In yesterday’s post (Is the United States a Christian Nation?) I noted that the United States does not have a Christian form of government and is not a Christian nation. However, our government was designed to permit the large number of Christians who fled persecution in Europe to worship in peace. This is a very good thing. With the shattering of our culture along with the mocking of even the most basic morality, some Christians are looking to restore some sanity by bringing Church and State back together. Not only is this un-American it’s just a bad idea.
The United States has had problems just like any other nation but the one thing we haven’t had is a lot of religious violence. If the State becomes wed to religion once again there will be an official state religion, a national creed, and the old practice of having to take religious oaths to hold public office (if we’re lucky that will be all). The potential for violence in that situation would be extreme and would destroy us. Oh, there would be something left where the United States used to be but, no matter what they call it, it won’t be the United States.
In the last year or so I have noticed “Christian Nationalism” getting mentioned a lot. I know a bunch of blue-haired cat ladies will go into their pearl clutching routine about “Christian Nationalism” but they’re always on about something. What has made me take notice is I have started hearing rumblings on the “right” which is of much more concern. I am not sure yet how deep this movement is but it is of great concern to me.
Oh, and before I forget, if you are a Christian be very careful using the term “Christian Nationalism.” James Lindsay has a pro tip for all of us: when someone on the “left” hears the word “Nationalism” they will immediately conjure up an image of Herr Hitler’s “National Socialism.” Call yourself a patriotic Christian or something like that but unless you want to be branded a NAZI don’t use that word. Yes, it’s stupid but that’s the world we live in.
That is a long lead-in to a series of articles I want to recommend to you all. Over the last five months Gary Gilley has been doing a series of articles on Christian Nationalism that I highly recommend. Sometimes we can see something right in front of us and not recognize it, we need to recognize this. Look, if you want to be a “Christian Nationalist” I can’t stop you but please don’t get sucked into it without knowing what it is. Here are Pastor Gilley’s articles in the order of appearance:
- Christian Nationalism and the Great Hibernation
- Christian Nationalism, A Biblical Guide for Taking Dominion and Discipling Nations
- Christian Nationalism = Christendom
- The Case for Christian Nationalism
- Christian Nationalism – Strategy
If anyone reads this post and has information they would like to share, feel free to drop a link in the comments.