In his 18 years as a pastor, Caleb Campbell has seen Christian nationalism seduce believers from the way of Christ, leading to broken relationships, causing division and departures in churches and leaving him exhausted, hurt and ready to retire.
But instead of hanging it up, Campbell has embraced a pastoral calling that views Christian nationalists as a cross-cultural mission field. He pursues his mission by attending their rallies, intensively studying their beliefs and values, and inviting them to discussions where he seeks to subversively challenge their false gospel with the real thing.
Unlike previous studies or critiques of Christian nationalism, Campbell’s book, Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor, evokes compassion — not anger — for the millions of White evangelicals who’ve exchanged the cross of Christ for the sword of political power.
“My concern was not about some vague multitude of Americans,” he writes. “I was concerned about my people. My community. My church. My friends.”
Campbell asks readers to consider “Aunt Betty” — “a kind, earnest, patriotic, hard-working woman who loves Jesus, her family and her country. … Her civil religion is so interwoven with her Christian religion, she does not distinguish between the two.”
At home, she studies a Bible whose cover is decorated in red, white and blue. At church, her hymnal includes “My Country ’Tis of Thee.” When her pastor says faithfulness requires waging culture war against the “evil libs,” she volunteers, becoming increasingly “ensnared by a movement that distorts the gospel of Jesus.”
Aunt Betty is swimming in syncretism but doesn’t realize she has fallen under the sway of the great beast of Christian nationalism that Campbell calls Leviathan.
“This menace is more than just a political idea,” he writes. “It is something more significant, spiritual and ancient. … Early Christians understood Leviathan as a metaphor for evil, a spiritual power that worked to lead people away from God.”
Many American Christian nationalist organizations that propagate Leviathan’s gospel derive their influence and power by converting disciples to their cult.
Campbell, pastor of Desert Springs Bible Church in Phoenix, says many American Christian nationalist organizations that propagate Leviathan’s gospel derive their influence and power by converting disciples to their cult.
“They promise to quell the anxiety and rage they produce by offering safety, belonging and purpose to those inside the community,” he writes. “As long as one stays with the pack, they will be protected from the evil outsiders.”
The Washington Post says Campbell is part of “an increasingly organized national movement of mostly White evangelicals who, 50 years after the rise of the religious right, want a rebranding. They hope to overhaul a mix of religion and politics that many feel has been toxic and polarizing and has led to a time when political scientists say the word ‘evangelical’ often has meant ‘Republican.’ ”
Caleb Campbell
The Post article highlights other movement leaders familiar to Baptist News Global readers, including Senior Columnist David Gushee; Curtis Chang, one of the creators of the curriculum project, “The After Party”; and Elizabeth Neumann, the former U.S. counterterrorism official who shows how to recover from radicalism in her book, Kingdom of Rage: The Rise of Christian Extremism and the Path Back to Peace.
While Donald Trump didn’t create Leviathan, he exploits the beast in ways that heighten divisions within evangelicalism and America. Campbell shows how Christian nationalism is divisive and exclusionary, while genuine patriotism “emphasizes bringing together people around common beliefs.”
Campbell wants his book to help Christians find redemptive ways to reach Aunt Betty and the millions like her. “Loving her like (Jesus) does, seeking her restoration and healing,” he says.
Christian nationalists may live right next door or sit in an adjacent pew, but Campbell studies them like a missionary who’s sizing up a previously unknown people group.
The process of reaching Aunt Betty begins with research. Christian nationalists may live right next door or sit in an adjacent pew, but Campbell studies them like a missionary who’s sizing up a previously unknown people group.
He did plenty of homework in Phoenix, home to a Dream City Church that lost 30% percent of its staff and 40% of its congregation after it took a rightward turn, and to Turning Point USA, or TPUSA, which hosts political rallies in Dream City’s sanctuary. TPUSA gave $50,000 to the Conservative Baptist Network in 2022 and is working to rouse Trump voters in key swing states.
To see how Aunt Betty and others are drawn in:
- Campbell attended the TPUSA pastors’ summit, where speaker after speaker twisted Scripture and theology for the purpose of “rallying the church to take government power.”
- Participated in a “Constitutional Defense” gun-training program put on by Patriot Academy.
- Took in a FlashPoint gathering featuring pro-Trump “prophets.”
A member of Campbell’s church invited the pastor to one flashy TPUSA event that revealed Leviathan’s appeal to evangelical leaders.
“The rhetoric of the speeches, videos and prayers gave the impression that we were not discussing political policies and preferences but Christian devotion,” he explained. “The leaders of this event were leveraging familiar worship music and sacred language to seduce their audience into believing that what we were hearing was in line with the teaching of Scripture and the historic beliefs and practices of the church.”
Step two in the process of reaching Christian nationalists is setting a table for discussion and inviting others to participate in discussion and Scripture study, Campbell says.
He emphasizes the necessity of preparatory prayer — “Please grant me the strength to be patient and kind, not arrogant or proud” — and heart work — “Am I noticing any bitterness toward those I intend to reach?”
The book’s longest chapter is titled “Engaging Leviathan: A Field Guide.” It helps readers assemble clarifying questions and biblical passages that can stimulate conversation:
- Who are the “my people” referred to in 2 Chronicles 7:14?
- What did Jesus say before and after the gun enthusiasts’ oft-quoted snippet from Luke 22: “… if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one”?
- What would it look like if America really was a Christian nation?
- Where does the New Testament teach that Christians should take control or dominion over society and politics?
Campbell provides numerous resources at his Disarming Leviathan website.
Related articles:
Christian nationalism: A Baptist evaluation and response
Christian nationalism: Religion or politics
How to tell if it’s ‘Christian nationalism’ or not
Panel of leaders explore patriarchy, gender inequality and white Christian nationalism