Christian Nationalism Examined: A Call for Inclusion and Faithful Representation with Philip Amerson
In the latest episode of "To Be and Do," Phil Amerson takes a deep dive into the complex and contentious issue of Christian nationalism. Drawing from personal experiences, historical context, and the insights of various scholars, Phil offers a thoughtful examination of why Christian nationalism is gaining momentum in the United States and why it presents a challenge to both the Christian faith and the nation's values.
Phil begins by addressing the rise of Christian nationalism in Indiana, where figures like Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith publicly endorse the ideology. He identifies a growing movement that seeks to eliminate funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion based on the notion that this aligns with "what God intended for America."
Phil highlights the works of authors like Andrew Whitehead and Tim Alberta, who provide valuable perspectives on Christian nationalism's roots. He explains that this ideology is not new, referencing historical debates in Britain and introducing the term "antidisestablishmentarianism" to explain the historical push for religious influence in government affairs.
The narrative continues by challenging the misconception that America was founded as a solely Christian nation. Phil underscores the diversity in religious and cultural expressions at the nation's founding, illustrated by references to the first amendment's establishment clause.
Evangelical scholar Kevin DeYoung's analysis is brought into focus, revealing that while there's an understandable hunger for Christian nationalism among some, it fails the "biblical smell test," lacking a true alignment with Christian teachings.
Phil reflects on his own experiences, recalling sermons from the 1960s that warned against a Catholic America under JFK's presidency. He also recounts insights from African American evangelist Tom Skinner, who criticized the whitewashed representation of Jesus prevalent in American churches.
Throughout the episode, Phil stresses the importance of confronting the fraudulent portrayal of Christ promoted by Christian nationalism, highlighting its underlying racism and antisemitism, as seen during events like the 2017 Charlottesville rally.
The episode concludes with a powerful call to action, inspired by British Methodist preacher Donald English's notion of providing "free samples" rather than being mere salesmen of the gospel. Phil urges listeners to embody the true essence of Christianity, which is welcoming and inclusive, fostering a space where diverse voices are valued.
Key Takeaways:
- Christian nationalism is gaining traction but conflicts with foundational US principles and Christian teachings.
- Historical contexts, like Britain's religious debates, offer insight into the recurring nature of these ideologies.
- The US Constitution's establishment clause historically supports religious diversity and freedom.
- Misinterpretations of America's religious foundations can lead to exclusionary and harmful ideologies.
- True Christianity should focus on inclusivity and embodying Christ’s teachings, not nationalism.
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Greetings. This is Phil Amerson with the podcast
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To Be and To Do. And, today, I
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wanna do a little, sharing with you around the whole
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notion of Christian nationalism.
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In Indiana, we have a lieutenant governor who Micah
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Beckwith, who is a pastor, and he,
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claims that he's a Christian nationalist. And recently,
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he actually talked about how important it was to
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close out, funding for diversity, equity, and
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inclusion, saying it was a way to get back to what god
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intended for America. You know,
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the so called Christian nationalism is mushroomed across
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our nation and body politics. There have been lots of books,
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that have pointed this out. Andrew Whitehead, who
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teaches at Indiana University in Indianapolis,
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wrote one entitled taking America back for God.
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Tim Alberta has written a wonderful book entitled The Kingdom, The
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Power, and the Glory. I encourage you to take a look at
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either one of those books. Part of what they help us know
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is that this is not a new phenomenon.
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It is something that's reappearing, buried deeply in the
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soils of our common life. I suspect
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if you're like me, when you were in elementary school
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or junior high, you learned the long, long
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word, antidisestablishmentarianism.
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I learned that it was the longest word in the English language. Later, I found
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out it's not quite. It only has 28 letters.
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So according to the Merriam Webster dictionary, it's the
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fourth longest word. I won't try
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to spell or pronounce the top three,
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but the folks at Merriam West Webster say that,
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anti disestablishmentarianism
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is little used, and so maybe it doesn't qualify
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for the dictionary any longer. But let me tell you something
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about the history because it's related to Christian nationalism.
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Anti disestablishmentarianism arose
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from historic struggles in Britain over the role of
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religion in the government. The
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word argues religion, the Church of England in this
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case, should get special privileges,
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government benefits, support, and patronage.
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Increasingly, I think this is one of the
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challenges we face in The United States.
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Some think that this nation should be exclusively
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Christian. This form of Christianity is
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called dominionism. It's it's that we're to have
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dominion over everything else, and, really, the Christian
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should be the ones in charge.
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This is called a restorationist project to restore
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The United States to what it originally was. Of
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course, this is a simplistic narrative
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about our nation's founding that isn't rooted in reality.
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There were many cultural and religious expressions.
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Even Jefferson referred to our nation as a
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great experiment of where there's diversity that's a
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part of our religious structures.
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In fact, the first amendment of the US constitution known
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as the establishment clause. Do
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you hear that? Anti disestablishment clarivance.
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What's the word again? Opens with these words.
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Congress shall make no law
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respecting the an establishment of
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religion or prohibiting the free exercise
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thereof. So The United States was
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something fresh, never seen before.
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It was birthed as the American experiment, something
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untethered to a monarch or a single
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religious set of beliefs or church.
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Evangelical scholar Kevin DeYoung acknowledges
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an understandable hunger right now among Christians
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for something like Christian nationalism.
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However, he concludes, after looking at some of
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the books that have been published supporting this restorationist
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belief, that biblical instincts are
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better than nationalistic ones, And
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the ethos of Christian nationalism projects
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of the Christian nationalism project fails,
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he says, the biblical smell
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test. Kevin DeYoung offers a clear
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window on the rootage of such narrowly
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drawn beliefs that are rooted more
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in grievance than research. He says,
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quote, the message that ethnicities
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should make that that ethnicities should mix,
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that heretics can be killed, that violent revolution
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is already justified, and that our nation
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needs a charismatic C like leader to
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rise raise our consciousness and galvanize the will of the
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people may bear resemblance to certain blood
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and soil nationalisms of the nineteenth and
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twentieth centuries. But de Young says
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it's not a nationalism that honors and represents the
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name of Christ. He concludes Christian
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nationalism isn't the answer the church or our
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nation needs. I
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agree. As a teenager in the early nineteen sixties, I
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remember sermons in churches where I attended
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where it was said that if John Kennedy were elected,
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our nation would become Roman Catholic, and the pope would
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control everything that happened. A majority of US
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voters fortunately didn't buy that argument, and
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we were blessed with the gift of John Kennedy
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with all his faults, he still helped us open
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wider the doors of what it means to be
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a nation that welcomes everyone.
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Then a few years after Kennedy was elected,
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in my early adulthood, I remember hearing the
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evangelist Tom Speaker, an African American
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preacher who I can recall said,
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All the pictures of Christ that I saw were Anglo Saxon,
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middle class. He was a Protestant Republican.
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He said, There is no way that I could relate to that kind of Christ.
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Skinner painted the image of a white Jesus
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wrapped in an American flag. He was
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saying that Jesus long marketed by the
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American church wasn't a faithful representation
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of the dark skinned Jesus of the
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gospel. Teaching in a United
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Methodist school in The Republic Of Panama
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in those years, I was further shaped by the
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awareness that the Christian faith and the Christian
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church is so much broader. Today,
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Christian nationalism continues to market a fraudulent version
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of who Christ was and who he is for us
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today. Some call for a
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great replacement, where non
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Christians are moved out of power and out of
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the country. They're engaged in some kind
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of plot to give birthright privilege to white
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Americans. You remember that awful
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torchlight parade and the chant in Charlottesville,
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Virginia in 2017. Don't you wear
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carrying the torch? White nationalists were
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chanting, Jews will not replace us.
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Such entitlement beliefs are not only
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profoundly racist and antisemitic, but they
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are not faithful to US history or the Christian
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message. Whether as Christians
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or patriotic Americans or both, how shall we respond?
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Well, let me close by remembering the words of a British
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Methodist preacher, a fellow named Donald English, who
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used to carry his soapbox into Hyde Park in London,
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and he would preach in the afternoons. And one of the
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great lines that he would deliver when he was preaching
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was, the world has enough
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salesman of the gospel. What we
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need now are a more are more free
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samples. This is Philip Amerson
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wishing you the best in saying, let's be a sample for what
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Christianity really is about, and it's not about
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excluding anyone. God bless.
