Christian nationalism

Christian nationalism is a type of religious nationalism that is affiliated with Christianity, in which the end goal is to achieve a Christian theocracy within a society. It primarily focuses on the internal politics of society, such as legislating civil and criminal laws that reflect their view of Christianity and the role of religion in political and social life.[1]

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In countries with a state church, Christian nationalists seek to preserve the status of a Christian state by holding an antidisestablishmentarian position to perpetuate the Church in national politics.[2][3][4]

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Christian nationalism supports the presence of Christian symbols in the public square, and state patronage for the practice and display of religion, such as school prayer and the exhibition of nativity scenes during Christmastide, and the Christian Cross on Good Friday.[5][6] Christian nationalism draws political support from the broader Christian right of the political spectrum of a country.[7]

By country

Canada

The COVID-19 pandemic saw a rise in Christian nationalist activity with many groups using anti-lockdown sentiments to expand their reach to more people.[8] The group Liberty Coalition Canada has garnered support from many elected politicians across Canada.[9] In their founding documents they argue that "it is only in Christianized nations that religious freedom has ever flourished."[10] This group has garnered support from various groups, including supporters of far-right hate groups. Their rallies have attracted the support of Alex Jones and Canada First, a spin-off of Nick Fuentes' group America First.[11] Many of Liberty Coalition Canada's leaders are pastors who have racked up millions in potential fines for violating COVID protocols and in many cases express ultra-conservative views.[12]

Russia

President of Russia Vladimir Putin has been described as a global leader of the Christian nationalist and Christian right movements.[13] As President, Putin has increased the power of the Russian Orthodox Church and proclaimed his staunch belief in Eastern Orthodoxy,[14] as well as maintaining close contacts with Patriarchs of Moscow and all Rus' Alexy II and Kirill.

The Russian Imperial Movement is a prominent neo-Nazi Christian nationalist group that trains militants all over Europe and has recruited thousands of fighters for its paramilitary group, the Imperial Legion, which is participating in the war in Ukraine. The group also works with the Atomwaffen Division in order to network with and recruit extremists from the United States.[15][16]

Scotland

In Scotland UK, the Scottish Family Party has been described as Christian nationalist. The party was formed as a push back movement, based on a rejection of LGBT+ topics being taught in schools, with the political party claiming it to be an overly sexualized topic and ideology. They believe it to be an attack on traditional Christian family values, promoted by the current Scottish government.

South Africa

The future leader of the National Party and Apartheid Prime Minister of South Africa, BJ Vorster in 1942 declared: "We stand for Christian Nationalism which is an ally of National Socialism. You can call this anti-democratic principle dictatorship if you wish. In Italy, it is called Fascism; in Germany, National Socialism and in South Africa, Christian Nationalism."[17]

While the National Party was primarily concerned about the nationalist interest of Afrikaners, there was a strong adherence to Calvinist interpretations of Christianity as the bedrock of the state. Moreover, by advancing ideas of Christian Nationalism, the National Party could incorporate other "nations" in their programme of racial hierarchies and segregation.[18] The Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa provided much of the theological[19] and moral justification for Apartheid and the basis for racial hierarchy.[20]

The adjective commonly used in South Africa is "Christian national", without the "ist", e.g. Christian national education.[21] The term may be applied to any activity that combines Christian values with traditional values of Southern African Afrikaans speakers, although it is most commonly used to refer to a type of K12 education, and in modern usage it rarely refers to a governmental political view. The term is viewed positively by Afrikaans people, even those who strongly oppose Apartheid and fascism, although far-left and far-right non-Afrikaans political parties often use the term as a slur.

United States
Further information: Accommodationism, Christian fundamentalism, Christian Identity, Christian right, Radical right (United States) § Trumpism, and Trumpism § Christian Trumpism
See also: Democratic backsliding in the United States § Religious and white nationalism
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The Christian Liberty Party and the American Redoubt movement ― both organized and inspired by members of the Constitution Party ― are early 21st century examples of political tendencies which are rooted in Christian nationalism, with the latter advocating a degree of separatism.[22][23] The New Columbia Movement is an organization in the United States that identifies as being aligned with Christian nationalism.[24][25] Christian nationalists believe that the US is meant to be a Christian nation and want to "take back" the US for God.[26][27]

Author Bradley Onishi has described this theologically-infused political ideology as a "national renewal project that envisions a pure American body that is heterosexual, white, native-born, that speaks English as a first language, and that is thoroughly patriarchal."[23] Experts say that Christian-associated support for right-wing politicians and social policies, such as legislation which is related to immigration, gun control and poverty is best understood as Christian nationalism, rather than evangelicalism per se.[26][28] Some studies of white evangelicals show that, among people who self-identify as evangelical Christians, the more they attend church, the more they pray, and the more they read the Bible, the less support they have for nationalist (though not socially conservative) policies.[28] Non-nationalistic evangelicals ideologically agree with Christian nationalists in areas such as gender roles, and sexuality.[28]

A study which was conducted in May 2022 showed that the strongest base of support for Christian nationalism comes from Republicans who identify as Evangelical or born again Christians.[29][30] Of this demographic group, 78% are in favor of formally declaring that the United States should be a Christian nation, versus only 48% of Republicans overall. Age is also a factor, with over 70% of Republicans from the Baby Boomer and Silent Generations supporting the United States officially becoming a Christian nation. According to Politico, the polling also found that sentiments of white grievance are highly correlated with Christian nationalism: "White respondents who say that members of their race have faced more discrimination than others are most likely to embrace a Christian America. Roughly 59% of all Americans who say white people have been discriminated against ... favor declaring the U.S. a Christian nation, compared to 38% of all Americans."[29][31]

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has referred to herself as a Christian nationalist. Fellow congresswomen Lauren Boebert and Mary Miller have also expressed support for Christian nationalism.[32][33] Politician Doug Mastriano is a prominent figure in the fundamentalist Christian nationalist movement, and has called the separation of church and state a myth.[34][35]

Andrew Torba, the CEO of the alt-tech platform Gab, supported Mastriano's failed 2022 bid for office,[36] in order to build a grass-roots Christian nationalist political movement to help "take back" government power for "the glory of God"; he has argued that "unapologetic Christian Nationalism is what will save the United States of America".[37][38] Torba is also a proponent of the great replacement conspiracy theory, and he has said that "The best way to stop White genocide and White replacement, both of which are demonstrably and undeniably happening, is to get married to a White woman and have a lot of White babies".[37] White nationalist Nick Fuentes has also expressed support for Christian nationalism.[39][40]

Author Katherine Stewart has called the combined ideology and political movement of Christian nationalism "an organized quest for power" and she says that Florida governor Ron DeSantis has identified with and promoted this system of values in order to gain votes in his bid for political advancement.[41] According to the Tampa Bay Times, DeSantis has also promoted a civics course for educators, which emphasized the belief that "the nation's founders did not desire a strict separation of state and church"; the teacher training program also "pushed a judicial theory, favored by legal conservatives like DeSantis, that requires people to interpret the Constitution as the framers intended it, not as a living, evolving document".[42][43][44][30]

Some Christian nationalists also engage in spiritual warfare and they say militarized forms of prayers in order to defend and advance their beliefs and political agenda.[45] According to American Studies professor S. Jonathon O'Donnell: "A key idea in spiritual warfare is that demons don't only attack people, as in depictions of demonic possession, but also take control of places and institutions, such as journalism, academia, and both municipal and federal bureaucracies. By doing so, demons are framed as advancing social projects that spiritual warriors see as opposing God's plans. These include advances in reproductive and LGBTQ rights and tolerance for non-Christian religions (especially Islam)."[46]

January 6 and beyond

In the wake of the January 6 attack on the Capitol, the term "Christian nationalism" has become synonymous with white Christian identity politics, a belief system that asserts itself as an integral part of American identity overall.[37][47] The New York Times notes that historically, "Christian nationalism in America has ... encompassed extremist ideologies".[37][48] Critics have argued that Christian nationalism promotes racist tendencies, male violence, anti-democratic sentiment, and revisionist history.[49][50] Christian nationalism in the United States is also linked to political opposition to gun control laws and strong cultural support for interpretations of the Second Amendment that protect the right of individuals to keep and bear arms.[51]

Political analyst Jared Yates Sexton has said: "Republicans recognize that QAnon and Christian nationalism are invaluable tools" and that these belief systems "legitimize antidemocratic actions, political violence, and widespread oppression", which he calls an "incredible threat" that extends beyond Trumpism.[52]

The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) released a 66-page report on February 9, 2022, titled "Christian Nationalism and the January 6, 2021 Insurrection."  It chronicled the use of Christian imagery and language by protestors on Jan. 6, detailed the “various nonprofit groups, lawmakers and clergy who worked together to adorn Jan. 6 and Donald Trump’s effort to overturn his electoral loss with theological fervor,” and discussed the important role that race had to play.[53] The Congressional Freethought Caucus hosted a virtual briefing of the report on March 17, 2022, called “God is On Our Side: White Christian Nationalism and the Capitol Insurrection.”  Speakers included: Amanda Tyler, Executive Director, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty; Dr. Samuel L. Perry, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Oklahoma; Dr. Jemar Tisby, Speaker, Historian, & Author of The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism; and Andrew Seidel, Vice President of Strategic Communications at Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.  On March 18, 2022, Seidel delivered written testimony to the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, and opened by quoting a statement he originally made on September 19, 2019 at the Religion News Association conference in Las Vegas: “Christian Nationalism is the biggest threat to America today. An existential threat to a government of the people, for the people, and by the people."[54]

Criticisms of significance

Responding to media analysis about the effects of Trumpism and Christian nationalism following the 2020 presidential election, Professor Daniel Strand, writing for The American Conservative, said that there was a "superficially Christian presence at the January 6 protest" and he criticized claims that Christian nationalism played a central role in the attack on the Capitol. He cited a University of Chicago study which found that "those arrested on January 6 were motivated by the belief that the election was stolen and [influenced by] what they call 'the great replacement' " theory. Strand says the study failed to mention "any explicit religious motivation, let alone theological beliefs about America being a Christian nation".[55][56]

See also

References
  1. Perry, Samuel L.; Whitehead, Andrew L.; Grubbs, Joshua B. (Winter 2021). Baker, Joseph O. (ed.). "Save the Economy, Liberty, and Yourself: Christian Nationalism and Americans' Views on Government COVID-19 Restrictions". Sociology of Religion. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association for the Sociology of Religion. 82 (4): 426–446. doi:10.1093/socrel/sraa047. ISSN 1759-8818. S2CID 231699494.
  2. Bloomberg, Charles (1989). Christian Nationalism and the Rise of the Afrikaner Broederbond in South Africa, 1918-48. New York: Springer. p. xxiii-11. ISBN 978-1-349-10694-3.
  3. Jenkins, Jack (2 August 2019). "Christian leaders condemn Christian nationalism in new letter". Religion News Service. Retrieved 14 March 2020. Christian nationalism demands Christianity be privileged by the State...
  4. Kymlicka, Will (19 April 2018). "Is there a Christian Pluralist Approach to Immigration?". Comment Magazine. Retrieved 14 March 2020. As against both Christian nationalists who wanted an established church and French-republican-style secular nationalists who wanted a homogenous public square devoid of religion, Dutch pluralists led by Kuyper defended a model of institutional pluralism or "sphere sovereignty."
  5. Perry, Samuel L.; Whitehead, Andrew L. (2020). Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 7–10. ISBN 978-0-19-005789-3.
  6. Bean, Lydia (2016). The Politics of Evangelical Identity: Local Churches and Partisan Divides in the United States and Canada. Princeton, New Jersey and Woodstock, Oxfordshire: Princeton University Press. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-691-17370-2.
  7. Greenberg, Udi (22 October 2019). "Can Christian Democracy Save Us?". Boston Review. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  8. "COVID-19 conspiracy theories are spreading online like a virus. An inside look at a dangerous misinformation movement that's spilling into the real world". thestar.com. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  9. "End the Lockdowns Caucus | Liberty Coalition Canada". Liberty Coalition. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  10. "FAQ". Niagara Declaration. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  11. "Canada First Exposed: Months Inside One of Canada's Biggest, Youngest, and Newest White Supremacist Chatrooms". Canadian Anti-Hate Network. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  12. "Excommunicated Politicians Partner With Christian Nationalists In COVID Conspiracy Movement". Canadian Anti-Hate Network. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  13. Michel, Casey (9 February 2017). "How Russia Became the Leader of the Global Christian Right". Politico. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  14. Paterson, Tom (9 November 2021). "Why Putin Goes to Church". The Cambridge Language Collective. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
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  21. Pharos English-Afrikaans dictionary
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  23. Ward, Ian (January 27, 2023). "'There Is a Real Sense That the Apocalypse Is Coming'". Politico. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  24. Downen, Robert (24 February 2023). "How Texas activists turned drag events into fodder for outrage". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
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  26. Bailey, Sarah Pulliam (26 October 2020). "Seeking power in Jesus' name: Trump sparks a rise of Patriot Churches". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
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  32. Tyler, Amanda (27 July 2022). "Opinion: Marjorie Taylor Greene's words on Christian nationalism are a wake-up call". CNN. Retrieved 29 July 2022. We need to be the party of nationalism and I'm a Christian, and I say it proudly, we should be Christian nationalists," Greene said in an interview while she was attending the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Florida on Saturday. She is not alone in doing so. Greene's embrace of Christian nationalism follows closely after troubling remarks from Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert: "The church is supposed to direct the government, the government is not supposed to direct the church," she said at a church two days before her primary election (and victory) in late June. "I'm tired of this separation of church and state junk.
  33. @Miller_Congress (10 July 2022). "The "far-left atheist quest for power" has created a mental health crisis, a drug addiction crisis, a crime wave an…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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  42. Ceballos, Ana; Brugal, Summer (June 28, 2022). "Some teachers alarmed by Florida civics training approach on religion, slavery". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. A review of more than 200 pages of the state's presentations show that the founding fathers' intent and the 'misconceptions' about their thinking were a main theme of the training ... Several presentation slides emphasized that it was a 'misconception' that the 'Founders desired strict separation of church and state and the Founders only wanted to protect Freedom of worship.'
  43. Rozsa, Lori (July 2, 2022). "In trainings, Florida tells teachers that religion belongs in public life". Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  44. "Florida training program: "Misconception" that founders wanted separation of church and state". Axios. 2022-07-02. Retrieved 2022-10-04.
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  46. Kilgore, Ed (September 18, 2022). "Mixing Christianity With Nationalism Is a Recipe for Fascism". Intelligencer. New York Magazine. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
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  49. Jones, Sarah (2022-06-04). "White Christian Nationalism 'Is a Fundamental Threat to Democracy'". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2022-08-22. Combining research with data analysis, Gorski and Perry argue that white Christian nationalists share a set of common anti-democratic beliefs and principles. 'These are beliefs that ... reflect a desire to restore and privilege the myths, values, identity, and authority of a particular ethnocultural tribe,' they write. 'These beliefs add up to a political vision that privileges the tribe. And they seek to put other tribes in their proper place'.
  50. Blake, John (24 July 2022). "An 'imposter Christianity' is threatening American democracy". CNN. Retrieved 2022-08-22. That ends-justify-the means approach is a key part of White Christian nationalism, says Du Mez. It's why so many rallied behind former President Trump on January 6 ... But with few exceptions, White Christian nationalists do not accept this 'militant masculinity' when exhibited by Black, Middle Eastern and Latino men ... Aggression by people of color 'is seen as a threat to the stability of home and nation,' she writes.
  51. Perry, Samuel L. (May 25, 2022). "School Shootings Confirm That Guns Are the Religion of the Right". Time. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
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  53. Boorstein, Michelle (March 18, 2022). "Researchers warn that Christian Nationalists are becoming more radical and are targeting voting". Washington Post. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  54. Seidel, Andrew (March 18, 2022). "Christian Nationalism and the Capitol Insurrection" (PDF). Retrieved September 8, 2023.
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