What is Christian Nationalism?

Christian nationalism is the fusion of national superiority and Christianity. 

Today, we’ll examine these two components, seeing how they play off one another to create something quite foreign to the ministry of Jesus.

Let’s start with nationalism.

Nationalism

It’s important to separate “Nationalism” from “Patriotism”.

Patriotism is pride in one’s country - it’s the joy and satisfaction that come with being part of a nation. 

Patriotism means you appreciate and want the best for your country; it’s an important part of any nation’s prosperity. 

Nationalism, on the other hand, is patriotism gone bad.

Nationalism is the belief in the inherent superiority of one nation over others.

There is no better modern example than the National Socialist Party under Adolf Hitler.

It was a sense of German superiority that drove Hitler’s war machine into World War II, and you don’t need me to tell you how that ended.

The Nazis are an extreme example. Most of the time, nationalism is seen in prejudice towards other nations, deification of one’s own country, or calls to block immigration for fear of losing a perceived national identity. 

All this is bad enough on its own and only gets worse when fused with faith.

Christianity

So, what does the “Christian” part of Christian nationalism look like?

It takes several forms but a few recurring themes persist: 

• Appeals to a nation’s supposed Christian heritage as an inseparable part of its identity.

• The use of Scripture (typically out of context) to justify the nation’s particular brand of nationalism.

• And the general use of Chritian imagery, symbolism, and phraseology as a vehicle for the message.

These days, the US has received a reputation for being the most common offender of this.

And while that is true in many ways, Christian nationalism is by no means unique to the US.

Other movements are present across Europe, from the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK to the Partij voor de Vrijheid (PVV) here in the Netherlands.

Christian nationalism isn’t a modern phenomenon either.

Long before the modern nation-state, European rulers, from kings to popes to lords, used Christianity to justify their reigns and what came out of them. In those days, Christian nationalism was the norm. To be European was to be Christian, and the Christian God was a European God.

Needless to say, all of this is incredibly unfortunate, especially when one considers how unlike Jesus such nationalism is.

More on that tomorrow.

For now, be blessed.

Jon,

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