Our Heavenly Citizenship: Reflecting on the Meaning and Implications of ‘Christian Nationalism’

I read an article on the murder of Pastor Bill Schonemann this past June, which had been written by a journalist who was clearly not a Christian. When Adam Scheafe murdered Schonemann and mock-crucified him, he claimed he did so because Schonemann was an idolater. Referencing the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me,” Scheafe explained to authorities that the belief in Jesus as God was idolatry, and for that, all Christian pastors deserved to die.

The author of this particular article used this story to make the point that Christian nationalists were starting to take extreme measures, now even resorting to murder, to force their beliefs on those around them. Now, obviously, if this murderer did not believe in Christ, he was not a Christian, so he could not have been a Christian nationalist. But this article helped illustrate the confusion surrounding the term “Christian nationalism,” which is constantly thrown around in politics today.

When the term Christian nationalism first arose in American politics in the 1920s, it was associated with anti-Semitism and fascism, and it often carried connotations of white supremacy. But since then, its meaning has differed widely. To understand what Christian nationalism means in today’s culture, we need to understand what both words, “Christian,” and “nationalism,” mean individually.

“Christian” is pretty straight forward. It means “Christ-follower” or “little Christ.” Acts 11:26 chronicles the first time the disciples were called Christians, and it was in Antioch. Many historians think the label of Christian was originally derogatory, but Peter told his fellow Christians in 1 Peter 4 not to be ashamed for suffering as a Christian but instead glorify God for the privilege of being called by His name. It is clear from Scripture that we should embrace the label of Christian, because it calls us by Christ’s name. But what about the term “nationalism?”

In its article on the history of nationalism, Encyclopedia Britannica defines it as an “ideology based on the premise that the individual’s loyalty and devotion to the nation-state surpass other individual or group interests.” The way that people have applied this label to individuals and groups in the past, this definition fits. “Nationalist” has been applied to most revolutionaries, as well as dictators and extremists such as Hitler and Mussolini. It is generally associated with radical movements that seek to undermine authority. With all the definitional and historical implications of the word “nationalism,” we should be extremely careful associating that word with Christianity. Christ and Adolf Hitler have nothing in common.

The Left applies the term “Christian nationalism” to almost any Christian who applies their faith to politics, which is simply an inaccurate use of the phrase. Especially in today’s culture, Christians should push for laws that protect natural marriage and the unborn. That isn’t Christian nationalism. That is simply applying our beliefs to all spheres of our lives, which I would argue is exactly what we’re called to as Christians.

But the fact that many Christians are now embracing this term can be attributed to a pendulum effect. This is just the way human nature tends to work. We see an extreme error in society. It makes us mad. So we run as far from that error as possible and often end up at the other opposite error in our attempt to avoid the first. C.S. Lewis had a very insightful quote on this exact issue in “Mere Christianity:” “He (the devil) always sends errors into the world in pairs — pairs of opposites. And he always encourages us to spend a lot of time thinking which is the worse. You see why, of course? He relies on your extra dislike of one to draw you gradually into the opposite one.”

In the case of Christian nationalism, Christians saw something called the “negative world.” This is a term that author Aaron Ren coined to identify how he saw America acting towards Christianity. America has rejected Christianity in numerous ways. Our government legalized same-sex marriage, decided gender is fluid, and continues to promote abortion. We see the wokeness of the Left that they are trying to force on those around them, so we run to call ourselves Christian nationalists in an attempt to push back on those we view as enemies.

So, what is the error of Christian nationalism? Well, it depends on who you ask, because the definition of Christian nationalism varies depending on who you ask. But the way that Stephen Wolfe defines it in his book, “The Case for Christian Nationalism,” “[Christian nationalism] is a totality of national action, consisting of civil laws and social customs, conducted by a Christian nation as a Christian nation, in order to procure for itself both earthly and heavenly good in Christ.”

Wolfe is an academic. His book is nearly 500 pages long, and his arguments can be very difficult to understand, especially if you are not an academic. Wolfe’s most significant error is that in his defense of Christian nationalism, he argues that the nation, not the church, can give us the “complete image” of heavenly life. In other words, while he thinks the church can and should reflect Heaven, he thinks only our country can be a complete picture of Heaven on earth. His error here is, I think, the principal error that those who call themselves Christian nationalists tend toward. By putting so much emphasis on creating or recovering a Christian nation, they end up prioritizing the country over the church. This is exactly what Wolfe does here. This leads to a deep misunderstanding of the gospel message.

Fighting for more laws that align with biblical truth is right, not simply because they follow Scripture, but because God is just, so His laws are also just. But it is not the Christian’s primary call to go create a Christian nation or culture. Our call is to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything Christ commanded us.” Our call is to love one another as Christ has loved us, to be salt and light to the earth, and how have Christians done that historically? By evangelizing and creating churches. And ironically enough, what often happens when Christians succeed in spreading the gospel and building churches is that their culture becomes more Christian.

The church is extremely important, both in Scripture and in the history of Christianity. When God speaks in the New Testament, He speaks, not to nations or cultures, but to individual churches. And he speaks to the Christian church as a whole, calling us the bride of Christ and calling upon us to remain pure and holy by following His commandments. Ultimately, God shows us in Scripture that the church is going to be the closest thing to heaven that we will experience before we go there ourselves. So, when Wolfe calls for us to make the country, not the church, the complete image of heavenly life, he has his priorities out of order.

Wolfe further calls us to “pray that God would bring about, through a Christian prince, a great renewal,” where that prince would “suppress the enemies of God and elevate his people; recover a worshiping people; restore masculine prominence in the land and a spirit of dominion; affirm and conserve his people and place, not permitting their dissolution or capture.” Not only are his priorities out of place in prioritizing his country above the church, but he is looking to a human to bring to earth the peace and prosperity that only Christ can bring. Unfortunately, when we start calling for kings and princes in the place of God to lead us back into the “good old days,” we tend to get more King Sauls than we do King Davids.

Philippians 3:20 reminds us: “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Hebrews 13:14 tells us, “Here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” Scripture clearly tells us that our Christian nation already exists, and our job here on earth is not to create it ourselves, but to bring fellow citizens with us when we go. Wolfe, by prioritizing the country above the church, is misunderstanding the gospel message and at the same time undermining his own goal. As I mentioned before, the best way to create a God-honoring culture is to spread the gospel, convert souls, and build churches. But if your goal is to create a Christian nation, I would argue that your goals are much too small. Your dream is a mortal dream. Your Christian calling is an eternal one.

As C.S. Lewis so wisely pointed out, “You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations —these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit — immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.”

AUTHOR

Evelyn Elliott

Evelyn Elliott served as an intern at Family Research Council.

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