Christian nationalism, once fringe, is now seen as more mainstream in conservative politics

As Christmas Day draws near and the season of perpetual hope is in full swing, it comes a time for many to reflect on the previous year and to start setting goals for the next year.

As all years seem to be since the dawn of this current century, it’s been a tough political one, and many, including myself, are not really looking forward to the next election year, which includes a presidential election.

I find myself often feeling hopeless that our country will have more appealing choices than we’ve had the last few election cycles. All across our political spectrum, political parties and ideologies are gearing up for a combative and divisive election cycle once again.

As a conservative who believes in the original conservative ideals of individual freedom, limited government, rule of law, peace through strength, fiscal responsibility, free markets and human dignity and value, I’m hoping that the majority of Republican voters will choose to thwart many of the right-wing extreme positions and ideologies that are starting to define the party in a negative way.

Many leaders in the party have started to embrace ideologies that are problematic and can prove harmful when taken to policy levels.

I’m talking about Christian nationalism. What once was seen as a fringe viewpoint, Christian nationalism now has a foothold in American politics, particularly in the Republican Party — according to a survey from the Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution.

Researchers found that more than half of Republicans believe the country should be a strictly Christian nation, either adhering to the ideals of Christian nationalism (21%) or sympathizing with those views (33%).

According to Christianity Today, Christian nationalism is the belief that the American nation is defined by Christianity, and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way. 

Many seem to try to link Christian nationalism to patriotism, but there is a difference. Again, according to Christianity Today, patriotism is the love of country. It is different from nationalism, which is an argument about how to define our country.

Christian nationalists also often link their efforts to embrace the “supremacy” of Western culture and civilization, tracing its roots back to European and Mediterranean culture. Here in Oklahoma, the state superintendent has formed a “council” made up of ministers and other individuals interested in combatting what they say are liberal and “anti-Christian” values in public classrooms by asking for mandates on teaching Western civilization.

Taken separately, the ideals of Christianity and of patriotism are good things and shape an individual’s views along many moral and ethical lines. However, when forming these ideals into a nationalistic perspective, it ignores the very many different cultural perspectives that have actually been the founding principles of our nation – which is a nation of immigrants.

What has made the United States unique and a beacon of hope across the world is that our founding fathers drew distinct lines between religion and government, and for more than 200 years, principled leaders on both sides of the political aisle of strived to maintain that distinction.

Christian nationalism blurs those lines between religion and government, potentially violating the principle of separation of church and state. It’s been a tenet of our country that religious beliefs do not and should not unduly influence government policies or discriminate against people of other faiths or no faith.

Christian nationalism, when taken to extremes, seeks to adhere to particular interpretations of Christianity, which can foster an exclusive identity and marginalize those who do not adhere to these particular interpretations. We are seeing this today in the inflammatory rhetoric primarily regarding immigration and sexual orientation or identity.

Look, I agree there are issues surrounding uncontrolled illegal immigration and divisive gender policies. These don’t have to be addressed by enforcing certain religious viewpoints. Intertwining religion and politics has not and does not fare well historically.

History has shown that when religion and politics are interwoven, it can lead to conflict, persecution, and human rights abuses. We must recognize that religious-based nationalism underscores the potential dangers of combining religious identity with political power.

Many Christians understand this, and they are opposed to the fusion of religion and nationalism, advocating for a more inclusive and tolerant society that respects the diversity of beliefs. A group called Christians Against Christian Nationalism has a statement that America has no second-class faiths and that all are equal under the U.S. Constitution.

Taking the name of Christ for a world political view hasn’t been the objective of U.S. Christianity in the past. And it doesn’t need to be a priority for our future.