Exposing and Challenging Christian Nationalism

With the July 4 holiday on the horizon in the U.S., and with a flurry of recent Supreme Court decisions that reflect the current court's sympathies for Christian nationalism, our churches find ourselves with a prime opportunity to dig in and understand what Christian nationalism is, how it came into existence (in the 1950s), and how it warps our vision both of faithfulness to the way of Jesus and of American democracy.

 

Twenty years ago, in the wake of 9/11, Christian nationalism was on the rise, but a small group of church leaders raised their voices in dissent, penning a statement entitled: "95 Theses On the Nationalistic Idolatry of Churches in the United States." Among the theological, political, and historical observations in this statement, they noted: "Despite its thoroughly religious character, the United States never makes any pretension of
allegiance to Jesus and to his will for establishing a kingdom here on Earth."  

 

To the extent that our churches continue to accommodate Christian nationalism, we cannot be fully faithful to the way of Jesus, and we cannot thrive. Our resistance to nationalism, however, must take the form and character of Jesus, marked by truth, kindness, patience, and a recognition that the primary struggle is not against humans, but against powers that seek to hold us in bondage and destroy us (Eph. 6).

 

Cultivating Communities works alongside cohorts of churches that in close-proximity to each other, providing resources and helping them discern what it might look like for their congregations and their places to flourish. Our first cohort (in the mountains of East Tennessee) is now underway, and our second (on the south and west side of Chicago) will be launching soon.

 

(Learn more about our cohorts and the Cultivating Communities Learning Journey)

 

 

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Understanding Our Political and Religious Landscape Political scientist and pastor Ryan Burge has gained a following for his ability to sort through the noise and provide relevant useful analysis of the intersection between politics and religion. With his new book 20 Myths About Religion and Politics in America, he examines exactly what the title suggests, to develop common ground from which we can examine our society and our own worldviews.
(via The Englewood Review of Books)  
Click Here to read this review ...