INTRODUCTION:
Where were the rallies? Where did they hold their conferences? Who were the preachers and theologians leading the movement in print, or through other media driven means? The thing is, there weren’t any. Ironic really, when a google search of the topic over the last few years will offer fervent warnings of the dangers of this growing movement. For example, the Denver Gazette1 tells of an upcoming conference discussing three key questions surrounding the Christian Nationalist conversation, in an effort to educate, warn, and deter other well-meaning believer’s from falling into this heretical trend.
The challenge…
What the Left has been ascribing as the threat of Christian Nationalism is nothing more than a diverse group of people concerned about the direction our nation has been heading in. Everything ranging from Woke Ideology that seeks to reinstitute segregated policies that drive a wedge deeper within the fabric of societies distinct ethnic groups, vilifying groups that refuse to make superficial distinctions in relation to skin tone; sexual perversions running rampant—teaching kids the moment they enter the public school system that sexual relationships should be openly pursued, some of which are blatant efforts to groom them for predatory adults; propaganda aimed at self-mutilation and castration of American youth; and, open border policies that refuse to put in place checks and balances for who and what is being brought into our country. In fact, any resistance to governmental overreach; including, instituting questionable health policies that infringe upon personal rights, fraudulent voting practices, attacks on private/public worship, and vilifying citizens rights to personal protection from nefarious forces (in particular, those which are domestic in origin).
The response…
Any challenge offered. Any rebuttal proposed. Any calling into question the prescribed narrative and the newly erected paradigm gets one labeled a Christian Nationalist. Now, it is true that this label is not immediately slapped upon you there are precursors that must be filled. For example, if you bring up the Christian faith in terms of public policy (i.e., politics). If you cite biblical law as the normative ethical standard by which all men shall be judged. If you claim that it is the duty of the civil governing authorities to uphold justice and penalize wickedness in light of what Scripture teaches, then the label of Christian Nationalist is fast in coming. You cannot call into question the State sacrament of child sacrifice! You cannot blaspheme the name of the elites and the policies that they preach. For to do so is to call unto you the “Woe upon Woes!”; the righteous indignation of the hate-driven, murder desiring Left!
The rebuttal…
How dare you assume that portions of biblical texts, like Psalm 33:12, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (NASB); or, 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If… My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land?” Do you not know that such texts are not reserved for the likes of you! Are you God’s special people (cf. 1Pet 2.9-10; Eph 2.11-22)? Are you called by His name (cf. 1Cor 1.22-26)? Do you dwell in a land that He has given you and appointed for this period of time in which you dwell (cf. Acts 17.26)? Do you also assume that texts like Isaiah 51:3-6 apply to you, which states,
“Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you. According to the faithful mercies shown to David. Behold I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. Behold, you will call a nation you do not know, and a nation which knows you not will run to you, because of the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you.’ Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and he will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon”
How foolish are you to assume, O man, that this applies to YOU!
Uhm… who does it apply to, if not to us? Are we not told in the Gospel of our God that all who are weary and heavy laden may come to Him, who is the Christ, and they shall find rest? Are we not told that Christ Jesus is not just the Messiah of Israel, but of the nations? More importantly, is it not He that has replaced the shadows and symbols of the old dispensation being the fulfillment promised in the New? Has not Christ Jesus became our Temple, our High Priest, Our Sacrificial Lamb, our great and mighty King? Is He not the holy mountain that was cut without human hands and thrown into the mighty powers of the earth, crushing them all to dust in His wake as His power, majesty, and dominion grows and grows and fills the entire earth?
It is true that the gospel of our Lord starts in the heart of those called to serve Him, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, having had a heart transplant where the heart of stone has been replaced with a heart of flesh. A place where no water formerly flowed but is now filled with the well-spring of living water, the water of the Spirit that gives life and meaning to that which was formed in the beginning by the Lord of Hosts. Christ’s commandment to His people is to disciple nations, not just individuals. It is true that the leaven hidden in the measure of dough starts small, but in time it fills the whole lump. The seed planted in the heart of the redeemed or born-again is buried, but then breaks through and grows into a great tree that produces much fruit. The gospel is the power of God for salvation for the Jew first and then the Greek, but the gospel does not stop in the individual for it goes forth and infects all areas of life that the redeemed dwell; including, the nations that they call home.
The Conflict…
The conflict between the Left and those who are concerned about this nation’s heritage and future is rooted in the Christian foundations that helped form it. I say, “helped form” because I am not ignorant. I realize that not everyone that sought this country as a place of refuge or a fresh start saw it in terms of the biblical worldview. Not every single person was a Christian that fled from tyranny abroad. Not all who came across the ocean to this newly discovered land did so with the intention of bringing forth the light of Jesus Christ; for unless one is first touched by the Sun then they cannot truly grasp the beauty and necessity of its life giving rays. Having said that, though, there is without a question that the worldview at the time that those from the East began settling these lands was predominantly Christian. The Bible was the book that taught one to read and write, it shaped the moral landscape of men’s hearts and gave them ethical norms by which to govern their affairs.
And so, for the Left they see this ideology as a threat, and rightly so. For them there is no greater evil than truth that is found in and built upon what the Bible teaches. The Christian faith claims to be the only way, the only truth, the only life that might be granted to mankind. All men shall stand or fall in light of what the Scriptures teach… this they understand and rightly hate. Therefore, any part of society that still bears the mark or the tarnishing of the Christian faith must be eradicated; fully so.
The Confusion…
There is, however, an area that strikes confusion in the heart of those attempting to define the movement being called Christian Nationalism. There are those that some might ascribe “born again” believers (better stated: “born from above”), but others are those who are at best nominal Christian adherents. What unites the two groups is a set of historic/traditional values that they are willing to speak out about. A conversation that those on the LEFT do not want the nation having.
Of course the question we are looking at right now is, “How can a movement be labeled ‘Christian Nationalism’ when not all those associated with this target group are in fact Christians?this goes back to what I was saying a few moments ago about those who first settled this nation. The dominant worldview at the time when people first started coming to these shores was derived from the Bible. Since the production of the printing press, the Bible was the #1 published literary document (still is!), and so, it is natural that this would govern to a large extent the thinking of the populace at that time. Obviously, things have changed over time, but not entirely so. There are still remnants of the Christian faith scattered all over this country (from sea to shining sea, as it were). Our currency, our state buildings, our founding documents, many of our laws, and our various institutions and monuments are littered with testaments of the biblical faith.
You see, you don’t have to be a Christian to think that abortion is wrong (since when is murdering our own children a good thing?); nor do you have to be a Christian to understand that there are only two sexes/genders male and female (and these definitions are not fluidly based upon the emotional state of the person in question). Furthermore, you don’t have to be a Christian to understand that all white people aren’t racist bigots with a demonic bent to dominate the so-called races of color; nor, is it required to be a Christian to realize that all black people aren’t angelic beings just because they have more melanin than other members of the human race. People are sinners, and they act in accordance with that nature. Some are kinder than others, either a result of redeeming grace or common grace, and others are selfish jerks. No one shade of the human race is more so than the other just because they have particular physical characteristics that distinguish them from others.
Woke ideology, alphabet soup ideology, and child sacrifice ideology are not exclusively rejected on the basis of a person being a Christian; although, it is correctly stated that Christianity alone offers the only true basis for rejecting such belief systems as the folly of mankind propped up as wisdom. In short, the Christian faith based on the Word of God alone, provides the foundational bedrock for identifying, and then, demonstrating the hollowness of the doctrines of faith for secular humanism.
The Labels…
There is power in naming things. To name something is an effort to exercise dominion over it, for the definition provided gives the speaker a certain measure of control of the leading narrative. Words are by far the most powerful tool in the human arsenal. The human tongue is capable of setting the world on fire, figuratively speaking (cf. James 3.5-6; Psa 57.4). If your desire is to control the narrative about a particular issue, then your best bet is to get out front and begin labeling (i.e., naming) your opponents in an unfavorable light. This is, as far as I can tell, the true root of the Christian Nationalist movement. A label created by the Left to control the narrative in demonizing their opposition.
Normally, Christians tend to be defensive in this venture. It would go better for them if they learned to be a little proactive, not to destroy individual people, but to tear down their false arguments. Strongholds are places of refuge, and the only way to tear down an opponents place of refuge is by hitting it at its foundation. True, you may be granted temporary victory (the small battles) if you hit with a big bomb on the wall somewhere it proves to be vulnerable, but if you do not learn to tear down to the very foundation—like a Jericho moment—then you allow the enemy to reflect, rebuild and reinforce their effort. Warfare is meant to be destructive, and the war of words is the tearing down of every vain opinion raised against the name of our Lord and God, Jesus Christ.
Closing Remarks…
What I’ve offered in this post is my personal musings or mulling over the subject of Christian Nationalism. I realize that there are books published for and against this movement—if it can truly be called a movement—but as of yet, I have not had time to devote in getting those resources. I do plan on doing so in the near future. However, I have been paying attention to the hot potato discussion taking place in corporate media, leading voices in the Evangelical sector (TGC and Christianity Today), along with the Reformed Christian voices I have come to trust and depend on. What I would like to do—what I am planning on doing—is interacting with some of these sources and the common arguments of contention that they raise. The arguments against Christian Nationalism—if you decide that you like or dislike that moniker, it makes no difference to me—are the same old arguments of the past with a new coat of white wash. If time permits, I plan on having something written in the next couple weeks. Until then, Happy New Year!
ENDNOTE:
1Steve Raeby, “Denver Seminary to Host Coference on Christian Nationalism,” October 8, 2023, Denver Gazette, https://gazette.com/life/faith-values/denver-seminary-to-host-conference-on-christian-nationalism/article_79eda958-638e-11ee-b7dd-b7b7ed0274a1.html
Kristafal's Musings 