Be Careful About the Multiplying Attacks on Christian Nationalism

Last Sunday, John Blake with CNN published an article claiming there is an “Imposter Christianity” that is threatening our American democracy.

I am compelled to sound a word of warning here. Be very wary when CNN seeks to define what is and what is not true Christianity. And when anyone claims that a form of Christianity is a threat to democracy, it is usually a pretext for marginalization and persecution.

Many of the articles from the political left create a straw man of conservative Christianity to tear it down. Let’s talk about Blake’s arguments against Christian Nationalism as he defines it.

A belief that the US was founded as a Christian nation.

You can believe that this great American experiment was founded on Christian principles—and it was—without believing what Blake says Christian Nationalists believe. Here is his extended definition.

One of the most popular beliefs among White Christian nationalists is that the US was founded as a Christian nation; the Founding Fathers were all orthodox, evangelical Christians; and God has chosen the US for a special role in history.

No one I know has ever taught this. It is widely known that Jefferson and Franklin were deists. It is also widely known that it was the Virginia and Maryland Baptists, based upon the concept of freedom of worship, that insisted on the First Amendment as a condition for their support for the new Constitution of the United States.

There are those that are conflating conservative politics and Christianity, but the political left is conflating all conservatives into one category in order to dismiss them all.

A portrayal of Jesus as a Warrior Christ.

Blake insists that Jesus should be portrayed as the Jesus of the Gospels, who is all about peace. The Jesus of the Gospels is about judgment to come and repentance. Blake might benefit from reading the parables of Jesus, Luke 16, the story of the ten virgins, Matthew 24, and many more passages that portray judgment to come. His portray of the Jesus of the Gospels is not accurate.

When Paul preached Jesus to the philosophers on Mars Hill in Acts 17, he preached both a redeeming Jesus and a coming Judge Jesus. Believers are not called to carry out His judgment on this wicked world. He will accomplish that all by Himself–with the word of His mouth as described in Revelation 19.

This wicked world needs to be reminded that The Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20) is coming.

The sanctioning of violence against a government that opposes God.

Let me be crystal clear. The New Testament does not condone or encourage Christians to use violence as a religious influence. God can judge, but He does that all by Himself as in the cases of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, or Herod being eaten by worms in Acts 22.  I posted in January of 2021 that the riots in Washington on January 6 were as wrong as those in major cities across the country in the summer of 2020.

What is fascinating to me is that Blake condemns the use of violence for Christians (which I also condemn) and yet not one of his articles listed on his CNN bio page condemns the murder and pillaging by woke mobs in the name of racial justice or abortion rights. We willingly and without reservation condemn violence in the name of Christ. Will he condemn violence in the name of racial justice or abortion rights?

Jesus does not endorse political candidates, it is wrong to pretend that He does. We will speak against the unbiblical conflation of religion and politics, but we will also not back away from speaking as prophets to the sin and corruption of our country. We will not let those with an unbiblical agenda intimidate us from speaking the truth.

It is not Christian nationalism to apply the principles of biblical truth to political agendas and speak out against error.

It is not Christian Nationalism to post a flag in a church auditorium. Churches have done this for decades as a symbol of support for and submission to civil authority.

It is not Christian Nationalism for a believer to enthusiastically support a political candidate that she believes will govern in a way that might protect the values that Christians hold dear.

It is not Christian Nationalism to see the providential Hand of God at work in the founding of our country and even in the development of the founding documents that protect our freedoms and right to worship. No, they are not inspired, but they are certainly a great blessing and we owe thanks to the God of heaven for allowing them to rule us for more than 200 years. We do not have to declare our nation perfect or perfectly righteous to see God’s Hand at work.

It is not Christian Nationalism for a believer to see his civic duty (including voting) as a sacred matter of stewardship before God.

There are errors out there associated with Post-Millennialism and more specifically with Theonomy.  We are not bringing in the Kingdom. Jesus will set up His Kingdom personally, we will not do that for Him. However, that warrants a second discussion.

Vote your values. It is your responsibility before God. Support candidates that support those values. This is an essential part of Christian stewardship.

Do not be intimidated.