communities of people oppressed by the government to becoming the glue that bound the Roman Empire together. This was Christian Nationalism.
In all of its forms, Christian Nationalism has nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus to love one another, to care for the marginalized, and to view others as children of one God. Christian Nationalism is about the establishment of political power. It creates categories of people who are true believers and separates the majority of people as being outsiders. Christian Nationalism is harmful to people and society.
Back to the United States: Thomas Jefferson, who was a student of religion, understood the inherent problems with any form of religious nationalism. Because of this, he was clear in writing that there should be what he called “a wall of separation” between church and state. Whether it was Constantine and the establishment of Christianity as the religion of the empire, Hitler and the cooption of existing churches to make them “Reich Churches,” or conservative extremists in the US today embracing Christian Nationalism, the absence of a wall of separation between church and state brings harm to people and society while it also discredits the religion.
It’s my opinion that those of us who value the teachings of Jesus need to be clear in stating that Christianity was never meant to be a nationalistic belief system. Instead, Jesus came to teach us to love one another as people of peace.
