From “American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays The Gospel and Threatens The Church” by Andrew L. Whitehead
First, Christian nationalism is wholly obsessed with power used to benefit “us.” It seeks to create hierarchies in which some deserve (on the basis of “the will of God”) to be at the top with unfettered access to power and privilege, while others exist in lower sections of the social hierarchy. We will explore how Jesus related to power throughout the Gospels. We will examine fellow Christians who are thinking deeply about power and how to wield it faithfully. And we will look at how Christians can confront Christian nationalism through defending true religious liberty and siding with those marginalized across American society.
Second, Christian nationalism is intimately intertwined with fear and a sense of threat. It constantly pushes us to see the world in terms of “us” versus “them,” always threatening “our” power and privilege. It operates from a scarcity mindset, that there is not enough for all of us to experience abundance. Those wielding power to selfishly benefit white Christians have for decades traded in fear alongside Christian nationalism to great effect. They mobilized countless Americans to particular ends, even when those ends ultimately cost the lives and livelihoods of our fellow Americans from minority populations. However, should Christians live in fear? What if Christians did not buy into fear, especially the fear of losing what they see as rightfully theirs? What if Christians could reject us-versus-them thinking, which encourages us to see other humans as enemies to subdue and hold in contempt? What if we instead embraced the gospel highlighting the good news of abundant life for all, in the here and now, where we can empathize with our neighbors instead of demonizing them? The message of this gospel dispels the group-level fears of white Christian nationalism centered on loss of power, privilege, and prosperity.
Third, Christian nationalism is completely comfortable with, and at times demands, the use of violence. Because the protection of “our” power and privilege from “them” is paramount, all means of achieving such ends are acceptable. History demonstrates how violence is the result of quests for power that are based on fear, especially when power and fear revolve around hierarchical relationships predicated on “us” versus “them.” Ultimately, the use of violence signals a distrust of the work of God in the world and seeing the image of God in all people.
Throughout our nation’s history, these three idols have resulted in horrific violence, expressing themselves through creating and maintaining “proper” hierarchies between various groups and the mistreatment of those groups. There are many examples of this dynamic at work, including the subjugation of women. For centuries, women have been victims of the idols of power, fear, and violence intertwined with white Christian nationalism. Because the “Christian” content of Christian nationalism tends to revere cultural traditionalism in all its forms, social science consistently demonstrates that calls for a “more Christian nation” are essentially calls for a more patriarchal social and political system within our families, congregations, and political institutions. Unchecked sexual and psychological abuse, limitations on women’s autonomy, and the silencing of women’s voices and gifts are just a few of the ways white Christian nationalism and its idols have harmed women. I have learned so much from books like Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez and The Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Allison Barr and encourage you to wrestle with these histories and their implications.