It’s not too late to abandon “Christian nationalism”

Three years ago, when “Christian nationalism” was still a fairly new idea on the scene, I wrote a column at WORLD titled, “What does ‘Christian nationalism’ even mean?” Almost three years later, we have the advantage of looking backward to see how the drama around “Christian nationalism” has unfolded. As I said in 2022, the term is essentially vacuous and endlessly malleable. Today, left and right alike still spar over the term. More than anything, though, the term has proven an unhelpful distraction.

For the left, “Christian nationalism” is an all-encompassing bogeyman. It is used to conflate everything from traditional pro-life advocacy to concerns about religious liberty under a single sinister label. When liberal pundits use the term, they are rarely making careful distinctions between different strains of Christian political thought. They are simply describing a general, amorphous enemy: conservative Christians who believe their faith should inform public policy.

It doesn’t matter if one’s political vision is deeply rooted in America’s constitutional regime. The moment Christians express the belief that biblical morality has something to say about law or culture, they risk being painted as theocrats. In this way, “Christian nationalism” functions as a convenient way to delegitimize any faith-based political argument without ever engaging with its merits.

Some on the right, sensing this overreach, have reacted by defiantly embracing the label. This is a mistake. Instead of reclaiming the term, they are merely cementing its status as a rallying cry for reactionary vanguards.

Even if the left exaggerates the dangers of Christian nationalism, the way the term is being adopted on parts of the right, especially as an online phenomenon, should be equally concerning to serious Christians.

In some circles, Christian nationalism has become a vehicle for race obsession. It is often tied to rhetoric that seeks to reframe Christianity as a predominately European religion, rejecting its deeply Jewish roots, North African developments, and universal call to all nations. This version of “Christian” nationalism falls short of actually being Christian when it treats the faith not primarily as a transcendent truth but as a means for enacting an ethno-racial vision of national identity. Cultural cohesion is, of course, good and I believe America is formed by a Protestant consensus, but a racialized form of nationalism can also result in a grotesque distortion of the gospel, which always forms one new man out of formerly estranged people groups (Ephesians 2:14-16).

Worse still, a virulent strain of antisemitism has crept into some strains of Christian nationalism, as a growing number of figures in these circles promote conspiracy theories about Jewish influence and power. If you do not believe me, go to X and look at the army of “anons,” anonymous accounts that spew vitriol without accountability. In doing so, they not only abandon biblical Christianity but also alienate potential allies in the fight to preserve moral order.

Most bizarrely, certain voices in the Christian nationalist movement are attempting to fuse Christianity with Darwinism. Fixations on genetics and IQ are ever-present. Rather than seeing human dignity as rooted in the image of God, they argue that strength, racial purity, and ethnic dominance are the highest virtues. This is not Christianity; it is a counterfeit faith that replaces the Kingdom of God with a crude, pagan tribalism. One can register a strong critique of globalism and mass immigration (as I do) without falling into the trap of obsessing over ethnic homogeneity.

What’s more, there are no moral brakes with the edge-lords of Christian nationalism on X. As long as one sufficiently opposes woke ideology, feminism, and homosexuality, virtually any other behavior—whether brash or insulting—becomes excusable. Almost entirely absent is talk of evangelism or personal holiness.

I want to be fair and say that the critiques above are not true of all self-described Christian nationalists, but they are a true enough description of many.

By clinging to the term “Christian nationalism,” believers allow themselves to be drawn into an unnecessary and counterproductive debate. The faith does not need to be defended under this banner, nor should Christians waste their energy trying to redefine a phrase that has already been poisoned on all sides. Instead, they should focus on a more authentic vision that champions Christian virtue in the public square without the baggage of nationalism’s historical and ideological distortions.

Even while Christianity grants the legitimacy of nationhood, Christianity has never required nationalism to thrive. The greatest movements of faith in history have come not through state power but through personal repentance, cultural renewal, and moral leadership. Politics obviously matters, and the law should conform to Christian principles. At the same time, the church’s strength has always been in its ability to transform individuals and communities, not in its ability to wield political force.

Abandoning Christian nationalism is not Christian quietism or milquetoast Thirdwayism. It is the continued advocacy for God’s creation order and national cohesion in ways that accord with natural law. We should advocate for policies that promote the common good, not just the interests of Christians. Above all, we should remember that the church’s strength does not come from aligning itself with political power but from standing as a moral and spiritual authority that calls all people to repentance, renewal, and hope.

The real work before us is to rebuild a Christian culture in American hearts and communities. This will not be achieved, chiefly, by winning elections or imposing laws but by discipling families, evangelizing the lost, modeling holiness, strengthening churches, and reviving the nation’s moral imagination. A label like “Christian nationalism” does nothing to advance this mission and, in fact, serves as a distraction from it.

It is not too late to abandon the label “Christian nationalism.” We might even take the suggestion of 2 Timothy 2:14, which says, “Avoid quarreling about words, which does no good but only ruins the hearers.”

Those who have adopted it in good faith should reconsider whether it truly serves their mission or if it simply creates unnecessary resistance. Christianity does not need nationalism to thrive. It needs faithfulness, wisdom, and the courage to engage the culture with truth and grace.

There are serious concepts that critics of Christian nationalism should take seriously; nonetheless, they have been overshadowed by the problems of Christian nationalism and the eccentricities of Christian nationalists.

Be a Christian. Love and prioritize your nation’s Christian origins. But be wary of Christian nationalism.