Use of the term "Christian Nationalism" or "Christian Nationalist" has spiked in the last several years. I will begin this by stating that I am not a Christian Nationalist. I would prefer to wear a label, if I must, of Christian Patriot. I plan to flesh that out more later in this piece.
Before I tell you why I believe that Christian Nationalism misses the mark I want to make a few concessions or, rather, a few clarifications about Christian Nationalism.
Firstly, I believe that though there are Christian Nationalist, the term itself has become a bit of a boogeyman. Much like the word racist or chauvinist can be lobbed at anyone that wants to discuss issues of race or gender, the term Christian Nationalist has been levied against those that simply want to be a faithful Christian and discuss politics. If we are going to have a proper discussion about this weighty matter we must not use labels to shut down discussion.
Secondly, a politician's political beliefs being affected by his faith shouldn't be strange. The opposite of Christian Nationalist must not be Atheist Nationalist or Undiluted Secular Nationalist. Anyone that thinks one's religion won't or shouldn't affect their politics is either naive or, worse, prejudice against religious people. Remember all laws are morality written in ink.
Thirdly, I have a longing for what they desire. The Christian Nationalist longs to live in a place governed by God's laws that are executed in righteousness. They want a place to live where Jesus is exalted as King. I want this as well. However, I think the Christian Nationalist has put his hope for this longing in an un-Biblical or, at least, under-Biblical location.
Christian Nationalism misses the mark. In the following section I want to give four ways in which it does so and then following that I would like to share what I believe is the alternative for Christians who love their particular place on the globe. Before I begin this I will pull back the curtain and tell you that I considered making this a four or five part series, but I concluded that there is in no way many people want to read or will read a series of posts from me; and I know my work will get busy and there is a high likelihood that I wouldn't finish a series of post in a timely matter.
The four ways Christian Nationalism misses the mark:
1) It is Not Prescribed in the Epistles
All sixty-six books of the Bible are profitable for helping us know how to live when and where God has planted us (2 Timothy 3:16-17). That said, I believe the epistles are where we most clearly find God's instructions for how the Church and Christians operate. These letters were written by the Apostles to the churches to help them know how to govern themselves and live in unity under the truth of the Gospel. If you want to know God's call to the Church most directly we look not at the Old Testament (though we know and love it), not at Acts (though we preach it and love it), not at even the Gospels (though we cherish it and teach it). All the other books of the Bible must inform the Church but the epistles were given to the Church to instruct her on how to be the Church.
Since that is the case, why doesn't Paul or Peter or James or Jude give instructions on how to be the magistrate? Why is there not any guidance on what a Christian Nationalist state is to look like, if that was a mission of the Church?
Romans 13 tells Christians how to live under the authority of the state (state meaning government not Iowa or the like). It tells us that God has given authority and a roll to governments and that it is a Christian's job to be in submission, generally, to that authority. Paul did not write Romans 13:1-7 because Rome was overtly Christian and good. Paul wrote it because in God's sovereignty He has given the sword explicitly to the state for the punishing of evil. The Church is not given this sword, but even a pagan state is.
You may affirm this point with me so far but argue that a Christian Nationalist state would exercise this sword very well. You may say it sounds utopian to you. So, I ask, "What do the epistles teach us to hope the state does?"
"First of all then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:1-4
Paul instructs Timothy to pray for the ability to live a peaceful and quiet life. He asks for what I would say is a level of religious liberty. Paul does this because he says these conditions lead to the best soil for evangelism. Note that Paul does not instruct Timothy or us to pray that kings and all rulers exercise an overtly Christian form of government.
If you read 1 Peter 2:13-17 you'll see Peter instructing us to be subject to the government, which he calls a human institution. He says that government is to punish evil and praise good. He implores us to honor the emperor, even if the the emperor is a pagan (which he was as Peter wrote).
2) It Misses the Warnings of Total Depravity
"You are not cynical enough about Cesar if you think he will be in partnership with us for long." -Former staffer for presidents of both parties and Georgetown professor Paul D. Miller
I believe in keeping government both in place and limited. A Christian must not be an anarchist but must also be wary of an overreaching government of any ilk. It has been said by Lord Acton that "power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." He's also said "authority that does not exist for liberty is not authority but force."
Jesus picked the most fights and had the most arguments with the religious rulers of His day. Are you so sure that you'd do better?
The current American system certainly has Christian roots but avoids the corruption of absolute power. The separation of powers in the American Constitution are a brilliantly effect way of curbing the power of mere men. It seems to me that the founders of my nation had a strong view of the depravity of men with power. Remember that the pilgrims fled a Christian-state not a pagan-state. I can't imagine a Christian Nationalist state that doesn't soon get into persecution of denominations and non-essential Christian beliefs. Wishful naivety can blind us to this key flaw of Christian Nationalism.
3) It Misses What the Church's Mission Is
A mission worker friend of mine said this to me: One of the main differences between Muhammad and Jesus is that Muhammad came carrying a sword and Jesus came carrying a cross.
The state must carry the sword (Romans 13:4). In order to be the government you must have the power of the sword. This is a major flaw in Christian Nationalism because the Church isn't to bear the sword. This isn't a prohibition of Christians owning firearms. This is a prohibition of the Church's use of force to further the Kingdom of Heaven.
"My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my Kingdom is not from the world." John 18:36
The Kingdom of God is not an earthly state. In Christian Nationalism mission work becomes more imperial than Kingdom of Heaven advancing. The Gospel does not move through coercion and force except where God has been gracious in passing over our errors and working in spite of our foolishness.
"But our citizenship is in Heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself." Philippians 3:20-21
The Church is an outpost, not a nation yet. She is an embassy, not a wing of government. Furthermore, the United States is not ancient, covenant Israel nor is any nation. Christian Nationalism misses when it flops over what the Church's mission is and what the modern nation-state is and isn't.
4) It Misses What We Are Defined As
We Christians are members of a nation already. We are exiles and sojourners. We are citizens of another nation with longterm residence in another where we, at least most of us, have earthly citizenship.
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation." 1 Peter 2:9-12
We are already part of a holy nation. Our goal isn't to have the reins of power under the umbrella of a church to make a holy nation or even a more holy nation. We are already the people of God even as we are scattered under the flags of nations all over the entire earth.
Instead of Christian Nationalism I argue for Christian Patriotism.
Christian Patriotism works in whatever nation you live. If, like my sister, you live in Australia, be a Christian Patriot there. As for me, I will be a Christian Patriot in the United States.
Christian Patriotism, at least as I will define it, is not only Biblical but it is achievable. Christian Nationalism seems mostly, to me, to be a pipe dream for those who I hear talk about what it will or will not look like. Meanwhile, you can do Christian Patriotism today.
A Christian Patriot absolutely wants to see entire societies changed by the spread and the deepening of the Gospel. We are ourselves explicitly Christian but don't need our government to be so. We believe that God is a God, rather the God, of reason and therefore we can use reason to argue the same things we see in Scripture in the public square.
C.S. Lewis said this in his essay Is Theology Poetry?
"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."
For the Christian Patriot we are free to, in a representative democracy as I live in, vote for rational, moral people that aren't necessarily Christian. That said, we know that Jesus is the Lady Wisdom of the book of Proverbs personified. We know that Christians have a unique upper hand moral in reasoning.
In the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson said, "We hold these truths to be self-evident..." Because God created and ordered the universe there will be wisdom that can be seen from natural revelation. So, we can argue for moral laws based on self-evident, visible, truth. And those who have and love the gift of special revelation (the Bible) have an advantage on this. Some of us are to be people like Daniel who live uprightly with great wisdom in the halls of power of a pagan nation.
You may say that self-evident truths can often be ignored. You're right. There are many self-evident things that people willingly blind themselves to today. The fact that the man who penned that all men being created equal and endowed by their creator certain unalienable rights also owned and sold slaves. That is true. Yet it was people like William Willberfoce that fought in the halls of government as it was to end the slave trade.
Christian Patriots seek the good of their homeland or current nation even well outside the halls of government. Christian Patriots are civic-minded, good neighbors in a variety of rolls.
As Jeremiah says in the letter to the exiles:
"Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf for in its welfare you will find your welfare." Jeremiah 28:5-7
I am under no delusion that a Christian Patriotism can create a utopia, but I do believe that it can make whatever community it is practiced in better. Christian Nationalism seeks a utopic nation-state through a firm grasp on the levers of power. Christian Patriotism, out of love for country, pursues her best even if far from the levers of power.
In conclusion, I believe that Christian Nationalism grossly misses the mark. I also believe that my country and all nations need Christian Patriots who love their neighbor as themselves and seek the good of the place they live. I think we also need to think clearly about what is Christian Nationalism and what isn't so we don't join in the lobbing of verbal grenades. Finally, there is certainly much I missed regarding this topic. I'm sure some of you are giving a hearty amen because I said what you already agree with and some of you haven't liked at all what you read. Either way, I appreciate you reading to the end of this and if this is something you're wrestling with I ask you to read, pray and think deeply about this subject today.
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