When Faith and Nation Collide: Why Christian Nationalism Distorts the Gospel

Recent legislative efforts across states like Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas to mandate the Ten Commandments and Bible in public schools have been hailed by many as a victory for faith. In June 2024 the Oklahoma state superintendent announced similar intentions, and just last month, Texas passed a law requiring the same. States like North and South Dakota and Tennessee are all considering similar legislation.

For many Christians, these moments are seen as a time to take a victory lap, a time to rejoice because our government officials are finally heeding the warning in 2 Chronicles 7:14. For me, however, I found no moment to rejoice. I found no comfort or solace in these ideas. No! Rather, I found great sorrow. There is a growing movement in our nation today – a movement that goes directly against the teachings of the Bible and the very essence of Jesus' message. This movement is called Christian Nationalism.

Christian Nationalism is the idea that the United States is inherently a Christian nation and as such must force its citizens to live under Christian ideologies and must conform to the teachings of the modern Christian (mostly Southern Baptist) church. This idea, while seemingly well-intentioned to some, fundamentally misunderstands the nature of Christ's kingdom and the role of the church in the world. I understand it is easy to feel excited and happy when people believe the same way you do, to have a group or legislature that believes as strongly as you. In fact, believes so strongly that they tell everyone else who doesn't believe exactly like you that they are wrong. Yet, I want to urge us as Christians not to get caught up in this echo chamber of ideas. Instead of getting swept up in the idea that the legislature will save the church, we must rather get into the scripture and find out what we as believers are truly called to feel and do concerning this issue. Below I will give you three points to focus on to help you better navigate the issue of Christian Nationalism.

1. 2 Chronicles 7:14 is not the affirmation of Christian Nationalism that you believe it is.

I often hear this verse touted throughout our churches as a reason for Christian Nationalism. I have attended entire conferences centered on this very verse – this idea that all we as a nation need to do is turn towards God in every way, and we will be saved. However, I would like to remind you of one word that we as believers often forget when reading scripture: context. This one tiny word brings so much into focus.

Ancient Israel was a nation dedicated directly to God, a people chosen by God. The nation of Israel was a theocracy, ruled by God Himself from heaven. The United States does not fit this bill. The original covenant (The Old Testament) was between God and the nation of Israel. The new covenant (The New Testament) is between Jesus and the world. There is no nation on the Earth today that is a theocracy for Christianity.

2. With Jesus' sacrifice, the Gospel no longer belongs to one group of people but to us all.

Matthew 28:19-20

As believers, we have all heard of the Great Commission. This commission was the final command of Jesus for his followers when he left Earth: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..." We are to go to all the nations of the world to preach the Gospel.

Contrary to popular belief, the U.S. has never been a Christian nation. In fact, at the Constitutional Convention, when Benjamin Franklin suggested they pray, the other members decided against it. Ben Franklin would go on to write, "The Convention, except three or four persons, thought Prayers unnecessary!"

The fact is, like all nations, the U.S. has a complex history marked by both noble aspirations and deeply sinful practices from its inception. From slavery to the Trail of Tears, from women's suffrage to Jim Crow, and so much more, there is hardly an era of U.S. history that you could point to in order to definitively prove this idea of inherent U.S. Christian values. So why do we focus so heavily on this idea that the U.S. is a Christian nation rather than simply a nation that has Christians? The fact is, when you become a believer, your citizenship is no longer with a mortal country (Philippians 3:20).

Our job as believers is not to separate ourselves from the rest of the world in the pursuit of righteousness, but rather to bring our beliefs and the good news of Jesus to every nation. In fact, Paul references something similar to this in 1 Corinthians 5. He talks about the Christians in Corinth who had separated themselves from those they deemed unrighteous but allowed sin so bad to take place within their ranks that those they judged were disgusted. Is that not what we, as believers in the U.S., often do?

Paul's warning echoes loudly when we observe how often we, as Christians, have

 Heard it said that we must pass laws that center around God in order to rid ourselves of Trans and gay people.

Lauded and praised political figures for policies that restrict entry for those of different faiths or backgrounds.

Talked poorly of other nations due to their perceived wickedness.

Yet in our own backyard, children can still be married as young as 14. Yet in our own backyard, pedophilia runs rampant both in our churches and our homes. Yet in our own backyard, adultery and infidelity run rampant. And yet, we as Christians praise our government when they ban the entry of those with different skin colors or when they stop sending food and clothes to those less fortunate. We ought to be ashamed.

3. Christian Nationalism does the exact thing the Ten Commandments tells us not to do.

I find the idea behind placing the Ten Commandments (TC) in schools profoundly ironic. As believers, we rarely live by these very ideas.

The United States steals from poor, undeveloped nations all the time, yet the Commandment says, "You shall not steal."

The United States has fought wars with other nations in order to take things that didn't belong to them, yet the Commandment says, "You shall not covet."

Our pulpits are filled with divorced and remarried pastors, yet the TC tells us not to commit adultery.

The one commandment that Christian Nationalism ignores most of all is Commandment number 2: "You shall have no other Gods before me." Because make no mistake, Christian Nationalism does nothing more than take the U.S. and place it on a pedestal with God. If we aren't careful, we as believers will close ourselves off from the world, ignoring the Great Commission, and we will fall into the trap of worshipping the American version of God.

Conclusion

I wanted it to be said that I am a patriot. I love my nation and my American brothers and sisters. But let me make it clear: this love is not derived from the fact that they are American. NO! That love is derived from the fact that they are human. Human life in all forms—whether Christian, Muslim, gay, straight, trans, female, black, etc.—has inherent purpose and value.

We can never as Christians legislate the love of God into the hearts of the people. Our churches are dying around us. Our numbers are failing rapidly. None of this is due to the fact that the government isn't forcing some kid in rural Alabama to learn the Bible in grade school. No! All of this is happening because that is exactly what the church is waiting for. I understand that it would be far easier for the church to sit back and let the government do the work for us. Yet the Great Commission wasn't given to the United States, the UK, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, China. No! The Great Commission is given to the believers.