Popular Searches
On Monday October 14 The Latine Collegium of Princeton Seminary will host The Herencia Lectures, Christian Nationalism: A Dangerous Threat to Democracy.
Speakers include Miranda Cruz Zapor, PhD, Professor of Historical Theology at Indiana Wesleyan University, Matthew D. Taylor, PhD, Senior Protestant Scholar at The Institute for Jewish, Christian and Muslim Studies, Joao B. Chaves, PhD, Assistant Professor of the History of Religion in the Americas at Baylor, and Raimundo C. Barreto, Jr., PhD, Associate Professor of World Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary. Also, taking part is guest preacher Rev. Dr. Edwin David Aponte, Dean of the Drew School of Theology.
Ahead of the event we caught up with a few of the speakers for their thoughts on Christian Nationalism and its impact on democracy.
Matthew Taylor points to humans innate need for power and control and the threat of unwanted change to the rise of Christian nationalism. “I define Christian nationalism broadly as the tendency to conflate one’s Christian identity with one’s national identity in an effort to make those cohere. This means that there are many forms of Christian nationalism (both within the U.S. and outside it), and that there’s a spectrum for how radical it can be. We see this in the survey data with different labels given to the softer versus the harder sides of Christian nationalism. I also would argue that what we call Christian nationalism today has always been a part of American politics, though it’s had different names in different eras,” he says.
For Miranda Cruz Zapor the language and symbolisms of Christian nationalism can push democracy to dangerously toe the line of authoritarianism. She says, “Christian nationalism in the United States is a political ideology that borrows Christian language and symbols in service of elevating and preserving Western European heritage and elements of Christian morality. It is not Christian, because it is not concerned about Christian dogma and does not participate in the mission of the church to “make disciples” who follow Jesus.”
Samuel Arroyo, Assistant Director of Global Services and Latine Programs from the office of Global Services notes that the idea of not being American enough pushes the agenda of Christian nationalism.
Not conforming to this notion of what it means to be ‘American’ is seen as suspicious, anti-American, and a threat to what they think are the foundational values of this nation. In simple terms, I believe that fear is the main contributor to Christian Nationalism. The dominant groups’ fear of losing power, of losing influence in society, and fears of other groups gaining greater economic status are just a few of the contributors to its rise.
Taylor examines the relationship between church and state. “There are forms of Christian nationalism that can operate just fine within democratic societies. Most nations in the world have an established (a.k.a. officially recognized) religion. But in the United States we have a tradition and constitutional legacy of the separation of church and state, which is intended to protect the state from religious takeover and the religious communities from state oppression or takeover. As such, Christian nationalist efforts can pose a real threat to the basic protections of the First Amendment by attempting to establish Christianity as the official religion.”
Cruz highlights how the very essence of Christian nationalism threatens the diversity of a democracy. “Since democratic institutions are, by definition, governed by the people, as populations become more diverse those institutions become less naturally reflective of Western European heritage and “traditional” values. Christian nationalism is therefore incompatible with democracy wherever the population does not reflect Christian nationalist ideals.
Arroyo reminds us to reflect on the principles that help form a democracy. “Freedom of religion is at the core of our democratic values as a nation. Every citizen has the right to practice their religious beliefs without fear of persecution. By equating a faction of the Christian faith to what it means to be a “real citizen” of the country, those who practice any other religion are seen as second-class citizens or just people who do not belong or conform to what it truly means to be American.
For Taylor “Education is very important, because it opens us up to the complexity of history and the multiplicity of experiences of the world. We are all naturally inclined toward provincialism and tribalism and thinking that our own experience is normative and universal. A diverse and pluralistic society also needs good education to encourage civility and understanding across the different races, ethnicities, religions and communities of belonging that make up that society.
Cruz explains that “the term “Christian nationalism” is not self-explanatory.
Many Christians may be drawn to it because of the word ‘Christian’ or because it employs Christian symbols and language. Christians need to be educated about what it actually is and the ways it is incompatible with Christian orthodoxy.
Education is vital for combating those challenges for Arroyo. “Education helps us open our eyes to the dangers of Christian Nationalism. Under the flag of religious liberty, Christian Nationalism often overlaps as a cover for white supremacy, and racial and gender discrimination.”
“Many Christian nationalists are Christian nationalists, because they’ve never been exposed to other ways of thinking. We also need to constantly and passionately affirm the basic equality and humanity of everyone in society. If the “we” to which we appeal is only our fellow Christians, then obviously people will interpret that as “us vs. them” — with “them” being an implicit threat to the integrity of the “us” — but if we recognize the common humanity that binds us together, then we can find solidarity and friendship across the religious, racial, socioeconomic, geographic, sexual identity, gender, and other lines that divide us,” says Taylor.
Cruz adds that these strategies may not be easy to implement, but to do so is to further the cause of the greater church. “Churches can disciple people in their primary citizenship in the Kingdom of God, helping people recognize the ways the values and narrative of the Kingdom are not the same as the values and narrative of the United States and other countries. Help people recognize the ways a Christian emphasis on the love of God and neighbor places demands on us that sometimes come into conflict with the demands or cultural values of the country.”
Arroyo encourages educating oneself on what the threat is in order to find a solution. “First, learning what Christian Nationalism is and what are the dangers of this ideology is key for countering the influence of Christian Nationalism. We can’t stop it if we don’t know what we are against. Holding public forums like the one we are hosting in our Seminary, The Herencia Lectures, can be a part of the solution. This format works for our academic institution, but maybe churches can watch documentaries on the dangers of Christian Nationalism and have discussions around what they learn. There are some books on the subject, and our guest speakers have written many of them.”
To hear more from the speakers make sure to RSVP for The Herencia Lectures, Christian Nationalism: A Dangerous Threat to Democracy. If you can’t make it in person be sure to watch it live on Youtube. Set a reminder here.
