Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Christian nationalism is a grave threat to America

American flag and cross against a dark sky
Javier_Art_Photography/Getty Images

Young is a retired pastor in the Presbyterian Church.

My father, who served as a Navy officer in the South Pacific, shared fascinating World War II stories with me. With ensuing history classes, I became troubled by America’s slow response to Hitler’s atrocities in Europe and incredulous that Christians in Germany blindly followed their deranged dictator.

While pursuing a master of divinity degree at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, I took a course titled “Christianity and the Holocaust.” I learned that Hitler’s strategy to build loyalty and support within German churches was masterful. He encouraged kids in his German youth organizations to get their families to attend Sunday worship with them. Church attendance skyrocketed; pastors were thrilled. Eventually, Germany’s government rule and religion became one.


We know the rest of the story of Hitler and his followers’ persecution of Jews, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Blacks, disabled people, gays, trade unionists and people who were of Roma, Sinti and Slavic descent. Sadly, only a handful of German clergy confronted Hitler.

It’s now 34 years since my seminary graduation. I feel called to stand with other pastors throughout America in speaking out against another movement seeking to fuse government and religion.

The threat is Christian nationalism.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

Christian nationalism wants to bring America’s church and state into one entity — just like Hitler did — which is incompatible with the most basic principle of our democratic framework. I am deeply concerned about this cult-like movement.

A plethora of news stories and broadcasts have revealed America now has many political figures whose words and actions are those of a Christian nationalist. The movement is dangerous in its assertion that God has a special bond with the United States and with selected politicians. It is unwise, undemocratic and destructive.

A national survey conducted jointly by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution found 64 percent of white evangelical Protestants are Christian nationalism adherents or sympathizers to the movement. Thirty-five percent of Americans have never heard of the term “Christian nationalism.”

Christian nationalism is fueled by white supremacy — the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and should dominate them. They are taught to shun LGBTQIA persons, to embrace dominance of men over women, and to believe that only Christianity — one of 10,000 distinct religions — should rule Congress, state governments and the court system.

The movement has been percolating for decades among a surprisingly large pool of white Christians who feel they’re called by God to rise up and defend themselves against anyone who is different. The Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection on the U.S. Capitol was Christian nationalism exemplified.

The most comprehensive research study to date of American religion was conducted by sociologists’ Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry. Their study, with over 16,000 people, noted Christian nationalism paradoxically holds America as sacred in God’s sight. It baptizes authoritarian rule. It sanctifies the preservation of order with righteous violence. It glorifies the patriarchal, heterosexual family as not only God’s biblical standard, but the cornerstone of all thriving civilizations.

Christian nationalism is a political movement couched in religious language. Its ultimate goal is earthly power — control over people and issues they don’t like — which is the exact opposite of what the gospels teach us. Jesus came as a suffering servant who gave his life for all of us, whether we’re rich, poor, gay, straight, Black, white, Brown, of any culture, of any creed and of any language.

Christian nationalism doesn’t reflect what Jesus taught and how he lived his life. The Bible’s overarching theme is God’s love for all of us — regardless of our skin color, political affiliation, economic status or gender identity. While I’m a Christian, I believe God’s love is extended to all people. The gospel (which means “good news”) is always a gift. It should never be used as a weapon.

What can we do? Each of us must think carefully about where our greatest allegiance lies. Matthew 22:22 quotes Jesus saying, “give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God the things that are God’s.” We can be Christian and still be patriotic, which — simply stated — is love for one’s country. Nationalism is putting our highest allegiance to our country, especially its historically dominant ethnic, social, and cultural classes. Politics usurps what belongs only to our Creator.

Between now and Nov. 5, Americans cannot be misled by self-serving politicians or Christian nationalist clergy like most German Christians were. Christian nationalism flagrantly distorts Christianity and purposely puts down people of color, the disabled, those who are LGBTQIA ... just like Hitler did.

I pray that we, as Americans, will continue to respect democracy, non-violence, and the critical separation of religion and government as we demonstrate love for all our neighbors.

Read More

An illustration of diverse people around a heart with the design of the American flag.
An illustration of diverse people around a heart with the design of the American flag.
Getty Images, wildpixel

The Next Hundred Days: America's Latest Test of Democracy

For decades, we have watched America wrestle with its demons. Sometimes, she has successfully pinned them down. Other times, the demons have slipped beyond her grasp. Yet, America has always remained in the ring. There is no difference right now, and the stakes couldn't be higher.

Across America, from small-town council meetings to state legislatures, there's a coordinated effort to roll back the clock on civil rights, geopolitical relations, and the global economy. It's not subtle, and it's not accidental. The targeting of immigrants and citizens of color has become so normalized that we risk becoming numb to it. For example, what happened in Springfield, Ohio, late last year? When national politicians started pushing rhetoric against Haitian immigrants, it wasn't just local politics at play. It was a test balloon, a preview of talking points soon echoed in halls of government and media outlets nationwide. Thus, this is how discrimination, intolerance, and blatant hate go mainstream or viral—it starts small, tests the waters, and spreads like a virus through our body politic and social system.

Keep ReadingShow less
Two groups of people approaching each other over a chasm, ready to shake hands.

Two groups of people approaching each other over a chasm, ready to shake hands.

Getty Images, timsa

The Impact of Trump’s Executive Actions: Efforts To Eliminate DEI

This essay is part of a series by Lawyers Defending American Democracy (LDAD) explaining in practical terms what the new administration’s executive orders and other official actions mean for all of us. Virtually all of these actions spring from the pages of Project 2025, the administration's 900-page blueprint for government action over the next four years. The Project 2025 agenda should concern all of us, as it tracks strategies already implemented in countries such as Hungary to erode democratic norms and adopt authoritarian approaches to governing.

Project 2025’s stated intent to move quickly to “dismantle” the federal government will strip the public of important protections against excessive presidential power and provide big corporations with enormous opportunities to profit by preying on America's households.

Keep ReadingShow less
Future of the National Museum of the American Latino is Uncertain

PRESENTE! A Latino History of the United States

Credit: National Museum of the American Latino

Future of the National Museum of the American Latino is Uncertain

The American Museum of the Latino faces more hurdles after over two decades of advocacy.

Congress passed legislation to allow for the creation of the Museum, along with the American Women’s History Museum, as part of the Smithsonian Institution in an online format. Five years later, new legislation introduced by Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) wants to build a physical museum for both the Latino and women’s museums but might face pushback due to a new executive order signed by President Donald Trump.

Keep ReadingShow less
Fairness, Not Stigma, for Transgender Athletes

People running.

Getty Images, Pavel1964

Fairness, Not Stigma, for Transgender Athletes

President Trump’s campaign and allies spent $21 million of campaign spending on attack ads against transgender people. With that level of spending, I was shocked to find out it was not a top concern for voters of either party, but it continued to prevail as a campaign priority.

Opponents of transgender participation in sports continue to voice their opinions, three months into the Trump presidency. Just last month, the Trump administration suspended $175 million in federal funding to Penn State over a transgender swimmer. $175 million is a bit dramatic over one swimmer, or in the case of the entire NCAA, fewer than 10 athletes. Even Governor Gavin Newsom was recently under fire for sharing his views on his podcast. Others, like Rep. Nancy Mace, have also caught on to the mediagenic nature of transphobia right now. “You want penises in women's bathrooms, and I'm not going to have it,” she said in a U.S. House hearing last month. I had no clue who Nancy Mace was prior to her notorious views on LGBTQ+ rights. Frankly, her flip from being a supporter of LGBTQ+ rights to shouting “Tr**ny” in a hearing seems less like a change of opinion and more of a cry for attention.

Keep ReadingShow less