“This illustrates the problem I am referring to. Phil Johnson was able to identify some of the most popular online self-proclaimed Christian nationalist figures as representative of the movement, but if anything, they are liabilities for the guys Sean McGowan mentioned who are trying to make a difference in the ecclesiastical debate. For the record, I did critique the sermon but also noted that Johnson was encouraging Christians to vote, which for me was positive.”
(Jon Harris) I am frequently asked to weigh in on the ever-shifting fault lines in the debate over “Christian Nationalism.” I would to explain why I am more reticent to do so at this point.
HOW CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM BECAME A MOVEMENT
When the media started using this as a smear against Christians who actually wanted their country to reflect Christianity, including their government, I produced content defending what should really be considered a basic American posture. The media was trying to make something seem unusual that, for the most part, was advocating something pretty standard historically. There is a chapter in my book Against the Waves on this side of the debate.
One of the interesting reactions to the smear was Christians who saw the opportunity to use the sudden interest in the term as a way to promote their own political theory or agenda. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and former Senate candidate Lauren Witzke were among the first politicians to publicly embraced the term. Greene said: “I am a Christian and I say it proudly, we should be Christian nationalists” at a Texas political meeting in 2022. Witzke described Russia as a “Christian nationalist nation” earlier that year and said that she identified more with Vladimir Putin’s Christian values than with Joe Biden’s. At the National Conservative Conference in 2024, Senator Josh Hawley said: “Some will say now that I am calling America a Christian nation. And so I am. And some will say I am advocating Christian nationalism. And so I do. Is there any other kind worth having?”
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