Christian Nationalism and Veiled Political Ideology

Christian Nationalists seek to use Christianity merely as a tool to achieve political and cultural dominance, according to an online seminar convened by the Religious Left group Sojourners.

The virtual panel featuring Sojourners President the Rev. Adam Russell Taylor, spiritual writer Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Desert Springs Bible Church Lead Pastor Caleb Campbell, and emerita professor of psychology and religion the Rev. Pamela Cooper-White, met on October 16 to discuss Christian Nationalism and how to dismantle it.

Founded by longtime Evangelical Left activist the Rev. Jim Wallis, Sojourners characterizes its mission as working towards establishing social and racial justice. It has been noteworthy across decades for its embrace of Religious Left causes including an expansive welfare state and functional pacifism. In the past decade, it has moved to affirm transgenderism, consensual non-monogamy, and oppose restrictions on abortion.

Asked to define Christian nationalism, panelists identified it as chiefly an ideological and political movement. As such, it is the belief that Christians should propagate their “ideology” in government and that nationalists use Christianity merely as a tool to achieve political and cultural dominance. Although claiming to dismantle a political ideology using a biblical worldview, the Sojourners panel mirrored the opposing political ideology rather than the Church, which was made evident by the panel’s lack of biblical references in support of their positions.

Because Christian Nationalism is “a heresy” and “form of idolatry,” Taylor emphasized the need to dismantle nationalism while showing love. Political leaders, he argued, must be stripped of their religious credibility; they cannot be allowed to wield Christian language for political ends. The Sojourners President then used religious language to characterize Christian Nationalism as an evil pushed by right-wing groups in an “Unholy Alliance” that uses the “three hounds of hell: fear, hypocrisy, and hatred” to spread its worldview.

In criticizing Christian Nationalists for weaponizing religion, panelists demonized their political opponents by using religious language and echoing the political (not religious) goals of the left-wing. For them, nationalists do not merely misrepresent the Christian faith but present an immediate threat to democracy in the form of former President and current Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump, MAGA Republicans, conservative advocacy organization Turning Point USA, and other groups on the political right.

Those convened by Sojourners seeking to oppose Christian Nationalism do so in a way inconsistent with the Gospel and fall into the same political tunnel-vision that they decry in Christian Nationalists. Their own words make clear they are guided less by historic Christian teaching and more by contemporary leftist principles, declaring that “The gospel calls for pluralism.”

This claim should startle anyone with even a remote familiarity with scripture. God does not seem tolerant of pluralism when describing himself to Moses as a “jealous God” or in giving his first commandment that “You shall have no other gods before me.” Likewise, Jesus Christ in fulfilling the law does not present himself as one of many legitimate teachings nor the act of following him as one among many legitimate ways to live. He presents himself as the way, the truth, and the life. The Gospel unambiguously rejects pluralism as a source of life.

In fairness, the panel likely intended to communicate that the gospel calls for believers to tolerate other belief systems.

“Any faith that has been imposed is not an authentic faith,” Taylor insisted. Most would likely question someone’s faith if only adopted under threat or pressure. Yet, the panel uses “imposed” to mean something different. For them, government officials that reason from the basis of their faith would be imposing their beliefs on others; for the panel, living a normative, moral life naturally imposes on others.

To solve the present and future dangers of Christian Nationalism, panelists proposed building a new culture. Although likely pluralist, the panel did not clarify what they hoped to promote and establish. Rather than reason with those who disagree, they assume that “argumentation does not work, period.” The Sojourners could have urged listeners to shake the dust off their feet when words fail. Or, the panel could have recited passages in Proverbs that speak to arguing with fools. Yet, they did neither and cited very little scripture throughout the whole discussion. Although claiming to correct a Christian heresy, the Sojourner panelists speak and reason as a purely political ideology.

Taylor asserted that young adults and children are abandoning the Christian faith because of political hypocrisy among members of the Church. He may very well be correct. Yet, Taylor and the panel entirely blame nationalism and the right wing, claiming that they are enemies to evangelism. The panel didn’t consider if leftist politics masked as Christianity could be a similar force driving young people away from the Church.

In a characterization of the “enemy” that is Christian Nationalism, the Sojourners panel embodied the very politicization they claim to detest. If Christian Nationalism is truly a problem that U.S. Christians must counter, the panelists neglected to provide a biblical response. Instead, they have merely substituted the political playbook and buzzwords of the political right for that of the political left.