Speaking out: There’s danger in state-sponsored Christianity

Most who fill the pews at Lutheran and Catholic and Presbyterian and other churches likely have not heard their pastor or priest use the term from the pulpit. It certainly never concerned Martin Luther or Pope John Paul II.

Nevertheless, the Public Religion Research Institute says Christian nationalism has been steadily gaining adherents in the U.S., and that as many as half of North Dakotans are supporters of or adherents to it.

So what is it they’re supporting?

Christianity Today, founded by Evangelist Billy Graham, says Christian nationalism asserts that the United States was, is and forever should be a Christian nation and that Christianity should have a place of privilege in the public square. Many also believe that the country and its states should, through laws and constitutions, decree themselves to be Christian.

While nearly two thirds of Americans who say they have a religious affiliation identify as Christian, Christianity Today, in articles by Paul D. Miller and others, sees Christian nationalism as deeply flawed.

Miller, a professor at Georgetown University, says Christian nationalists see our country is special in God’s eyes, and that our states and a nation should profess Christianity. Never mind that some 15 million Americans claim other religions, from Judaism and Muslim to Hindu and Buddhist.

Christian nationalism would treat them, and those who choose no religion, as second-class citizens who would not be allowed the religious freedom guaranteed by the Constitution.

There are clear signs that many North Dakotans have embraced the concept of Christian nationalism. A Bismarck legislator, Brandon Pritchard, has openly called for codifying Jesus Christ as our state’s king.

At the recent state Republican convention, delegates supported Jim Bartlett in the race for superintendent of public instruction. Bartlett’s stated goal is to get Christianity into and “evil” ideas out of our schools, and his acceptance speech included singing a hymn.

The next day a district chair from northeast North Dakota told the GOP crowd that to him, MAGA stands for “Make America Godly Again.”

Mainstream Republicans and mainstream Christians both see danger in Christian nationalism, and there now is a multidenominational effort to raise red flags.

Christians against Christian Nationalism say the movement implies that to be a good American, one must be Christian. It says the movement provides cover for white supremacy and racial subjugation, and “We reject this damaging political ideology and invite our Christian brothers and sisters to join us in opposing this threat to our faith and to our nation.”

Christians Against Christian Nationalism has its roots in Baptist denominations, but also includes various Lutherans, Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists and Episcopalians and those who identify as LDS, Eastern Orthodox and United Church of Christ, among others.

Their concern is illustrated by the Council on Foreign Relations Center for Preventive Action, which worries that in 2024, the world’s greatest risk of domestic terrorism and political violence is right here in the United States.

That’s because Christian nationalists are more likely than others to support political violence. They seem to believe they can speak for God in claiming special dispensation for their views.

Those who disagree prefer strengthening the public space as a just place for all, regardless of religion or worldview. Their view aligns perfectly with the views of America’s founders and with the country’s clear, constitutionally based traditions.

Christian participation in the state is a good and welcome concept. The state’s participation in Christianity is not.