Christian nationalism

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Christian nationalism is Christianity-affiliated religious nationalism.[1] Christian nationalists primarily focus on internal politics, such as passing laws that reflect their view of Christianity and its role in political and social life. In countries with a state Church, Christian nationalists, in seeking to preserve the status of a Christian state, uphold an antidisestablishmentarian position.[2][3][4]

Christian nationalists support the presence of Christian symbols and statuary in the public square, as well as state patronage for the display of religion, such as school prayer and the exhibition of nativity scenes during Christmastide or the Christian Cross on Good Friday.[5][6]

Christian nationalists draw support from the broader Christian right.[7]

By country

Canada

The COVID-19 pandemic saw a rise in Christian nationalist activity with many groups using anti-lockdown sentiments to expand their reach to more people.[8] The group Liberty Coalition Canada has garnered support from many elected politicians across Canada.[9] In their founding documents they argue that "it is only in Christianized nations that religious freedom has ever flourished."[10] This group has garnered support from various groups, including supporters of far-right hate groups. Their rallies have attracted supporters of Alex Jones and Canada First, a spin-off of Nick Fuentes' group America First.[11] Many of Liberty Coalition Canada's leaders are pastors that have racked up millions in potential fines for violating COVID protocols and some of them express ultra-conservative views.[12]

Finland

The Lapua Movement and the Patriotic People's Movement (IKL) in Finland led by the Lutherans (körtti) Vihtori Kosola and Vilho Annala respectively. Pastor Elias Simojoki led the IKL's youth organization the Blue-and-Blacks.[13] Current Blue-and-Black Movement and Power Belongs to the People are far-right Christian nationalist parties active in Finland. The latter is connected to Russian neo-Nazi and Christian fundamentalist Russian Imperial Movement.[14][15][16][17][18]

Russia

President of Russia Vladimir Putin has been described as a global leader of the Christian nationalist and Christian right movements.[19][20] As President, Putin has increased the power of the Russian Orthodox Church and demonstrated his staunch belief in Eastern Orthodoxy,[21] as well as maintaining close contacts with Patriarchs of Moscow and all Rus' Alexy II and Kirill.

The Russian Imperial Movement is a prominent neo-Nazi Christian nationalist group that trains militants all over Europe and has recruited thousands of fighters for its paramilitary group, the Imperial Legion, which is participating in the war on Ukraine. The group also works with the Atomwaffen Division in order to network with and recruit extremists from the United States.[22][23]

Scotland

In Scotland UK, the Scottish Family Party has been described as Christian nationalist. The party was formed as a push back movement, based on a rejection of LGBT+ topics being taught in schools, with the political party claiming it to be an overly sexualized topic and ideology. They believe it to be an attack on traditional Christian family values, promoted by the current Scottish government.[citation needed]

United States

Further information: Accommodationism, Christian right, and Trumpism § Christian Trumpism
See also: Democratic backsliding in the United States § Religious and white nationalism
A monument of the Ten Commandments at the Texas State Capitol

The Christian Liberty Party is a political party that sees the United States as a Christian country.[24]

Christian nationalists believe that the US is meant to be a Christian nation and want to "take back" the US for God.[25] Experts say that Christian-associated support for right-wing politicians and social policies, such as legislation which is related to immigration, gun control and poverty is best understood as Christian nationalism, rather than evangelicalism per se.[25][26] Some studies of white evangelicals show that, among people who self-identify as evangelical Christians, the more they attend church, the more they pray, and the more they read the Bible, the less support they have for nationalist (though not socially conservative) policies.[26] Non-nationalistic evangelicals ideologically agree with Christian nationalists in areas such as patriarchal policies, gender roles, and sexuality.[26]

A study which was conducted in May 2022 showed that the strongest base of support for Christian nationalism comes from Republicans who identify as Evangelical or born again Christians.[27][28] Of this demographic group, 78% are in favor of formally declaring the United States a Christian nation, versus only 48% of Republicans overall. Age is also a factor, with over 70% of Republicans from the Baby Boomer and Silent Generations in support of the United States officially becoming a Christian nation. According to Politico, the polling also found that sentiments of white grievance are highly correlated with Christian nationalism: "White respondents who say that members of their race have faced more discrimination than others are most likely to embrace a Christian America. Roughly 59% of all Americans who say white people have been discriminated against ... favor declaring the U.S. a Christian nation, compared to 38% of all Americans."[27][29]

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has referred to herself as a Christian nationalist. Fellow congresswomen Lauren Boebert and Mary Miller have also expressed support for Christian nationalism.[30][31] Kris Kobach has described himself as a Christian nationalist. White nationalist Nick Fuentes has expressed support for Christian nationalism.[32] Florida governor Ron DeSantis has repeatedly invoked Christian nationalist talking points and rhetoric during speeches.[33][27] According to the Tampa Bay Times, DeSantis has also promoted a civics course for educators, which emphasized that "the nation's founders did not desire a strict separation of state and church"; the teacher training program also "pushed a judicial theory, favored by legal conservatives like DeSantis, that requires people to interpret the Constitution as the framers intended it, not as a living, evolving document".[34][35][36][28] Doug Mastriano is a prominent figure in the fundamentalist Christian nationalist movement, and has called the separation of church and state a myth.[37][38]

In the wake of the January 6 attack on the Capitol, the term "Christian nationalism" has become synonymous with white Christian identity politics, a belief system that asserts itself as an integral part of American identity overall.[39][40] The New York Times notes that historically, "Christian nationalism in America has ... encompassed extremist ideologies".[39][41] Critics have argued that Christian nationalism promotes racist tendencies, male violence, anti-democratic sentiment, and revisionist history.[42][43] Christian nationalism in the United States is also linked to political opposition to gun control laws and strong cultural support for the Second Amendment which protects the right to keep and bear arms.[44] Some Christian nationalists also engage in spiritual warfare and militarized forms of prayer to defend and advance their beliefs and political agenda.[45]

Political analyst Jared Yates Sexton has said: "Republicans recognize that QAnon and Christian nationalism are invaluable tools" and that these belief systems "legitimize antidemocratic actions, political violence, and widespread oppression", which he calls an "incredible threat" that extends beyond Trumpism.[46]

Criticisms

Professor Daniel Strand, writing in The American Conservative, said that there was a "superficially Christian presence at the January 6 protest" and he criticized the belief that Christian nationalism played a central role in the attack on the Capitol. In the article, he cited a University of Chicago study which found that "those arrested on January 6 were motivated by the belief that the election was stolen and [influenced by] what they call 'the great replacement' " theory, but that what the study failed to mention is "any explicit religious motivation, let alone theological beliefs about America being a Christian nation".[47][48]

Yugoslavia

The fascist Yugoslav National Movement (1935–45) has been described as a Christian nationalist movement.[49][50]

See also

References

  1. ^ Perry, Samuel L.; Whitehead, Andrew L.; Grubbs, Joshua B. (Winter 2021). Baker, Joseph O. (ed.). "Save the Economy, Liberty, and Yourself: Christian Nationalism and Americans' Views on Government COVID-19 Restrictions". Sociology of Religion. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association for the Sociology of Religion. 82 (4): 426–446. doi:10.1093/socrel/sraa047. ISSN 1759-8818. S2CID 231699494.
  2. ^ Bloomberg, Charles (1989). Christian Nationalism and the Rise of the Afrikaner Broederbond in South Africa, 1918-48. New York: Springer. p. xxiii-11. ISBN 978-1-349-10694-3.
  3. ^ Jenkins, Jack (2 August 2019). "Christian leaders condemn Christian nationalism in new letter". Religion News Service. Retrieved 14 March 2020. Christian nationalism demands Christianity be privileged by the State...
  4. ^ Kymlicka, Will (19 April 2018). "Is there a Christian Pluralist Approach to Immigration?". Comment Magazine. Retrieved 14 March 2020. As against both Christian nationalists who wanted an established church and French-republican-style secular nationalists who wanted a homogenous public square devoid of religion, Dutch pluralists led by Kuyper defended a model of institutional pluralism or "sphere sovereignty."
  5. ^ Perry, Samuel L.; Whitehead, Andrew L. (2020). Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 7–10. ISBN 978-0-19-005789-3.
  6. ^ Bean, Lydia (2016). The Politics of Evangelical Identity: Local Churches and Partisan Divides in the United States and Canada. Princeton, New Jersey and Woodstock, Oxfordshire: Princeton University Press. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-691-17370-2.
  7. ^ Greenberg, Udi (22 October 2019). "Can Christian Democracy Save Us?". Boston Review. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  8. ^ "COVID-19 conspiracy theories are spreading online like a virus. An inside look at a dangerous misinformation movement that's spilling into the real world". thestar.com. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  9. ^ "End the Lockdowns Caucus | Liberty Coalition Canada". Liberty Coalition. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  10. ^ "FAQ". Niagara Declaration. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Canada First Exposed: Months Inside One of Canada's Biggest, Youngest, and Newest White Supremacist Chatrooms". Canadian Anti-Hate Network. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  12. ^ "Excommunicated Politicians Partner With Christian Nationalists In COVID Conspiracy Movement". Canadian Anti-Hate Network. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  13. ^ Upton, A. F. "Finland" in Woolf, S. J. (1981) Fascism in Europe London: Routledge ISBN 9781138938465
  14. ^ "Ano Turtiaisen johtama puolue ottamassa jalansijaa Keskipohjanmaan vaikutusalueellakin, uusin paikallisyhdistys perusteilla Ylivieskaan – Juha Kärkkäinen teki puolueen kannatusilmoituksen: "Olen toistaiseksi edelleen kepun jäsen"". Keskipohjanmaa. January 16, 2022.
  15. ^ ""Tältä fasismi näyttää, kun sen kirjoittaa paperille" – tutkija Oula Silvennoinen epäilee Sinimustien puoluehankkeen karahtavan oikeusministeriöön". www.kirkkojakaupunki.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  16. ^ "Suomen uusnatsit hankkivat nyt oppia Venäjältä: järjestön koulutuskeskus järjestää haulikko- ja pistooliammuntaa, "partisaanikursseja" ja kieltää kiroilun". Helsingin Sanomat. January 12, 2022.
  17. ^ "Uskontopolitiikka – Sinimusta Liike". sinimustaliike.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  18. ^ "Valta kuuluu kansalle".
  19. ^ Stanley, Jason (26 February 2022). "The antisemitism animating Putin's claim to 'denazify' Ukraine". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  20. ^ Michel, Casey (9 February 2017). "How Russia Became the Leader of the Global Christian Right". Politico. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  21. ^ Paterson, Tom (9 November 2021). "Why Putin Goes to Church". The Cambridge Language Collective. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  22. ^ "Russian Imperial Movement (RIM)". Counter Extremism Project. 6 October 2022.
  23. ^ "Mapping Militant Organizations: Russian Imperial Movement". Center for International Security and Cooperation. Stanford University. February 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ^ McKeen, Leah A D, "Canadian Christian Nationalism?: The Religiosity and Politics of the Christian Heritage Party of Canada" (2015). Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive). 1740.
  25. ^ a b Bailey, Sarah Pulliam (26 October 2020). "Seeking power in Jesus' name: Trump sparks a rise of Patriot Churches". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  26. ^ a b c Sutton, Matthew Avery (16 July 2020). "The Truth About Trump's Evangelical Support". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  27. ^ a b c Rouse, Stella; Telhami, Shibley (September 21, 2022). "Most Republicans Support Declaring the United States a Christian Nation". Politico. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  28. ^ a b Nichols, John (September 23, 2022). "Republicans Are Ready to Declare the United States a Christian Nation". The Nation. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  29. ^ Smietana, Bob (September 23, 2022). "78% of Republican evangelicals want U.S. declared a Christian nation". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  30. ^ Tyler, Amanda (27 July 2022). "Opinion: Marjorie Taylor Greene's words on Christian nationalism are a wake-up call". CNN. Retrieved 29 July 2022. We need to be the party of nationalism and I’m a Christian, and I say it proudly, we should be Christian nationalists," Greene said in an interview while attending the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Florida on Saturday. She is not alone in doing so. Greene's embrace of Christian nationalism follows closely after troubling remarks from Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert: "The church is supposed to direct the government, the government is not supposed to direct the church," she said at a church two days before her primary election (and victory) in late June. "I'm tired of this separation of church and state junk.
  31. ^ https://twitter.com/Miller_Congress/status/1546223269124120579[bare URL]
  32. ^ "They Love Jesus, Bon Iver, and Incels. Inside America's New Ultranationalist Youth Movement". Vice.com. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
  33. ^ Ceballos, Ana (September 13, 2022). "DeSantis' 'full armor of God' rhetoric reaches Republicans. But is he playing with fire?". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  34. ^ Ceballos, Ana; Brugal, Summer (June 28, 2022). "Some teachers alarmed by Florida civics training approach on religion, slavery". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. A review of more than 200 pages of the state's presentations show that the founding fathers' intent and the 'misconceptions' about their thinking were a main theme of the training ... Several presentation slides emphasized that it was a 'misconception' that the 'Founders desired strict separation of church and state and the Founders only wanted to protect Freedom of worship.' 
  35. ^ Rozsa, Lori (July 2, 2022). "In trainings, Florida tells teachers that religion belongs in public life". Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  36. ^ "Florida training program: "Misconception" that founders wanted separation of church and state". Axios. 2022-07-02. Retrieved 2022-10-04.
  37. ^ Dias, Elizabeth (July 8, 2022). "The Far-Right Christian Quest for Power: 'We Are Seeing Them Emboldened'". The New York Times. Mr. Mastriano's ascension in Pennsylvania is perhaps the most prominent example of right-wing candidates for public office who explicitly aim to promote Christian power in America. The religious right has long supported conservative causes, but this current wave seeks more: a nation that actively prioritizes their particular set of Christian beliefs and far-right views ...
  38. ^ Smith, Peter; Bharath, Deepa (May 29, 2022). "Christian nationalism on the rise in some GOP campaigns". Associated Press.
  39. ^ a b Dias, Elizabeth (July 8, 2022). "The Far-Right Christian Quest for Power: 'We Are Seeing Them Emboldened'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  40. ^ Dalsheim, Joyce; Starrett, Gregory (September 6, 2022). "Christian nationalism is getting written out of the story of January 6". The Conversation. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  41. ^ Perry, Samuel (August 5, 2022). "After Trump, Christian nationalist ideas are going mainstream – despite a history of violence". The Conversation. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  42. ^ Jones, Sarah (2022-06-04). "White Christian Nationalism 'Is a Fundamental Threat to Democracy'". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2022-08-22. Combining research with data analysis, Gorski and Perry argue that white Christian nationalists share a set of common anti-democratic beliefs and principles. 'These are beliefs that ... reflect a desire to restore and privilege the myths, values, identity, and authority of a particular ethnocultural tribe,' they write. 'These beliefs add up to a political vision that privileges the tribe. And they seek to put other tribes in their proper place'.
  43. ^ CNN, Analysis by John Blake. "An 'imposter Christianity' is threatening American democracy". CNN. Retrieved 2022-08-22. That ends-justify-the means approach is a key part of White Christian nationalism, says Du Mez. It's why so many rallied behind former President Trump on January 6 ... But with few exceptions, White Christian nationalists do not accept this 'militant masculinity' when exhibited by Black, Middle Eastern and Latino men ... Aggression by people of color 'is seen as a threat to the stability of home and nation,' she writes.
  44. ^ Perry, Samuel L. (May 25, 2022). "School Shootings Confirm That Guns Are the Religion of the Right". Time. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  45. ^ McAlister, Elizabeth (2016-01-02). "The militarization of prayer in America: White and Native American spiritual warfare". Journal of Religious and Political Practice. 2 (1): 114–130. doi:10.1080/20566093.2016.1085239. ISSN 2056-6093.
  46. ^ Conley, Julia (September 21, 2022). "Majority of Republican Voters Say US Should Be Declared a 'Christian Nation'". Common Dreams. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  47. ^ Strand, Daniel (August 24, 2022). "'Christian Nationalism' Didn't Cause January 6". The American Conservative. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  48. ^ Pape, Dr. Robert A.; Ruby, Dr. Kevin (July 22, 2022). "Understanding the Insurrectionist Movement: January 6 and Beyond". Chicago Project on Security & Threats at the University of Chicago. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  49. ^ Rebecca Haynes; Martyn Rady (30 November 2013). In the Shadow of Hitler: Personalities of the Right in Central and Eastern Europe. I. B. Tauris. p. 300. ISBN 978-1-78076-808-3.
  50. ^ Jovan Byford (2008). Denial and Repression of Antisemitism: Post-communist Remembrance of the Serbian Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović. Central European University Press. p. 52. ISBN 978-963-9776-15-9.

Further reading

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