As heavy use of the term “Christian nationalism” continues to circulate among the useless so-called news media just weeks before the pivotal midterm elections, experts say the strategy follows the tactics used by Marxists in the past, which is to label political opponents with a controversial term in order to suppress the impact of an influential voting block deemed unfavorable by those in power.
Christian nationalism has a variety of meanings. To some, it is an attempt to integrate principles of justice that Christianity shares with other religions into fundamental law. Throughout U.S. history, activists from a variety of Christian denominations, often joined by Jewish and other counterparts, have worked to abolish slavery, secure women’s right to the vote and advance the rights of African Americans and other minorities, and taken positions for and against American foreign policy initiatives.
The left is pushing a more militant phase of Christian nationalism intent on political goals such as making abortion illegal and loosening restrictions on government funding of religious schools. They hope to instill this version as a threat to religious liberty and the “separation of church and state” guaranteed in the First Amendment. Many liberal church leaders and organizations like the Freedom from Religion Foundation also agree with this definition.
They push the idea that Christian nationalism poses a grave threat not only to democracy, but to the church and the common good; that it distorts the Gospel and projects hatred and division. Some also call it a political movement that misappropriates religious imagery and rhetoric in order to advance a right-wing political agenda.
Even Christianity Today defines Christian nationalism as an unchristian movement associated with Trump, confederate flags and violence, a movement that believes America is defined by Christianity and that God has blessed this nation. They claim that humanity is not easily divisible into mutually distinct cultural units; that there will always be dissidents and minorities who do not conform. And they are concerned that a Christian backed government will become authoritarian and oppressive like they did when Christianity was used as a prop to support slavery and segregation. Wonder what history books they have been reading?
It doesn’t really matter whether you are being called a fundamentalist because you agree with the fundamentals of the faith or a bigot because you challenge false narratives, or a homophobe because you denounce sexual sin, the goal of name-calling is always the same: to silence those with opposing views.
This is exactly why they created the label Christian nationalism. They don’t want the true Word being taught, they don’t want you to read your Bible or practice your faith or take a stand against the evils being promoted in this world. They want you to cower in the corner and shut up.
Throughout American history, Christians have brought their faith into the public square to fight for liberty and justice, in creating just laws, in opposing slavery and promoting civil rights. History proves that America itself was influenced by Christian principles at its founding.
Clearly, Christianity provided the principles of equal rights and human dignity that motivated the founders. Moreover, the majority of the Founding Fathers were Christians who generally believed in the truth of the Bible. Christian beliefs still provide the intellectual background for many of our cultural values such as respect for human dignity, respect for human life, the need to care for the disadvantaged, and respect for the rule of law. That in of itself may not make America a Christian nation but it does make us a nation founded on Christian principles.
When the Declaration of Independence was sign, Samuel Adams declared “we have this day restored the Sovereign to whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven, and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His kingdom come.”
Patrick Henry wrote that “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not be religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In an 1803 letter to Benjamin Rush, a Universalist, Thomas Jefferson wrote “to the corruptions of Christianity I am indeed opposed: but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus Christ himself. I am a Christian, in the only sense in which he wished any one to be sincerely attached to his doctrines, in preference to all others; ascribing to himself every human excellence and believing he never claimed any other.”
In 1892, the Supreme Court examined literally thousands of documents that had anything to do with the founding of this country – every state constitution, all of the compacts that led up to 1776, all of the various decisions of the courts. They wrote: “This is a religious people. This is historically true. From the discovery of this continent to the present hour, there is a single voice making this affirmation. . .These are not individual sayings, declarations of private persons; they are organic utterances; they speak the voice of the entire people;. . .these and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation.”
Source: ‘Christian Nationalism’ Label Being Used to Sideline Believers by Dan Hart, Washington Stand; Christian Nationalism? The Left’s Latest Attempt to Silence Believers by Tony Perkins, FRC.org; America Was Founded on Christian Values, Franklin County Patriots; Secularism Robs America of Its Christian History, Franklin County Patriots
