Sunday, May 12, 2024

The Old Testament and Christian Nationalism

The seventh chapter of 2 Chronicles has a single verse that is often quoted in promotions for a Christian America. The verse is mentioned along with the desire to go “back” to a time when the USA was "Christian." 

The idea that we once had a “Christian America” or should create such a nation is both a historical error and a biblical error. 

If you have a Christian friend who wants to “go back” to a mythical Christian America, confront the historical error by asking, “To what date?”  In what year do they see that Christian America? Do they dream of a year before 1776, when this nation was really a collection of British colonies? Is that date in Puritan times when Christians with views different from the official beliefs of Massachusetts Bay Colony were executed. (Do a search on the Boston Martyrs to see Quakers hung at Boston Neck.) Is their date in the interval 1776-1865 when slavery was legal? Is that date between 1865 and the 1960s when the south was segregated, blacks could not vote and interracial marriage was illegal? Or is that date more recent?

If you have a Christian friend who wants to go forward to some type of Christian nation, ask them “What verse?” There is not a single verse in all of the Old and New Testaments that suggests some type of Christian nationalism. 

If they respond with an Old Testament passage, 2 Chronicles 7:14, have them read the last four verses of that chapter to see the true context. (The entire passage involves multiple animal sacrifices and fire from heaven -- it is a very specific event!)

The Holy Roman Empire was a “Christian” nation. How did that work out? 

Similar questions can be asked about the British empire and other European “Christian” empires. Because the concept of a Christian nation is NOT biblical, all attempts, ancient or modern, to combine religion with political control have ended in disaster (eventually.)

There are other serious problems with promoting the concept of a "Christian" nation. The promotions for a "Christian" America stress setting up Christian laws -- the nation will be "Christian" if everyone follows certain religious legalisms. Yet the most common misunderstanding of Christianity is the belief that salvation is achieved by doing Christian works. If a nation can be Christian by following a set of rules then surely the people in that nation are Christian, right? But the Gospel of Jesus emphasizes grace and mercy, not rules and laws. As many of us are fond of saying, "You are not saved by works but by grace." (Ephesians 2:8-9.) Why then, do we want to promote this falsehood in our nation's politics?

As a follower of Jesus, I am strongly opposed to Christian nationalism and this myth of a Christian nation. Christian friends, let us live as responsible citizens of the eternal kingdom of Hebrews 11:13-16 and put away dreams of becoming Herod and bullying those whose beliefs are different from ours.


Further Reading

The original date for this blog post was May 12, 2024. As the United States heads into the 2024 presidential election, Christian Nationalism is more and more visible, louder and strident. For those who like to go down rabbit holes, I recommend the following:

  • Kevin DeYoung looks at the complexity of American thoughts on Christian Nationalism in this review of Stephen Wolfe's book, The Case for Christian Nationalism.
  • Conservative writer David French describes being "cancelled" from an invited talk in "The Day My Church Cancelled Me was a Sad Day."


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