Serve, Work and Transform: SojoMail - The quieter forms of Christian nationalism

Thursday, October 13, 2022

SojoMail - The quieter forms of Christian nationalism

Do We Dare To Disciple People Out of Christian Nationalism?

Adam Russell Taylor

Two seemingly contradictory things are happening within the Religious Right: More politicians and evangelical leaders are using blatant Christian nationalist rhetoric; meanwhile, others within the movement are falsely claiming that Christian nationalism is somehow an invention of academia and the Left intended to muzzle the voice of Bible-believing Christians.

[...] I want to be clear about two things. First, I strongly oppose Christian nationalism because of my profound love for the witness and integrity of the church and because of my deep belief in the gospel. Second, as Christians, we need to keep denouncing the most blatant examples of Christian nationalism from politicians, faith leaders, and groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers who participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Yet if we care about the integrity of the Christian faith, there is a more difficult — but equally important — challenge beyond these denunciations. We also need to address the subtle but insidious versions of Christian nationalism that so often seep into our churches. It’s easy to denounce Christian nationalism when someone like Georgia’s Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene prints it proudly on a t-shirt, but how do we respond to those who feel as though their Christian values are unwelcome or under attack in an increasingly secular society? As public historian Jemar Tisby emphasized in a webinar organized by Faithful America, Christian nationalism exists on a continuum; while it’s right to be alarmed that the folks on the more extreme end are growing louder, we also can’t ignore the quieter forms.

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