Christian Nationalism Isn't the Answer
Christian Nationalism Isn't the Answer
It's an Affront to the Teachings & Example of Jesus
It was 2002-2003. I had just moved to Colorado Springs and was excited about joining a medium-sized church then led by Dutch Sheets.
Worship was exuberant, prayer was fervent and the leadership was hyper-focused on national reform and revival.
I had no idea that I just landed in the middle of a movement that mixed deeply conservative politics with Pentecostal zeal, authoritarian leadership structures, and a charismatic theology of demonizing anything that opposed it.
I had no idea I stepped into a seedbed of what would grow and contribute to a militant Christian nationalism that would help pave the way for an attempt to overthrow democracy and obstruct the peaceful transfer of power almost 20 years later on Jan 6, 2021.
But even back then, in the 2-3 years I participated in that church and other events associated with the New Apostolic Revolution (NAR), all the signs were there.
Prayers were less about supplication, or asking God for things, and more about legislating God’s kingdom on earth.
Decreeing and declaring what God’s will was for a specific situation, topic, or nation was the prayer posture of choice.
(You might wonder how one knew they were accurately declaring the right things.
Those who were recognized prophets and apostles set the agenda. And then to a degree, select interpretations of Scripture with often out-of-context readings of biblical passages were also used.
The rest of us largely just fell into line.)
There were undercover-like prayer assignments (that I was not nearly cool enough to be invited to join in on), including stories I remember being shared from the pulpit involving critical trips to pray at the Supreme Court.
As I remember it, a small team of NAR leaders and associated intercessors went and prayed in the actual courtroom of the Supreme Court. And I believe some were able to lay hands on each of the seats the justices sat on behind the bench while doing so during one of them.
When I was in the NAR ecosystem 20+ years ago, there was a laser focus on overturning moderate and liberal Supreme Court seats for conservative ones. And the necessary political maneuverings to build an apparatus to make that happen.
All with the overarching goal of overturning Roe v Wade and enacting a conservative US government reawakened to God's plan for America.
The longer I was in these settings, the more I began to question.
With all this “governmental intercession”… where was the heart of Jesus?
Where was loving our neighbor?
Why was the rhetoric so militant and violent sounding?
Why were we always so focused on demons?
Why was the leadership culture so hierarchical and authoritarian?
And why was the person and character of Jesus rarely mentioned except as the seal by which our prayers were punctuated “ in Jesus’ name”?
I became increasingly uncomfortable with the dynamics I was experiencing.
I eventually moved on because I could not reconcile my experience with the example of Jesus.
Flash forward… Seeing the Appeal to Heaven flag flown at Justice Alito’s property a few weeks ago was a surreal full-circle moment.
The Appeal to Heaven flag’s origin reaches back to George Washington and the Revolutionary War.
But it was made popular again, reinvigorated as a symbol with fresh meaning in recent times by Dutch Sheets. The Appeal to Heaven flag was quickly adopted by those who supported the remaking of America into a literal Christian nation.
There is a great detailed history of the details how all of that went down in this article here.
I became aware of this as I began to follow the rise of more extreme expressions of Christian nationalism in the last 4-5 years. It was also a prevalent symbol seen among January 6 rioters.
We are Teetering on the Edge of Theocratic Authoritarianism
Beloved, we are at an inflection point. I’m not trying to be alarmist.
The Supreme Court ruling today largely in favor of presidential immunity completely disrupts our balance of power and imperils our democracy in fundamental ways. It is egregious and unconscionable.
I truly fear we will miss the fleeting moment we have to stop the tide that seeks to destroy the foundation of freedom our nation has been built on.
The Seven Mountain Mandate mixed with a Supreme Court stacked with conservative justices that have lifetime appointments, a potential Trump 2.0 term, project 2025, and a swell of Christian authoritarianism is a nightmare scenario. And we are there.
We could easily be standing in the twilight of democracy.
I don’t write that lightly. I believe it is absolutely that serious.
I’ve lived in parts of the world reeling from the aftermath of decades of civil war. I’ve worked in countries with authoritarian governments with unbridled power and a litany of human rights abuses.
Both are nothing we want to experience here.
But I want to focus on an angle I don’t see as many people talking about. I feel it is crucial to consider in understanding the times we are in.
As someone who left the early forms of the NAR movement, here’s my bold statement. ⬇️
Christian Nationalism is an Affront to the Example & Teachings of Jesus
When I say Christian nationalism I don’t mean patriotism or appreciation for the genuinely good things we have (for the moment at least) in the USA. We have a lot to be grateful for.
Nor do I mean civic involvement or voting your conscience. That is a central part of our rights.
When I say Christian nationalism, I mean the ideology that seeks to merge conservative “Christian and American identities, distorting both the Christian faith and America’s constitutional democracy.”1
Christian nationalism is a cultural framework that idealizes and advocates a fusion of Christianity with American civic life. Christian nationalism contends that America has been and should always be distinctively “Christian” from top to bottom – in its self-identity, interpretations of its own history, sacred symbols, cherished values, and public policies – and it aims to keep it that way. But the “Christian” in Christian nationalism is more about identity than religion. It carries with it assumptions about nativism, white supremacy, authoritarianism, patriarchy, and militarism.
If you identify as Christian, then the greatest challenge to Christian nationalism is the life and teachings of Jesus himself.
Jesus was born into a world desperately looking for a political leader divinely chosen by God to seize power and free God’s people from what was an actual oppressive regime.
If political takeover was foundational to God’s reality coming into our midst, Jesus would have given us a very different model to follow.
When Jesus’ followers were going to force him to take power through political force, he ducked them and left the area.
Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. – John 6:15
When they came to arrest Jesus in Luke 22:49-51 and Simon Peter sliced off the ear of the High Priest’s servant, Jesus stated, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him.”
And when Jesus stood before Pilate a little while later, he could not have been more clear about how God’s kingdom came.
Jesus answered, “My kingdom (sovereignty & royal power) is not derived from this world (or it’s inhabitants). If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not sourced from this realm.” – John 18:36
Politics and policy will never usher in God’s reality.
Trying to manipulate and legislate fallible human interpretations of what is believed to be God’s will is nothing less than demanding a spiritualized version of our own understanding rooted in our own strength.
If God’s standard of success was determined by cultural dominance, political power, and social esteem, Jesus was the universe’s most epic failure.
His own culture crucified him. His greatest platform was realized in a criminal death sentence on a Roman cross.
Jesus said:
“The kingdom of God does not come with observation {careful scrutiny and visual evidence}; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within, among, and inside you.” (Luke 17:20-21)
So, spicy opinion time… If your Jesus is a white man wearing a red MAGA hat, he’s not the Jesus of Scripture.
He’s an idol and image of a form of state religion that has co-opted the name and image of Jesus for its own power and purposes.
It is a cult of empire deeply committed to reinstalling their divinely chosen emperor.
Christian nationalism only cares about freedom when it is the “right” kind of freedom for the approved kind of people.
Its leadership structures are largely authoritarian. Thus, authoritarianism is not abnormal and in many cases even preferred.
So there isn’t that far to stretch to see the same type of leadership as acceptable for the way the country is run.
When that happens, everything other than what the leading voices feel is God’s will will be on a slippery slope of criminalization. In some states, this is already happening.
Christian nationalism is fundamentally at its core undemocratic— and, un-Christian. It stand opposed the nature of Christ.
And the Supreme Court handed down a decision today on presidential power that puts our democracy in further peril.
Justice Sotomayor writes in her dissenting opinion:
“Until now, presidents have operated under the assumption that their actions were not immune from criminal prosecution if they used their office, and the trappings of their office, to commit crimes. But going forward, presidents won’t be so concerned. With fear for our democracy, I dissent.”
I’m a Christian. I don’t love politics. I don’t love conflicts and debates. But this is far too important for me to stay silent on.
Here’s the deal. I want all of my neighbors to have access to vote and have their voices heard. Including the ones I fundamentally disagree with.
I want all my neighbors to have a safe country where they can live and worship freely.
Christian nationalism has little to do with the religion of Christianity and a lot to do with identity politics, culture wars, and power grabs carefully orchestrated over decades.
Most ironically of all, it sets up the dynamics to reenact the same kind of theocratic oppression many of the founders came to our shores fleeing.
Christian nationalism has nothing to do with the heart and character of Jesus or the spiritual principles he taught.
And, if we don’t want to lose what is left of our constitutional democracy, we need to make every effort possible to vote and make our voices heard in what could otherwise easily become the last election of our lifetime.
https://www.christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org/statement
Wow. Well written and well said.