The Dangers of Christian Nationalism

When American Patriotism Takes the Throne

I want to give a shout-out to the reader who inspired this post.

It all started when I wrote an article called “God Bless the American Bible,” which was intended to be a satirical advertisement for the “God Bless the USA” Bible.

The “God Bless the USA” Bible combines the holy scriptures with the founding documents of the USA — like The Pledge of Allegiance, The US Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, and The Bill of Rights — in one leather-bound book, with the US flag proudly emblazoned across the front cover.

No, this is not a joke. This Bible is actually a real thing, released to commemorate the 20th anniversary of September 11.

As I gently poked fun at the ‘Christians’ behind this Biblical brainwave, I thought to myself, “Surely there aren’t real human beings who believe that the US Constitution — for all its apparent inspiredness — actually belongs inside a book alongside the supposed word of God. Who in their right mind would purchase such a Bible?”

And then I met one…

I didn’t have to wait too long to find the answer. The day after I published my post, I was trawling through the comments that people had left.

I make a habit of trying my best to respond positively to all of those who take the time to leave a comment — even those who aren’t particularly kind or reasonable.

Sure enough, I found a section of my article highlighted by one of my readers. The section read: “I find any suggestion that God favors one nation or people or group over another completely repulsive.”

Reasonable enough, right?

However, there attached was a comment that left me truly lost for words — a quandary not usually suffered by writers like me. I shared the comment with a few friends, who all arrived at the same conclusion: “He can’t be serious, can he?”

But I think he is.

And that is why I simply have to write about this. However, before I explain why, I’ll let you have a read of the offending comment for yourself:

You see, I thought Jesus was the savior of the world. Now, I stand corrected. It seems that, regretfully, all these years, I have believed a false Gospel.

My bad.

Now I know better.

It turns out that, according to my reader, America, rather than Jesus, is the savior of the world.

Patriotism meets Christianity

You’re probably picking up the sarcasm in my tone. I’m not impressed. In fact, I am angry.

Why?

Well, in just a few short lines of text, my well-meaning but ultimately over-zealous ‘Christian’ brother manages to mix radical American patriotism with orthodox Christian faith in a potent cocktail of pure idolatry masquerading as something noble.

In reality, these few comments betray a troubling truth. In the worldview of this individual — one who calls himself a Christian — America rather than Jesus is the center of his spirituality. Rather than Jesus serving as the world’s guiding light and the beacon of hope for humanity, America has assumed the role of a Messiah on the global stage.

Yes, America.

This post is nothing more than Christian nationalism on steroids. Christian nationalism — like almost every word of this man’s post — is purely and simply not Christian at all. Let me explain why:

It supposes that our nation is God’s nation

The Bible doesn’t say, “God Bless America,” but it does say, “For God so loved the world.” Therefore, any suggestion that God somehow favors one nation over another is entirely anti-Biblical.

My reader correctly points out that God did choose the Jews in the Old Testament. But what exactly were they chosen for? They were not selected by God to gloat because they were “God’s people,” nor to hoard the blessings of God for themselves.

Rather, they were chosen to be the vehicle by which God’s plan for his all-inclusive love to reach the far corners of the earth to people of every tribe, tongue, and nation. God always intended this thing to go global, and he had to start somewhere.

It started with the Jews. It’s now available to everyone — including Americans — but also to no one exclusively. Nobody owns God.

But my reader basically says, “God chose the Jews, but they rejected God, and so God has ditched the Jews in favor of America instead.” So suddenly, we have a situation where the ‘Christian story’ is intertwined with the ‘American story,’ and they become one.

Yes, the official motto of the USA is “In God We Trust.” People often use that as an argument to say, “We were founded as a nation with divine guidance,” — as my reader did — but the U.S. Congress only adopted this motto in 1956. So, it’s a fairly recent development. But, don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story.

I’m sure that the guiding principles of Christianity had a role in the formation of the USA. However, Christian nationalism believes that the American nation is defined by Christianity — rather than being an element in its formation — and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way.

“America was, is, and must remain a Christian nation,” the Christian nationalist asserts. But, of course, this way of thinking sets a prescriptive program for what America must continue to be in the future.

It supposes that our people are God’s people

When my reader says, “America does hold a special place in the eye of God,” what he really means is that “Certain Americans hold a special place in the eyes of God.”

That’s because when you argue that your nation was and always will be a Christian nation, it causes you to draw lines in the sand about who is and who is not part of that nation.

In reality, many groups of people cannot or will not conform to the religious and cultural template that our “Christian nation” imposes. People of different races, faiths, cultures, genders, and sexual preferences don’t fit under a Christian nationalist regime. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons that scholars almost unanimously agree that nationalist governments tend to become authoritarian and oppressive in practice.

The idea that one group enjoys the favor of God more than another is really the spirit behind colonialism, racism, sexism, elitism, homophobia, Islamophobia, and any other kind of prejudice you’d care to name. It is only when you believe that all people are God’s people that you can truly embrace all people in the same way God does.

It supposes that our victories are God’s victories

“Do you think it was just luck that a poorly organized militia was able to defeat the Royal British Empire?” Asks my reader in his comment.

What is he really saying?

Well, of course, he is saying that God intervened and miraculously delivered them from their enemies. In fact, whenever we go to war, God is on our side!

And if God is on our side, then God is not on the side of the other guys. They are our enemies and, therefore, they are God’s enemies, and so it’s our God-given mandate to act on behalf of God to destroy them. That being the case, we can justify all of our military actions as the divine will of God — and we need never be held to account.

Have we found those weapons of mass destruction that the Bush administration used to justify the invasion of Iraq in 2003? Or was it because of our “War on Terror” following the attacks on September 11, despite those attacks being found to have no connection to Iraq? It certainly couldn’t have been because certain parties had oil interests to protect in the Middle East, right?

Either way, God is on our side! It’s our job to crush the baddies!

Oh, and one more thing… do you think that it was just luck that a poorly organized militia was able to defeat the might of the US army in Vietnam?

It supposes that our way is God’s way

When you suppose that your way is God’s way, then you must do what you can to impose that ‘way’ on the rest of the world.

Manifest Destiny, a phrase coined in 1845, is the idea that the United States is destined — by God, its advocates believed — to expand its dominion and spread democracy and capitalism across the entire North American continent and beyond. To hell with the natives!

“We are that shining city on the hill.”

Take a moment to appreciate the self-congratulatory tone of this comment. It says, “America has all the answers! The rest of the world should look at us and follow our example! See what a nation looks like when it enjoys the unbridled favor of God!”

Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure that America has much to offer the rest of the world by way of example. But I’m also sure that the rest of the world has much to offer America.

When Christianity meets American exceptionalism, you end up with some truly repugnant attitudes — ones that say, “We have the truth. You don’t have the truth. You need what we have. You are lost. We are saved. You are walking around in the dark. We are enlightened. You need to learn from us. You have nothing of value to say to me, but what we have to say to you is of infinite value. My way of living and believing is the one true and correct one, and I will not be told otherwise.”

No wonder American Christianity is ‘on the nose.’

It supposes that our truth is God’s truth

As a glorious benediction to his comment, my reader declares with a full prophetic voice, “America is destined to be the savior of the free world!”

Again, I thought that was Jesus’s job—silly me.

I also wonder what he means when he says the “free world?” Does he mean “free world” like it was meant when the phrase was originally coined as a propaganda term in World War 2 to refer to America and her allies?

If so, what about the rest of the world? Is an alliance with the USA synonymous with the favor of God? Are other nations not free because they follow a different way, or believe different things, or choose to align with a different way of living and being?

The Christian nationalist says, “Yes, and it’s our God-given job to show them that!”

Compare that attitude to the words of Jesus Christ when he set before the world his own mission statement at the beginning of his ministry in Luke 4:18–19:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me. He has chosen me to tell the good news to the poor. He sent me to tell prisoners that they are free and to tell the blind that they can see again. He sent me to free those who have been treated badly and to announce that the time has come for the Lord to show his kindness.”

One is a humble position; the other is an arrogant position.

Dear American Christian,

I recognize that many of my readers are from the land of the free and the home of the brave, and I do not wish to insult or disenfranchise any of them. They are good and decent people who live in an amazing country — of this, I have no doubt.

However, on behalf of everyone else who is not from the United States of America, I very humbly wish to suggest that America does not possess exclusivity when it comes to the blessing and favor of God. And there are ways of following Christ other than the ‘American way.’

As US Christian author Shane Claiborne says, “American nationalism is its own civil religion, where America rather than Jesus is the center of attention. Like any religion, it has its own liturgy, saints, and holidays. It has its own religious symbols — the eagle, the flag, the red, white, and blue. It has its own creeds — ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident… It has its own ‘worship’ songs — like ‘God Bless the USA’ and ‘I’m Proud to be an American,’ both by Lee Greenwood. It even has its own theology — manifest destiny, the doctrine of discovery, and American exceptionalism.”

There is nothing wrong with being patriotic. However, when we mix our patriotism with our faith, we enter dangerous territory.