Baptist News Global
Sections
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Curated
  • Storytelling
    • Faith & Justice >
      • Charleston: Metanoia with Bill Stanfield
      • Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell
      • Little Rock: Judge Wendell Griffen
      • North Carolina: Conetoe
    • Welcoming the Stranger >
      • Lost Boys of Sudan: St. John’s Baptist Charlotte
      • Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church
      • Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center
    • Signature Ministries >
      • Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio
    • Singing Our Faith >
      • Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church
      • Norfolk Street Choir
    • Resilient Rural America >
      • Alabama: Perry County
      • Texas: Hidalgo County
      • Arkansas Delta
      • Southeast Kentucky
  • More
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donate
    • Planned Giving
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Advertising
    • Ministry Jobs and More
    • Transitions
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions and Permissions
Donate Subscribe
Search Search this site

Jesus, ‘Trumpism’ and nationalism: the fake news of a Christian America

OpinionAndrew Daugherty  |  September 26, 2019

These are anxious times for the body politic. Deep divides exist politically and religiously in ways that are unparalleled in our country’s recent history. Perhaps nothing magnifies this more than the acceleration of Christian nationalist fervor under Donald Trump’s presidency.

Christian nationalism is the belief that in order to be a true American, one must also be a Christian – or more specifically a white, evangelical Christian.

This misguided and dangerous ideology can be attributed to many factors. A prominent one appears to be that white Christians are no longer the dominant religious group in the United States. The Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) published findings in 2016 based on a comprehensive survey of American religious and denominational identity that only 43 percent of Americans identify as white and Christian. The survey also reported a growing decline of those who identify as white evangelicals – less than one in five Americans.

It is proving clear that the decline of white Christians generally, and evangelical white Christians in particular, intensifies the rhetoric that America is a Christian nation and galvanizes the white, evangelical Christian electorate who fear the loss of cultural privilege and power. It is no wonder that Trump’s political slogan, “Make America Great Again,” is often translated “Make America White (and Christian) Again.” Trump’s jargon may work politically, but it works against the heart of the gospel of Jesus, who was a brown-skinned Jewish rabbi and reformer born to a refugee family, no less.

“The two-sided ideology of political Trumpism and Christian nationalism imperils robust religious liberty for all and desecrates the constitutional promise of government neutrality toward religion.”

Luke’s Gospel tells that Jesus was dragged to the Roman governor’s palace for three reasons, all political: “We found this fellow subverting the nation, opposing payment of taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King” (23:1-2).

Jesus never lobbied for government sanction of his spiritual movement. Instead, the global relevance of his God-infused message to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind and freedom to the oppressed transcended temporal government interests. It still does.

The surest way to trash the gospel is to invoke God’s holy name to propagate a partisan political agenda that has nothing to do with the spiritual wisdom of Jesus and everything to do with political privilege and power.

The truth is that the non-white, non-English speaking Jesus didn’t pledge allegiance to any nation, and he never wavered from his proclamation of the kingdom of God that afflicted the political autocrats and religious theocrats of his own time. Even though he was crucified for it.

This stands in stark contrast today to those who claim that America is a Christian nation. This is truly a fake news item that has been repeated so often that it is embedded in our national consciousness. It is emboldened by the phenomenon of what Yale sociologist Philip Gorski calls “Trumpism.” Gorski defines it as “a secularized version of white Christian nationalism,” in which religious identity has more to do with a political voting bloc than a faith commitment. This helps explain why 81 percent of white evangelicals voted for Trump in 2016.

This fusion of political Trumpism and religious nationalism is fueled by a fallacious historical claim that America is a Christian nation, despite all evidence to the contrary. I guess the framers of the Constitution and Bill of Rights were so intent on making sure that the country was founded as a Christian nation that they forgot to include words like God, Christ and Christianity in the founding documents.

To the contrary, of course. The Constitution’s lone reference to religion is in Article VI: “No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” No mention was ever made that the United States was to be founded as a Christian nation. What is factually unclear about this?

Those who continue to insist that America was founded as a Christian nation aren’t concerned about Constitutional facts. Rather, they find it more politically expedient to peddle a spiritual and political fantasy that is as credible as the claims of Religious Right leaders and pro-Trump Christians that Trump has been chosen, appointed and anointed by God to be the president, if not a prophet or even a king. Evangelical leaders have gone so far as to make comparisons between America’s 45th president and biblical figures like King Cyrus or King David. The president himself recently quoted a conspiracy theorist declaring him “the King of Israel” and the “second coming of God.” Really?

“This insidious ideology has been translated into a sophisticated legislative strategy.”

Jesus cautions against the kind of leadership that might “sound like” the kingdom of God but falls woefully short of looking and acting like it: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). The rhetoric that America is a Christian nation is the sheep’s clothing that covers up a ravenous craving for religious liberty and political privilege to be freely and exclusively given to a particular version of Christianity – namely, one that is evangelical and white.

This insidious ideology has been translated into a sophisticated legislative strategy known as Project Blitz, whose purpose is to pass bills informed by Christian nationalism. The intent is bluntly articulated, but it is more commonplace to see it posing in more “patriotic” forms like posting the Ten Commandments in government buildings, protecting Christian icons on government property, promoting government-sponsored prayer and posting “In God We Trust” in public schools.

It is no accident that public schools are a focus. Consider what the Christian nationalist extremist Gary North wrote in 1982, in an overt effort to reach Southern Baptists:

“We must use the doctrine of religious liberty … until we train up a generation of people who know that there is no religious neutrality, no neutral law, no neutral education, and no neutral civil government. Then they will get busy constructing a Bible-based social, political, and religious order which finally denies the religious liberty of the enemies of God.”

He didn’t stop there. In his 1989 book, Political Polytheism: The Myth of Pluralism, he wrote: “The long-term goal of Christians in politics should be to gain exclusive control over the franchise. Those who refuse to submit publicly … must be denied citizenship.”

The two-sided ideology of political Trumpism and Christian nationalism presents a clear and present danger to the civil liberties of those who do not conform to its ways. It imperils robust religious liberty for all and desecrates the constitutional promise of government neutrality toward religion.

The time is now for Christians against Christian nationalism to follow Jesus’ lead and to stand up and expose what’s hiding beneath its sheep’s clothing. The integrity of our democracy and the soul of Christianity depend on it.

Related commentary:

Bill Leonard | Legislating ‘In God We Trust’: using the state to do the Church’s work

Jonathan Davis | Why I spoke out against Virginia’s ‘Bible bill,’ and why you should too when it comes to your state


OPINION: Views expressed in Baptist News Global columns and commentaries are solely those of the authors.
Tags:Donald TrumpReligion and PoliticsChristian nationalismProject BlitzGary North
More by
Andrew Daugherty
  • Get BNG headlines in your inbox

  • Featured

    • The French Dreyfus Affair and Trump’s Big Lie

      Opinion

    • Finding inspiration from Fannie Lou Hamer when freedom is under assault

      Opinion

    • Christian nationalism links gun rights and ‘Christian nation’ ideals in dangerous mix, Tyler and Hollman say

      News

    • Why men should be concerned about the abortion ruling

      Opinion


    Curated

    • At LA’s DisclosureFest, a milieu of New Age mysticism, capitalism and conspiracy talk

      At LA’s DisclosureFest, a milieu of New Age mysticism, capitalism and conspiracy talk

      June 27, 2022
    • Worshippers at Baptist church in Nigeria abducted

      Worshippers at Baptist church in Nigeria abducted

      June 27, 2022
    • Biden administration proposes protections for transgender students and against sexual violence in schools

      Biden administration proposes protections for transgender students and against sexual violence in schools

      June 27, 2022
    • Columbia Theological Seminary students object to firing of Black administrator

      Columbia Theological Seminary students object to firing of Black administrator

      June 27, 2022
    Read Next:

    Two viruses threaten the life of the Southern Baptist Convention: Male hierarchy and dominion theology

    AnalysisEllis Orozco

    More Articles

    • All
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Curated
    • Christianity: Where the end justifies the means

      OpinionPhillip Thomas

    • Supreme Court once again hands conservative evangelicals a win for free expression over state establishment of religion

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Catholic bishops drop opposition to lesbian becoming a foster parent

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Why men should be concerned about the abortion ruling

      OpinionDarrell Hamilton II

    • Christian nationalism links gun rights and ‘Christian nation’ ideals in dangerous mix, Tyler and Hollman say

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Why I’m a pro-choice pastor: I’ve listened to the stories of too many women

      OpinionBob Browning

    • Who’ll bring the sackcloth and ashes to CBF General Assembly this week?

      OpinionMolly Brummett Wudel

    • Finding inspiration from Fannie Lou Hamer when freedom is under assault

      OpinionMary Alice Birdwhistell

    • Was that a blatantly racist tweet from a Texas senator or not?

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Here’s what pastors said this Sunday in churches not celebrating the Supreme Court’s abortion decision

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • The French Dreyfus Affair and Trump’s Big Lie

      OpinionDavid Gushee, Senior Columnist

    • Women of childbearing age are least likely to see strict abortion laws as best deterrent against abortion

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Independence Day: Not to celebrate but to reflect

      OpinionKathy Manis Findley

    • U.S. State Department calls out Russia, China, Afghanistan, Myanmar for extreme religious freedom abuses

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Two viruses threaten the life of the Southern Baptist Convention: Male hierarchy and dominion theology

      AnalysisEllis Orozco

    • Progress on sexual abuse in the SBC? Not so fast

      OpinionDavid Clohessy and Christa Brown

    • Pranoto, Shaw, Smith and Younger join BNG board of directors

      NewsBNG staff

    • Uyghur American elected chairman of U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • When a Mexican cartel kidnapped a Baptist pastor, they got more than they bargained for

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • The Black community needs allies who listen and act, scholar says

      NewsPat Cole

    • Maybe seminaries should offer a class in mergers and acquisitions

      AnalysisMark Wingfield

    • Reflections on my mother’s funeral: The heart has reasons

      OpinionDavid Ramsey

    • Georgia Baptists hit snag on sale of 16-year-old headquarters property in suburban Atlanta

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • When ‘orthodoxy’ won’t hold: The SBC and the rest of us

      OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

    • At Faith and Freedom conference, evangelical Christian voters once again abandon their concern for marital fidelity

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Supreme Court once again hands conservative evangelicals a win for free expression over state establishment of religion

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Catholic bishops drop opposition to lesbian becoming a foster parent

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Christian nationalism links gun rights and ‘Christian nation’ ideals in dangerous mix, Tyler and Hollman say

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Was that a blatantly racist tweet from a Texas senator or not?

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Here’s what pastors said this Sunday in churches not celebrating the Supreme Court’s abortion decision

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Women of childbearing age are least likely to see strict abortion laws as best deterrent against abortion

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • U.S. State Department calls out Russia, China, Afghanistan, Myanmar for extreme religious freedom abuses

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Pranoto, Shaw, Smith and Younger join BNG board of directors

      NewsBNG staff

    • Uyghur American elected chairman of U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • When a Mexican cartel kidnapped a Baptist pastor, they got more than they bargained for

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • The Black community needs allies who listen and act, scholar says

      NewsPat Cole

    • Georgia Baptists hit snag on sale of 16-year-old headquarters property in suburban Atlanta

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • At Faith and Freedom conference, evangelical Christian voters once again abandon their concern for marital fidelity

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Annual report on Baptist women in ministry finds some gains but serious losses due to COVID

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Church-state separationists join Justice Sotomayor in blasting the Supreme Court’s ruling in a Maine school voucher case

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Conservative clergywoman claims United Methodist system unjust

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • In Africa, inflation and a food crisis threaten not just the economy but people’s lives

      NewsAnthony Akaeze

    • American support for abortion rights at highest level since 1995, Gallup says

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • New platform of Texas GOP is laced with Christian privilege

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Author explores contradiction of evangelical support for prison ministry and tough-on-crime laws at same time

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • One year later, awareness of Juneteenth is growing

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Churches in Russian-occupied sections of Ukraine face desperate conditions

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Transitions for the week of 6-17-22

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Many voices call for prosecution of mob who lynched and burned Christian student in Nigeria

      NewsAnthony Akaeze

    • Christianity: Where the end justifies the means

      OpinionPhillip Thomas

    • Why men should be concerned about the abortion ruling

      OpinionDarrell Hamilton II

    • Why I’m a pro-choice pastor: I’ve listened to the stories of too many women

      OpinionBob Browning

    • Who’ll bring the sackcloth and ashes to CBF General Assembly this week?

      OpinionMolly Brummett Wudel

    • Finding inspiration from Fannie Lou Hamer when freedom is under assault

      OpinionMary Alice Birdwhistell

    • The French Dreyfus Affair and Trump’s Big Lie

      OpinionDavid Gushee, Senior Columnist

    • Independence Day: Not to celebrate but to reflect

      OpinionKathy Manis Findley

    • Progress on sexual abuse in the SBC? Not so fast

      OpinionDavid Clohessy and Christa Brown

    • Reflections on my mother’s funeral: The heart has reasons

      OpinionDavid Ramsey

    • When ‘orthodoxy’ won’t hold: The SBC and the rest of us

      OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

    • Seven suggestions for preventing conflict before it happens

      OpinionBill Wilson

    • The gospel according to mammals

      OpinionTyler Tankersley

    • How God used Jay Bakker to teach me about race and loving all people

      OpinionMaina Mwaura

    • When a teenager gets kicked to the curb by Christian parents

      OpinionDan McGee and Linda Francis Cross

    • Unzipped: How (not) to commute

      OpinionEric Minton

    • When it comes to leading corporate prayer, are we really all in this together?

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • Is America racist at heart?

      OpinionEugene G. Akins III

    • Note to self: Get rid of resting jerkface

      OpinionErich Bridges

    • Don’t keep sweet: Why white Christians need to celebrate Juneteenth

      OpinionErica Whitaker

    • Letter to the Editor: The importance of establishing best practices for pastoral searches

      OpinionLetters to the Editor

    • Hymn Stories: ‘Will You Come and Follow Me’

      OpinionBeverly A. Howard

    • A Bubba-Doo’s regular loses a loved one

      OpinionCharles Qualls

    • The oxymoron of being both anti-abortion and pro-gun

      OpinionEarl Chappell

    • My trip to the seamy world of horseracing

      OpinionBrett Younger

    • In the news this weekend: This is what it means to take God’s name in vain

      OpinionErin Albin Hill

    • At LA’s DisclosureFest, a milieu of New Age mysticism, capitalism and conspiracy talk

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Worshippers at Baptist church in Nigeria abducted

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Biden administration proposes protections for transgender students and against sexual violence in schools

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Columbia Theological Seminary students object to firing of Black administrator

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Pope orders online release of WWII-era Pius XII Jewish files

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Demolishing schools after a mass shooting reflects humans’ deep-rooted desire for purification rituals

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Has American conservatism abandoned the Christian right?

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • In Colorado, a GOP rarity: An abortion rights candidate

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • A church was ordered to rescind its gay deacon. Now it weighs its next step.

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Can the Church Still Enact Justice When a Pastor Sues His Accusers?

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Republican Lauren Boebert jokes about AR-15s and Jesus — and yes, she’s a ‘real’ Christian

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • This World Refugee Day, rising white nationalism meets the largest refugee population in history — which is no coincidence

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • How evangelical Christians are sizing up the 2024 GOP race for president

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Abortion bill, confederate holiday removal signed by Edwards

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Buddhist leader in Bhutan fully ordains 144 women, resuming ancient tradition

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Banning Nancy Pelosi from Communion May Have Backfired

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • How Franklin Graham pushed a domestic abuse victim to return to her husband

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Poor People’s Campaign holds major DC rally to combat poverty

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • An Elite Christian College Has Become The Latest Battleground In America’s Culture Wars

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Wiccan celebration of summer solstice is a reminder that change, as expressed in nature, is inevitable

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Camino pilgrims help rural Spain’s emptying villages survive

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • What Antisemitism Looks Like When It Is Carved into Church

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Humanist chaplains guide nonreligious students on quest for meaning

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • On Juneteenth, Jewish communities are reckoning with their own attitudes on race

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • UK sanctions Russian Orthodox head; decries forced adoption

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    Conversations that Matter.

    © 2022 Baptist News Global. All rights reserved.

    Want to share a story? We hope you will! Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here.

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • RSS