===christian Nationalism===
Christian nationalism is a political ideology that seeks to merge Christian and American identities, contending that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation and that the government should advocate Christian values and policies. It is distinct from patriotism or the Christian faith itself and is viewed by critics as a threat to American constitutional democracy and religious pluralism. Christian nationalism advocates for a legal fusion of the Christian religion with the national character, implying that to be a "true" American, one must be Christian. Adherents believe the federal government should declare the United States a Christian nation, advocate Christian values, and that U.S. laws should be based on Christian principles. The ideology often rejects the constitutional principle of the separation of church and state, viewing it as a mistake to be corrected. Supporters often feel their values and religion are threatened and marginalized, believing a "cosmic war between good and evil" is unfolding where they must fight to "take back" the U.S. for God. The ideology is often associated with and provides cover for white supremacy, nativism, authoritarianism, patriarchy, and anti-immigrant views. According to academic studies and research, Americans who embrace Christian nationalism are more likely to hold certain views and support specific policies: Approval of authoritarian tactics, Fear and distrust of religious minorities, including Muslims and Jewish people, Belief that racial inequality is due to the personal shortcomings of minority groups, Anti-immigrant views and support for "replacement theory", Belief in traditional gender roles, where the husband is the head of the household, Support for political violence to "save the country", Prioritization of gun rights and states' rights over other constitutional rights.
Surveys by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and the Brookings Institution have found that approximately three in ten Americans qualify as Christian nationalism adherents or sympathizers. Support is particularly high among white evangelical Protestants and is strongly correlated with Republican party affiliation and a favorable view of Donald Trump.
Surveys by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and the Brookings Institution have found that approximately three in ten Americans qualify as Christian nationalism adherents or sympathizers. Support is particularly high among white evangelical Protestants and is strongly correlated with Republican party affiliation and a favorable view of Donald Trump.
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Public figures speak out as opposition to Christian nationalism grows under Trump Concerns about Christian nationalism have gained renewed attention as public figures highlight its political and social implications. Journalist Joy Reid and Robert P. Jones, president of the non-partisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), have launched a monthly video segment, Confronting White Christian Nationalism, on Reid’s YouTube series. The first episode aired in December. Reid said the series will “push back on the people who would deport Jesus,” referring to political movements she views as misrepresenting Christian faith. (Premier Christianity; 12.31.25) READMORE>>>>> The fight over Christian nationalism in a small Tennessee town As Josh Abbotoy gazes out at lush green woods and pastureland nestled among Tennessee's Appalachian hills, he describes what he intends to build here: a neighbourhood with dozens of residential lots, centred around a working farm and, crucially, a church. "A customer might very well buy and build roughly where we're standing right now," he says as we hike up to the top of a ridge. Mr Abbotoy is founder of the real estate company Ridgerunner, which has bought land here and in neighbouring Kentucky. But his is no garden-variety housing development. Mr Abbotoy is prominent in US conservative circles and describes his development as an "affinity-based community" - marketed to people not only interested in the peace and quiet of rural life, but in a constellation of right-wing ideals. (BBC 12.29.25) READMORE>>>>> Kimberly Atkins Stohr: White Christian Nationalism Has Taken Over The Federal Government In A Way I Never Thought I'd See New York Times columnist David Brooks and Kimberly Atkins Stohr of the Boston Globe join William Brangham to discuss the year in politics, including President Trump's return to the White House and the significant changes from his first term.(Real Clear Politica; 12.27.25) READMORE>>>>> When Washington Crossed the Delaware on Christmas 1776, It Wasn't in the Name of Christian Nationalism American democracy is going through some trials, as we deal with a ruling party that's committed to disruption, savors the obliteration of long-standing democratic norms and is committed to a leader who often acts like a wannabe despot. We've also seen the rise of discourse on the right and left that is openly dismissive of democracy and plays footsie with authoritarianism. This isn't entirely new, but it is a new twist in the modern era. One of the most noxious ideas, which is gaining traction among some MAGA devotees, is the concept of Christian nationalism. It's the idea America was founded as a Christian nation and should operate if not as theocracy, at least as a close cousin to one. Its defenders claim the term is just a "dog whistle" pushed by liberals to discredit Christianity in the public realm, but that's mostly nonsense. Christian nationalists, some of whom are influential with members of the Trump administration, don't hide their views. One prominent pastor, Douglas Wilson, calls himself "a theocratic libertarian" in a New York Times interview. He says "if we outlaw something, I want a Bible verse, ideally the Ten Commandments." But when it comes to, say, the "manufacturing and sale of widgets, or the thoughts a person thinks, or the beliefs that they have, I'm a libertarian." That sounds contradictory, but I suppose they'll outlaw things based on their read of the Bible, but will leave us alone economically. (Reason 12.25.25)READMORE>>>>>> Religious scholar explains how Christian nationalists use and abuse the Bible Like Islam, Christianity is incredibly diverse, ranging from severe fundamentalists to people who are devout but have a more nuanced and complex view of their faith. President Donald Trump is not a Christian fundamentalist; he was raised Presbyterian in Queens and comes from a Mainline Protestant background. But some of his most ardent supporters in the MAGA movement are white evangelical fundamentalists and far-right Christian nationalists, who embrace a much more severe form of Christianity than the Presbyterian churches Trump's mother, a Scottish immigrant, attended in Queens and Scotland. Trump's Christian nationalist supporters have very strong views on scripture. But during an appearance on Mother Jones' "More to the Story" podcast posted on Christmas Eve Day 2025, author/religious scholar Dan McClellan stressed that New Testament scripture doesn't necessarily mean what Chrisitan nationalists claim it does. (Raw Story; 12.24.25)READMORE>>>>>> Vance, Trump's heir apparent, defends his Christian nationalism at Turning Point conference It came as a strange admission. JD Vance said he had spent sleepless nights after the September murder of his friend Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative movement Turning Point USA (TPUSA). He had spent whole nights sitting in front of a screen, worrying his wife, Usha Vance, as he analyzed every video of the incident and stayed up "researching every conspiracy theory." In short, he had behaved like a typical pro-Trump activist, seeming not to trust the FBI to establish the facts. The US vice president gave the closing speech at the Turning Point USA conference in Phoenix on December 21. He followed Donald Trump's line, all while spouting ideological rhetoric rooted in Christian nationalism. He told the audience: 'You don't have to apologize for being White anymore.' (LeMonde; 12.22.25)READMORE>>>>>> Finland's Lutheran leader warns of rising MAGA-style Christian nationalism According to Archbishop Tapio Luoma, echoes of Trumpism can be seen here on controversial issues such as the ordination of women and same-sex marriage, as well as the use of harsher language. The leader of Finland’s dominant Evangelical Lutheran Church, Archbishop Tapio Luoma, has expressed concern about a new kind of right-wing Christianity spreading in Finland, inspired by US President Donald Trump's MAGA movement. "There are many worrying aspects to this. Christian nationalism in particular is frightening, if you want it to become the mainstream form of Christian faith," Luoma said in a Yle interview on Friday. (Yle; 12/20/25) READMORE>>>> A Christmas message: there’s no Jesus in ‘Christian Nationalism’ In keeping with the season, I offer a little political anecdote about Christmas. More specifically, it’s about the moral teachings of the biblical Jesus, which formed the ethical foundation of Christmas and gives Christianity itself its true gravity. The story is about a political clash some 60 years ago in Houston, when a boorish right-winger accosted the feisty mother of a renowned progressive populist lawmaker, US Rep. Bob Eckhardt. Bob, whom I later got to know and learn from, was a fierce battler for racial equality in a time when not all Texans were singing in Kumbaya harmony. (Forward Kentucky; 2.19.25)READMORE>>>>>> The real danger of ‘Christian nationalism’ Pope Francis once suggested that “a good Catholic meddles in politics offering the best of himself so that those who govern can govern.” This is such an apt description of the Catholic virtue of social justice, in which the individual strives to improve the common good with a special attention to those on the margins. However, I fear that all Christians who practice this political virtue are being marginalized by the catastrophizing of a very fringe ideology with the derogatory term “Christian nationalism.” (The Leaven; 2.19.25)READMORE>>>>>> 
Sharia by another name
As an Evangelical Christian, I am amazed, amused and appalled by the fact that so many of my fellow believers seem not to understand the ignorance, irony and hypocrisy of their stance regarding Sharia. I am specifically referring to those who identify as “Christian nationalists” and are very outspoken in their contempt of Sharia. (Note: One usually hears or sees the phrase “Sharia Law,” but that’s redundant. It’s like saying “Law Law.”) Christian nationalists reflexively oppose Sharia because it is, in part, Islamic law. Yet, the fact is that Sharia is a broader concept than merely law; Sharia essentially lays out all the fundamental tenets regarding how Muslims should live their lives. Law is merely one part of those tenets. In any case, the fact that Sharia is Islamic is enough for Christian nationalists to condemn it. It should be noted, of course, that the 1.9 billion Muslims around the world do not have a uniform understanding of Sharia – any more than the 2.2 billion Christians around the world have a uniform understanding of the Bible. For example, Sunni Muslims generally have stronger restrictions regarding art (citing the Quran’s prohibitions against idolatry) than Shia Muslims do. More importantly, only a small percentage of Muslims agree with how the Taliban or ISIS or Boko Haram interpret Sharia. (Indiana Recorder 12.14.25)READMORE>>>>> |
January 12, 2025: CNN reported: White Christian nationalists are poised to remake America in their image during Trump’s second term, author says. There’s an image that captures the threat posed by the White Christian nationalist movement — and how it could become even more dangerous over the next four years. Taken during the Jan. 6 insurrection, the photo
shows a solitary White man, his head pressed in prayer against a massive wooden cross, facing the domed US Capitol building. An American flag stands like a sentinel on a flagpole beside the Capitol under an ominously gray sky. The photograph depicts a foot soldier in an insurgent religious movement trying to storm the halls of American power. What’s unsettling about the photo four years later is that much of the religious zeal that fed the insurrection is no longer outside the gates of power. Many of that movement’s followers are now on the inside, because their Chosen One, Donald Trump, returns this month to the Oval Office. January 16, 2025: Faith On View reported: Not a Single Senator Probed the Most Dangerous Part of Pete Hegseth’s Background: His Ties to White Christian Nationalism. It’s hard to find strong enough adjectives to describe the unmitigated disaster the senate hearing on Pete Hegseth truly was. Even the few Republicans who had expressed previous concerns about his nomination for Secretary of Defense handled him with kid gloves. There were some strong challenges by Democratic senators focused on the important issues of Hegseth’s disparagement of women in the armed forces; his alleged drinking on the job; allegations of sexual assault and misconduct; his poor performance in his only management positions running two small nonprofit veterans organizations; and lack of any relevant experience for the massive responsibilities of the job for which he is being considered. But not a single senator from either side of the aisle probed the most dangerous part of Hegseth’s background: his support for Christian nationalism, a set of beliefs that undermine the bedrock principles of a racially and religiously pluralistic democracy.
February 17, 2025: Baptist News Global reported: In the wake of the election of Donald Trump with the strong support of white evangelical and other conservative white Christians, PRRI, released last week their annual update of the largest ongoing study of Christian nationalism ever conducted. Based on interviews with more than 22,000 adults each year as part of the PRRI American Values Atlas, the new study examines the connections between support for Christian nationalism and voting for Trump, support for political violence, religious affiliation and church attendance, and more. With Trump’s return to political power completing the MAGA takeover of the Republican Party, with avowed Christian nationalists such as Pete Hegseth being confirmed to head the Department of Defense, and with conservative white Christians providing moral and theological cover for clearly illegal and unconstitutional activity, it can feel like a wave of white Christian nationalism has crashed over the entire nation.
February 18, 2025: Baptist News Global reported: It can be overwhelming to consider that there won’t be a presidential election for nearly four years, or even the possibility of winning either the House or Senate away from the control of Christian nationalists for another two years. One recent CNN headline said,
“Democrats confront their powerlessness as Trump flexes authority.” The level of powerlessness at least half the population feels borders between helpless and hopeless. To be clear, the issue here is not even a complete divide between conservatives and liberals. As I wrote recently, conservatives with a more libertarian bent should share many of our concerns about the authoritarian instincts of Trump and his Christian supremacist supporters. Feb 20, 2025: The AlterNet reported: President Donald Trump was able to be elected president a second time partly by mobilizing his base of Christian nationalists. This anti-Democratic group has an “us vs. them” mentality, believing that America is on the verge of an apocalypse and that they are being persecuted. In her new book, "Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy," journalist Katherine Stewart investigates this voter base. This subculture, Stewart argues, believes America should move past democracy. “They believe the U.S. is not founded on principles, but on a specific religious and cultural heritage,” she said. “They argue America is on the brink of an apocalypse, owing to the rise of equality and what they call ‘wokeness.’ They argue democracy, as a system, isn't sufficient to meet the ‘challenges’ of feminism and equality. They believe the democratic rules no longer apply, because we're facing this absolute apocalypse of equality. They want an authoritarian leader who puts himself above the law, who's going to seize the reins of power and scrap the rule of law in favor of the iron fist.”
March 30, 2025: Christian Post reported: Christian Nationalism is no longer just a leftist buzzword used to discredit conservatives. While progressives have long wielded the term dishonestly as a smear against anyone to the right of Bernie Sanders, its definition has shifted. Today, it is being co-opted to describe an actual authoritarian movement seeking to upend the constitutional order and merge Church and state into a new sacralist regime. This version of Christian Nationalism — promoted by figures like Joel Webbon and Stephen Wolfe — pushes for theocracy, monarchism, and neo-integralism, rather than the constitutional republic the Founders established. Unlike the religious influence that shaped early America, which protected liberty while upholding moral order, this movement seeks government-mandated religious conformity while throwing individual freedom to the wind. And in doing so, it betrays the very principles conservatives (and Christians, mind you) have historically defended. |
June 1, 2025: Black Star News reported: U.S. Founders intentionally did not establish Christian nation. On the far left, the 1619 Project controversially claims a racial root to America’s origins. On the far right, several try to force-feed a false Christian foundation to the U.S. From the left and right, hundreds of nonprofits fight for the victims of persecution from the opposing side—no year passes without several going to the SCOTUS.
July 10, 2025: Baptist News Global reported: Nearly 20 groups affiliated with Christians Against Christian Nationalism have been formed in more than a dozen states to advocate for religious freedom and to resist the religious hatred and violence sweeping the nation. And more churches or clusters of churches and community organizations are being invited to form similar groups, said Amanda Tyler, executive director of Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and lead organizer of its anti-Christian nationalism movement.
June 14, 2025: PsyPost reported: Recent research found that U.S. Christians who believe that God is benevolent, angry, and engaged tend to express stronger religious nationalism. In turn, stronger religious nationalism was associated with greater conspiracy mentality and higher levels of xenophobia. The paper was published in Political Psychology. Religious views often play a significant role in shaping national identity. They influence cultural traditions, values, and historical narratives. In many countries, dominant religions are deeply intertwined with national symbols, holidays, and public life. In some nations, such as Iran or Israel, religion is a foundational component of the state itself. In others, like the United States or India, religious diversity coexists with strong national identities, though tensions may arise when one faith is perceived as more representative than others.
July 10, 2025: Mother Jones reported: The IRS submitted a court filing in a lawsuit filed by two Texas churches and an association of Christian broadcasters that declared that churches and other religious entities can now endorse political candidates, thus ending a decades-old prohibition on political activity for tax-exempt houses of worship. As Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame, explained to the New York Times, “It basically tells churches of all denominations and sects that you’re free to support candidates from the pulpit. It also says to all candidates and parties, ‘Hey, time to recruit some churches.’”
July 11, 2025:
There will always be a priest a politician a fanatic eager to claim the role of moral Arbiter and they will always demand more and more Purity more obedience more
There will always be a priest a politician a fanatic eager to claim the role of moral Arbiter and they will always demand more and more Purity more obedience more
July 12, 2025: LA Progressive reported: So this was the first Fourth of July for the United States military since the orange, mentally ill, toddler, subhuman became the commander in chief of the United States military and a womanizing, alcoholic, fundamentalist Christian nationalist became its secretary of defense. With the holiday now behind us, I wanted to report an unprecedented number of reach outs from our Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) clients all over the military regarding egregious violations of the separation of Jesus and state at a plethora of official and semi-official military formations designed to honor our nation’s birthday. Drilling down to the specifics is beyond the scope and intention of this brief op-ed, but suffice it to say that the disease of Christian nationalism is well represented throughout the sinew, muscles, bones, and cartilage of the body of our United States military.
July 15, 2025: Juicy Ecumenism reported: A recent episode of Man Rampant, the Canon Press podcast hosted by Reformed pastor and author Douglas Wilson, features political theorist
Stephen Wolfe, author of The Case for Christian Nationalism. Titled “Christian Nationalism, the American Kind,” their conversation revisits the themes of Wolfe’s controversial book, offering what he sees as a theological and political recourse for Christians who reject the dominant post–World War II liberal consensus. At the center of Wolfe and Wilson’s argument is a call to return to a vision of the United States as they believe the Founders originally intended: a nation built upon Christian values and cultural cohesion. The postwar consensus, in their view, ushered in a godless worldview of Americans that believed they, acting out of a “helium of hubris,” no longer needed God. For dissenters, Wolfe suggests, the antidote lies in reclaiming an explicit Christian nation in all realms of society
Stephen Wolfe, author of The Case for Christian Nationalism. Titled “Christian Nationalism, the American Kind,” their conversation revisits the themes of Wolfe’s controversial book, offering what he sees as a theological and political recourse for Christians who reject the dominant post–World War II liberal consensus. At the center of Wolfe and Wilson’s argument is a call to return to a vision of the United States as they believe the Founders originally intended: a nation built upon Christian values and cultural cohesion. The postwar consensus, in their view, ushered in a godless worldview of Americans that believed they, acting out of a “helium of hubris,” no longer needed God. For dissenters, Wolfe suggests, the antidote lies in reclaiming an explicit Christian nation in all realms of society
July 20, 2025: Faithfully reported: Political operative David Barton held up a thick Bible with years of wear on its dark brown cover and proclaimed its pages put Protestant Christianity at the center of the country’s very foundation. “This is actually printed by the official printer of Congress,” said Barton, a best-selling author and influential far-right Christian nationalist. Barton has spent the last 40 years arguing that the separation of church and state is a myth — and has built a multimillion-dollar media and lobbying operation to influence public opinion and shape laws around the belief that the United States was founded as a Judeo-Christian nation. At this particular hearing in April, Barton appeared before the Texas House education committee and testified in favor of legislation, since signed into law, requiring that posters of the Ten Commandments be placed inside every classroom in the state’s nearly 9,100 public schools by September. With him, Barton brought a small collection of books he claims were foundational to the country’s public education system until the 20th Century.
July 28, 2025: Baptist News Global reported: In “the year of our Lord” 2025, the congressional majority that voted for the so called “big beautiful bill,” signed by POTUS July 4, apparently was not listening to Mother Mary. Instead they reversed her heartfelt words this way: The rich God has satisfied with good things, The hungry sent away empty. And with that declaration, the idea of a “Christian America” lost all gospel credibility now and toward the future. Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty says: Christian nationalism is a cultural framework that idealizes and advocates a fusion of Christianity with American civic life. Christian nationalism contends that America has been and should always be distinctively “Christian” from top to bottom — in its self-identity, interpretations of its own history, sacred symbols, cherished values and public policies — and it aims to keep it that way.
July 29, 2025: Americans United for Separation of Church and State President and CEO Rachel Laser issued the following statement in response to a July 28 memo issued by the Office of Personnel Management on “Protecting Religious Expression in the Federal Workplace.” The memo sets out examples of religious expression it seeks to allow, which could result in coercive prayer by government employees. The memo asserts a Veterans Affairs doctor praying over a hospitalized patient or a park ranger joining a tour group in prayer should be allowed. The memo ignores the very existence of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.
July 30, 2025: Reveal reported: On this week’s “More To The Story,” religious scholar and TikTok star Dan McClellan examines how some Christian nationalists use—and often abuse—the Bible to gain political power. “The hot new thing right now is to be a Christian nationalist,” says McClellan, who also wrote The Bible Says So: What We Get Right (and Wrong) About Scripture’s Most Controversial Issues. “And I think a lot of people are jumping at the opportunity to get on board this attempt to take over the government on the part of Christians. And unfortunately, it means hurting an awful lot of people along the way.”
August 3, 2025: Press Democrat reported: Enabled by the Trump administration and the U.S. Supreme Court, Christian nationalists, those who believe the United States was founded as a Christian nation, are surging right now, pressing their case to eviscerate the First Amendment and the separation of church and state. The notion that church and state should be discrete entities was a novel idea late in the 18th century when the new nation was being formed. The founders were well aware of the religious conflicts that had roiled England and Europe — the Wars of Religion in France and the English Revolution — and they wanted to avoid that kind of contestation. In addition, they confronted the extraordinary religious diversity in the colonies, from Baptists and Congregationalists in New England to Quakers, Dutch Reformed, Presbyterians and Jews in the Middle Colonies. If the United States were to establish a state religion, which would it be?
August 7, 2025: Dissident Post reported: Apocalyptic visions are no longer confined to conferences of far-right organizations, End Times novels, small fringe obscure churches, and on movie theater and television screens. These days they are finding a home embedded in the War Room at Donald Trump’s White House. The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 “calls for establishing a government that would be imbued with ‘biblical principles’ and run by a president who holds sweeping executive powers,” the Charles F. Kettering Foundation’s Maura Casey pointed out in an August 19, 2024 piece, headlined “Project 2025: The Blueprint for Christian Nationalist Regime Change.” Casey
added: “Christian nationalism believes that the Christian Bible, as God’s infallible law, should be the basis of government and have primacy over public and private institutions. Its patriarchal view does not recognize gender equality or gay rights and sanctions discrimination based on religious beliefs.
added: “Christian nationalism believes that the Christian Bible, as God’s infallible law, should be the basis of government and have primacy over public and private institutions. Its patriarchal view does not recognize gender equality or gay rights and sanctions discrimination based on religious beliefs.
August 8, 2025: Byline Times reported: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reportedly attended a service at Christ Church Washington D.C., a church affiliated with self-identified Christian nationalist Doug Wilson, an influential right-wing leader who seeks to turn the U.S. and other nations into Christian-led theocracies. Hegseth and his family were in attendance at the church’s inaugural service in Washington in July, CNN reports. “The Secretary is a proud member of a church affiliated with the Congregation of Reformed Evangelical Churches, which was founded by Pastor Doug Wilson,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to The Independent. “The Secretary very much appreciates many of Mr. Wilson’s writings and teachings."
| Aug 12, 2025 |
A core foundation of American evangelicalism.
Zorek
From the days of the Roman Empire wealthy individuals have sought power over others and have endeavored to twist religious belief into a fear-based false religion with the purpose of maintaining control and power. If you've paid attention to the gospel story you clearly can't help but notice that there were Pharisees and Sadducees and other spokesmen "for God" who were always ready to explain to someone the rules...which were, generally, based on the fact that "we have the money so we have the power". Similarly, white men in America with influence have long been weaponizing conservative theology in protecting their privilege.
In todays America, put them all together and you have a recipe for fascism with Christian trappings. One thing all these people do have in common is they maintain God is on their side. There were deadly Inquisitions, subjection of the Indians in America and then there was slavery wrought by people who believed God created the black man inferior so they could dominate and enslave them. Everything has gone in cycles like that throughout history. When I first became a Christian I was somewhat intrigued by stories of the end times...starting with Hal Lindsey's book, and some of the religious movies that I think were just created to scare you into heaven. None of them created a story where it was people who called themselves Christians would be the evil that we would face in the Apocalypse (A Thief in the Night, etc, etc). But Christian Nationalists create that as a possible reality. I was rather shocked as I realized that scenario could be possible. It's still unsettling but I can now see how it could happen that way. Ten years ago I had no clue what a "Christian Nationalist" is. Today it's a core foundation of American evangelicalism.
In todays America, put them all together and you have a recipe for fascism with Christian trappings. One thing all these people do have in common is they maintain God is on their side. There were deadly Inquisitions, subjection of the Indians in America and then there was slavery wrought by people who believed God created the black man inferior so they could dominate and enslave them. Everything has gone in cycles like that throughout history. When I first became a Christian I was somewhat intrigued by stories of the end times...starting with Hal Lindsey's book, and some of the religious movies that I think were just created to scare you into heaven. None of them created a story where it was people who called themselves Christians would be the evil that we would face in the Apocalypse (A Thief in the Night, etc, etc). But Christian Nationalists create that as a possible reality. I was rather shocked as I realized that scenario could be possible. It's still unsettling but I can now see how it could happen that way. Ten years ago I had no clue what a "Christian Nationalist" is. Today it's a core foundation of American evangelicalism.
August 20, 2025: Wisconsin Examiner reported: “In my ideal society, we would vote as households,” a pastor tells CNN. “And I would ordinarily be the one that would cast the vote, but I would cast the vote having discussed it with my household.” Another agrees, saying he’d back an end to a woman’s right to vote: “I would support that, and I’d support it on the basis that the atomization that comes with our current system is not good for humans.” The discussion of 19th Amendment rights was part of a news segment focused on Doug Wilson — a self-proclaimed Christian nationalist pastor based in Idaho — that was reposted to X by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The secretary is among Wilson’s supporters, and his involvement with Wilson’s denomination highlights how a fringe conservative evangelical Christian belief system that questions women’s right to vote is gaining more traction in the Republican Party.
August 29, 2025: Knewz reported: CNN segment featuring pastor Doug Wilson sparked pushback from religious experts and advocates who argue that his version of patriarchal Christian nationalism conflicts with core Christian teachings. The segment went viral after Pete Hegseth -- who's a member of a church affiliated with Wilson's congregation -- shared it along with his stamp of approval. Wilson, co-founder of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), appeared on CNN with Pamela Brown, sharing his vision of a Christian nation and world. During the interview, he described women as “the kind of people that people come out of.” The segment gained further attention when Hegseth shared it on X, adding the caption, “All of Christ for All of Life.” The Pentagon said Hegseth belongs to a church affiliated with CREC and respects Wilson’s work. Hegseth “very much appreciates many of Mr. Wilson’s writings and teachings,” they wrote.
September 6, 2025: Julie Roys reported: During the “Bible and American Renewal” breakout session at the National Conservatism Conference, Josh Hammer stood out as the lone Jewish person on the panel of otherwise conservative Christian activists: a pastor, the editor of an online Christian magazine and a self-described Christian nationalist. Yet, it was Hammer who told an audience member that “America was founded as a Christian country.” “I’ll be the first to say that,” Hammer added. “There is very little doubt in my mind about that.”
September 9, 2025: USA Today reported: United States Department of War Rapid Response X account on Sept. 7 posted a clip showing military personnel completing outdoor training as the words “Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid, nor dismayed. For the Lord your God is with you, wherever you go” faded into the screen. The video, which quotes the Bible’s Book of Joshua, received more than 2,000 likes as of Tuesday. Similar videos praising the military while quoting the Bible have flooded the former Department of Defense’s social media accounts over the past few weeks. The department,
renamed the Department of War, has joined other branches of the federal government in embracing a Christian nationalist tone in its official communications. Some warn the new social media strategy could indicate how Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s conservative Christian faith is revamping the military branch.
renamed the Department of War, has joined other branches of the federal government in embracing a Christian nationalist tone in its official communications. Some warn the new social media strategy could indicate how Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s conservative Christian faith is revamping the military branch.
September 10, 2025: FRFF reported: The Freedom From Religion Foundation is demanding that the State Department immediately remove unconstitutional Christian nationalist posts from its official social media accounts. In a letter sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, FFRF objects to recent posts on the Department’s official X account that falsely promote Christianity as the foundation of the government of the United States and promise to eradicate policies that “demean the Christian faith.”
September 13, 2025: Bucks County Beacon reported: After more than two decades of attacks from Christian Nationalists, the Johnson Amendment sustained perhaps its most substantive threat yet when the Trump administration in July indicated its intent to exempt houses of worship from this federal law that prevents nonprofit organizations from endorsing or opposing political candidates for public office. The latest attempt to weaken the law came in a proposed settlement agreement to resolve a federal lawsuit filed against the Internal Revenue Service in August 2024. The IRS and the plaintiffs — the evangelical Christian organization National Religious Broadcasters; Intercessors for America, a Virginia-based, conservative Christian prayer ministry; and two Texas churches — filed a joint motion asking the court to approve the settlement and end the lawsuit.
September 13, 2025: South Dakota Searchlight reported: Coming out of mass the other day, I noticed the T-shirt worn by a woman I didn’t recognize.
It read: “This City Belongs to Jesus.” And in smaller print: “Rapid City, SD.” I’m pretty big on Jesus. I’m also pretty uncomfortable with the message on that T-shirt. I’ve seen it before. It has been a focus by a group of pastors in Rapid City for several years. When I got home from mass, I Googled “This city belongs …” and my computer quickly filled in the “to Jesus” and led me to a page (thiscitybelongstojesus.com) listing past and upcoming rallies here in Rapid City committed to dedicating the city to Jesus.
It read: “This City Belongs to Jesus.” And in smaller print: “Rapid City, SD.” I’m pretty big on Jesus. I’m also pretty uncomfortable with the message on that T-shirt. I’ve seen it before. It has been a focus by a group of pastors in Rapid City for several years. When I got home from mass, I Googled “This city belongs …” and my computer quickly filled in the “to Jesus” and led me to a page (thiscitybelongstojesus.com) listing past and upcoming rallies here in Rapid City committed to dedicating the city to Jesus.
September 17, 2025: Humanists UK reported: Christian Nationalism is the name for an ultra-conservative form of religious nationalism that seeks to fuse politics with Christianity, and for the government to promote, or actively enforce, religious interests and their favoured policies. It is opposed to the separation of church and state and to all forms of religious pluralism – such as learning about other beliefs and cultures. More generally, it advocates very conservative Christian social policies, such as rolling back the human rights of LGBT+ people and abortion rights. It staunchly opposes people having choice at the end of life, on the basis that their religion forbids assisted dying.
September 20, 2025: The Guardian reported: Christian nationalists in the US are positioning Charlie Kirk as a martyr for their movement, one that has grown in popularity and whose rise was intertwined with Kirk’s own political ascent.After Kirk’s killing, his widow, Erika Kirk, wrote on social media that the “world is evil”, but God “so good.” The “sound of this widow weeping [echoes] throughout this world like a battle cry,” she said. “They have no idea what they just ignited within this wife.” While Erika Kirk’s private sorrow is no doubt very real, her public remarks are telling, said Jeff Sharlet, the author of several books on Christian nationalism and the far right. “That’s holy war, that’s accelerationism, and it’s incredibly powerful,” he said, particularly in the emotional context of a grieving widow. The rightwing pundit’s meteoric career was in some ways a microcosm of the rise of Trump-era Christian nationalism.
September 23, 2025: Good Faith Media reported: First, let’s be clear: Charlie Kirk was not a man of God. Even so, he was undeniably a child of God. As such, Christian ethics compel me to hold fast to the belief that murder is a violation of any Christian ethical or moral code that adheres to the teachings of Christ. Charlie Kirk should not have been murdered. Politically motivated assassinations must be condemned for the sake of all of society, regardless of who is pulling the trigger or who is the target of such violence. And my Christian ethics also compel me to point out that national authorities or Christian clergy should not venerate Charlie Kirk as a Christian martyr. Because even though he was a child of God, Charlie Kirk was not a man of God.
October 6, 2025: HuffPost reported:For many Americans, the gap between Christian teachings and MAGA politics is baffling. How can people profess faith in Jesus ― who preached love, mercy and care for the oppressed ― while supporting policies that punish immigrants, demonize LGBTQ people and glorify cruelty? The key to understanding this apparent contradiction might lie in something called “vertical morality.” This ethical framework measures righteousness not by goodness to others, but by something more simplistic
October 7, 2025: The Week reported: Under President Trump, the U.S. is veering “toward Christian nationalism,” said Zachary B. Wolf in CNN.com. Since January, a growing number of the administration’s actions “have blurred the lines” between church and state. Trump has created a White House Faith Office, as well as Justice Department task forces charged with targeting “anti-Christian policies” and “threats to religious liberty.” His budget office has said workers can now “bring religion into the workplace,” while his IRS has said churches can endorse political candidates without sacrificing their tax-exempt status. This embrace of Christian nationalism was on stark display at Charlie Kirk’s memorial, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth evoked “the blood of Jesus” and spoke of “a spiritual war” underway, and Trump aide Stephen Miller said the administration is “on the side of God” and will defeat “the forces of wickedness.” The clear message, said Stephanie McCrummen in The Atlantic, is that the administration views its “political agenda as a cosmic battle against the forces of evil.”
October 10, 2025: Christian Century reported: About ten years ago, I got yelled at in a hot yoga class. Though my misdemeanor—giggling with a friend over our attempted postures—didn’t seem serious, the instructor separated us and made us do our poses in secluded corners. Afterward, we laughed loudly, but the experience was unsettling. I’d signed up for an invigorating physical workout but gotten a flashback to the authoritarian, far-right religious leaders from my teen years. Today, many in holistic living circles who practice yoga and eat organic have made common cause with the far-right MAGA movement. As a former eco-grower who grew up largely off the grid, I have spent years trying to understand what is often called the wellness-to-fascism pipeline, having seen it happen in real time. In the United States today, fascism is often found among White Christian nationalists, who are less likely to practice yoga than to demonize it. Yet in Fascist Yoga, Stewart Home—who has observed strands of fascism in the British radical arts counterculture—provides insight on how it connects with Western yoga trends. The practice of postural yoga, according to Home, is mostly a modern invention, despite some yogis’ claims to tap into ancient Eastern wisdom. Yoga as we know it in Western culture got its start in the early 20th century, a time of widespread fascination with all things “oriental,” as well as of cultural elites turning to secret societies like the Theosophical Society or the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn as an escape from fin de siècle ennui. Often this involved indulging in unrestrained hedonism in the guise of spiritual enlightenment.
October 10, 2025: Irish News reported: Though President Donald Trump has increasingly waged war against "anti-Christian bias" and aligned himself with Christian nationalist figures, his religious sincerity has long been a topic of debate. Trump, who said in 2020 that he was a non-denominational Christian, has frequently woven Christian symbols and rhetoric into his political dealings. He has railed against LGBTQ+ and trans Americans, created a task force to "halt all forms of anti-Christian targeting and discrimination," and appointed a televangelist to lead the White House Faith Office. He has also, however, sold Bibles with his name on them, posted AI-generated images of himself as the Pope, found himself unable to name his favorite Bible verse, and been found liable for sexual abuse.
October 12, 2025: Milwaukee Independent reported: Across much of the United States, a movement calling itself Christian has grown louder, richer, and more politically dominant. It drapes the cross in the flag, crowns partisan loyalty with divine approval, and treats cruelty toward others as moral courage. Yet within the framework of Scripture itself, the same Bible this movement claims to revere, the foundations of right-wing American Christianity collapse under their own contradictions. Measured by the tests laid out in the New Testament and the prophets, the fusion of White Nationalism, greed, and judgment that defines much of this religious current is not faith, but its counterfeit.
October 13, 2025: Black Chronicle reported: As Christian nationalism enjoys what many describe as a golden age during President Donald Trump’s second term, the Rev. Quardricos Driskell says the Black church faces a defining test of purpose and survival. “The Black church has to, or otherwise the Black church will die,” Driskell told AURN News. “We need to amplify our voices and speak truth to power. Speak truth to power in the streets, speak truth to power via social media and engage the younger generation.” Driskell is the pastor of Beulah Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia, one of the oldest Black congregations in the region. He also lectures at The George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management. A graduate of Morehouse College, Harvard Divinity School, and The George Washington University, he sees faith and politics as inseparable threads in American life.
October 15, 2025: Broadview reported: Danté Stewart is an American writer, minister and theologian. After right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated on Sept. 10, Stewart wrote a piece on his Substack about his difficulty mourning Kirk, a man “obsessed with hatred,” and about the American right’s weaponization of Christianity. Broadview contributor Rev. Christopher White interviewed Stewart live on Broadview’s Instagram on Sept. 19. Here are excerpts from their conversation. You can also watch the whole interview here.
October 22, 2025: NPR Reported: Progressive Christians counter Christian Nationalism message. Many Christians are worried that the rise of Christian Nationalism — the idea that the U.S. government should be ruled by Christian beliefs — is doing harm to their religion.
October 23, 2025: The Contrarian reported: Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) just released it’s 16th American Values Report surveying over 5,000 Americans on the most pressing social and political issues of our time. What was revealed was an asymmetric polarization between Republicans and Democrats, and white Christians and those who are not. Robert P. Jones, president and founder of PRRI, joins Jen to break down the key findings of the report. Most significant is white Evangelicals continued retreat from the center to the more radical. But, because a majority of people don’t have these extreme ideologies, white nationalists can’t achieve their political ends through democratic means and must embrace authoritarian policies in order to achieve power.Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) just released it’s 16th American Values Report surveying over 5,000 Americans on the most pressing social and political issues of our time. What was revealed was an asymmetric polarization between Republicans and Democrats, and white Christians and those who are not. Robert P. Jones, president and founder of PRRI, joins Jen to break down the key findings of the report. Most significant is white Evangelicals continued retreat from the center to the more radical. But, because a majority of people don’t have these extreme ideologies, white nationalists can’t achieve their political ends through democratic means and must embrace authoritarian policies in order to achieve power.
| Christian nationalism has been on the rise across the country recently, including in statehouses and the federal government. It’s a belief that the laws of the U.S. should reflect a specific expression of Christianity. China has been the biggest foreign buyer of U.S. soybeans, but as a result of President Trump’s trade war, they’ve halted all orders for the crop. The administration has been weighing a $10 billion dollar bailout for soybean farmers. And lawyers are now involved in the controversy surrounding the IU Media School and student media. |
October 30, 2025: MSNBC reported: Many Christian nationalists and fellow evangelicals in the MAGA movement have been known to claim dominion over American society, which they’ve derided for purportedly being run by “godless” leftists and sex predators. And yet, even a cursory look at some of the headlines that have emerged from the conservative evangelical movement in just the past month suggests the movement is dealing with its own crisis of alleged perversion — one that strikes at the godly ethos its members often tout and use to browbeat liberals.
November 7, 2025: PRRI reported: Growing concerns about the appeal of an authoritarian leader in the United States have led PRRI to revisit long-standing measures of authoritarianism. Using data from the 2025 PRRI American Values Survey (AVS), this Spotlight examines which Americans are more likely to hold authoritarian attitudes, how these attitudes relate to support for Christian nationalism, and the key predictors of both. The Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale (RWAS) was developed to understand views related to deference to strong leaders, support for punishing opposition, and strict adherence to traditional values. To measure right-wing authoritarianism among Americans, PRRI’s American Values Survey included the following agree/disagree questions used in previous studies: The only way our country can get through the crisis ahead is to get back to our traditional values, put some tough leaders in power, and silence the troublemakers spreading bad ideas. Our country will be destroyed someday if we do not smash the perversions eating away at our moral fiber and traditional beliefs. What our country really needs is a strong, determined leader who will crush evil, and take us back to our true path. Our country will be great if we honor the ways of our forefathers, do what the authorities tell us to do, and get rid of the “rotten apples” who are ruining everything.
November 8, 2025: The Intercept reported: After threatening last weekend to go “guns-a-blazing” into Nigeria in defense of Christian Nigerians, President Donald Trump has ended protection for another group facing violence and political instability. On Wednesday, the Trump administration terminated temporary protected status shielding immigrants from South Sudan from deportation, even though the African nation has faced escalating violence, political instability, and food insecurity in recent weeks. The announcement stands in stark contrast to another recent decision from the administration to give Afrikaners priority for asylum, even as the State Department moved to severely limit refugee admission to the United States. The president has justified prioritizing white South Africans by spreading misleading claims about the persecution and killings of white farmers. While Trump’s immigration and foreign policy stances in relation to these three countries may seem disjointed, experts on white supremacy and Christian nationalism told The Intercept that it all fit into the white Christian nationalist playbook. Trump’s strategy feeds into his base’s fears over immigration and demographic change while positioning the president as a defender of Christian values.
November 10, 2025: Americans United reported: Political pundits have extensively analyzed last week’s election, and a consensus has emerged that this was a classic “pocketbook” election. Voters were motivated chiefly by economic concerns, such as the price of groceries, utilities, rent, etc. They’re also not too happy about the government shutdown. But the social issues championed by Christian Nationalists did surface in some races, and this time, they didn’t pay off. Nov. 4 was not a good night for Christian Nationalists. Here’s a closer look at some of the races:
November 11, 2025: Word & Way reported: There has been much talk recently about the rise of Christian Nationalism and the dangers it poses to democracy. Numerous books have been written covering different aspects of this movement/ideology. As these books reveal, there are various facets to the movement that need to be addressed. There are different ways of addressing these different facets. Some of the studies focus more on the political dimensions and others on the religious dimensions. Although it may seem that Christian Nationalism is a new reality, it’s been with us for a very long time. We might even want to trace it back to the fourth-century embrace of Christianity by Constantine and Theodosius. If Mainline Protestants are honest, we will need to acknowledge that we’ve not been immune from its seductions, as Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood remind us in their recent book Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism. Another facet of this movement, a facet that has many worried, is known as “The Seven Mountains Mandate.” This mandate, which is embraced by growing numbers of evangelicals, seeks to dominate seven areas of human life. The question is whether those who embrace this mandate pose a threat to American democracy.
November 16, 2025: Salon reported: TikToker Nikalie Monroe has gone viral in recent weeks for a series of videos she billed as a “social experiment.” The study, such as it was, involved calling churches — and at least one mosque — and asking for help. Monroe pretended to have lost her Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits due to the government shutdown, and was struggling to feed her baby. (While she has said she is the mother of an eight-year-old, Monroe doesn’t have an infant.) “I have a two-month-old baby,” she said in one call. “And I ran out of formula last night. I was wanting to see if y’all could help with formula.” According to her tally, approximately a quarter of the churches she contacted offered her direct aid, the only response Monroe was willing to count as having volunteered assistance. Churches that referred her to food banks or resource centers, including some with which they had partnerships, were considered to have refused help.
November 17, 2025: News Tribune reported: The separation of church and state is under attack, according to a local Baptist reverend. Dr. Rev. Brian Kaylor, a Jefferson City native and the current chairman of the Baptist World Alliance's resolutions committee, shared that belief at his lecture, "The Intersection of Faith and Politics," Sunday afternoon at the Missouri...
November 18, 2025: A Public Witness reported: On Thursday (Nov. 13), the Michigan House of Representatives passed a resolution to officially declare Nov. 23 as “Christ the King Sunday” in the Mitten State. The resolution, which passed without debate on a voice vote that did not seem to draw any opposition, declares that the lawmakers “honor and acknowledge Christ’s Kingship within every aspect of life.” “We encourage Michiganders to join in reflection, service, and acts of kindness that honor the moral and spiritual values exemplified by Christ the King,” the resolution adds. The resolution also quotes Daniel 7:14, but with an edit to insert the word “Christ” into the verse written centuries before the birth of Jesus. The passage declares that the “son of man” will have “dominion” over all nations.
November 21, 2025: National Catholic Register reported: Can everyone please stop talking about "Christian nationalism?" The phrase is way too polymorphous to be useful and all it does is exacerbate the disposition of believers to view liberals as their enemy, and to vote accordingly. David Brooks, in an otherwise fine piece about how the partisan labels we use often convey a judgmental attitude, recently wrote "today we live in a political, cultural and religious war between two impoverished armies." The first of these "armies" are "Christian nationalists, who practice a debauched form of their faith. Christian nationalism is particular rather than universal. It is about protecting 'us' against ‘them' — the native versus the immigrant. It is about power more than love. It is about threat more than hope. It is rigid and pharisaical rather than personal and merciful." Take a break, pour yourself a cocktail, and relax Mr. Brooks. Yes, there are some people who exhibit these traits but why would he call them — and only them — "Christian nationalists?" As I have noted previously, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Christian nationalist. His vision of what the American nation should look like was grounded in and infused with his Christian values.
November 26, 2025: Foreign Policy reported: When MAGA strategist Steve Bannon told the Economist that Donald Trump was “a vehicle of divine providence” and “an instrument of divine will,” he was not being rhetorical. He was articulating a political theology: the claim that a leader, if chosen by God, stands above human law and temporal limits. That idea—once (and still) the claim of monarchs—has reentered modern politics. What a decade ago seemed to be a scatter of populist insurgencies now looks like a global movement bound by shared metaphysics of grievance and destiny. (
November 28, 2025: Banner reported: In the civil war taking place on the right over antisemitism, classic Christian opposition to Judaism is now on the table. Washington Post columnist Jason Willick looked at how Tucker Carlson has been pointedly criticizing the Hebrew Bible. He’s “shocked by the violence in it, and shocked by the revenge in it, the genocide in it” and emphasizes that “Christianity alone—alone, unique”—claims that people should be treated as individuals and not as members of a collective. Willick writes, “The former Fox News host is targeting a distinctively American, 20th-century concept: The Judeo-Christian consensus.” As someone who has been studying the use of “Judeo-Christian” in American public discourse for over 40 years—and thanks for the shout-out, Willick—I can say with confidence its usage has come full circle. Here’s a thumbnail sketch.
November 28, 2025: American Hungarian Paper reported: White supremacist ideals have entered the mainstream of American discourse, as hostile rhetoric moves from fringe narratives to high levels of political power. With Christian nationalist ideals transgressing traditional boundaries between the church and state, divisive ideologies are increasingly shaping and influencing policy. American history has long been witness to rises and dips in the salience of religion in public policy. The MAGA movement undoubtedly reignited the presence of radical ideals in discourse, and Christian evangelicalism heavily intertwined with the political mobilization of Donald Trump’s base.
December 5, 2025: Christian Century reported: This semester I’ve been teaching a graduate seminar on Christianity and fascism. We’re reading texts mostly from 1922-1945 (the years of “fascism proper”) that, even though written by a variety of authors who agree on little else, nonetheless hint at a broadly similar argument. The argument is that fascism is better understood not as a strictly political movement, but as a religious movement, and specifically as a Christian movement. These authors knew how Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany could be outright hostile towards Christianity. But that occasional hostility, they argued, was surface-level and late-coming. Fascism as a political movement made sense to its followers because it followed a much deeper and broader theological logic—theology’s way of thinking about power, sovereignty, community, sacrifice, history—that already made sense to the people of Western Europe. If theology provided the logic of fascist politics, these authors warned, then a merely military or political defeat wouldn’t be enough. You had to attack that underlying theological logic so that fascist politics would no longer make sense. Otherwise, it would only be a matter of time before something like fascism took hold again. Theology was the terrain on which the struggle against fascism had to be waged.
December 6, 2025: Alternet reported: The Trump administration and its agents with their crusader tattoos, and its supporters, adore the idea of Christian nationalism. It’s a pity they’re short on the ‘Christian’ part, says columnist Ross Douthat. “Christian nationalism” can be understood in two ways, Douthat tells the New York Times. The first emphasizes the “Christian” aspect and imagines nationalism as the vehicle through which conservative believers impose their doctrines on a pluralist society. Think inquisitions, witch trials, and the Republic of Gilead.
December 8, 2025: Good Faith Media reported: It’s beginning to look a lot like Christofascism in America with the promotion of increased militarism and aggressive nationalism. A form of tyrannical government, the first lesson from Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny— “Do not obey in advance”— is being taught on the streets of Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Charlotte and Raleigh. Residents are choosing neighborliness over white Christian nationalism, which, ironically, thwarts the movement’s attempt at returning to a “Christian nation.” “Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given,” Snyder wrote. “A citizen who adapts to this way is teaching power what it can do.”
