Christian nationalism is a belief that asserts that the United States was founded strictly by and for Christians and therefore should prioritize their interests in all social and political spheres. Christian nationalists in the United States advocate "a fusion of identitarian Christian identity and cultural conservatism with American civic belonging". It has been noted to bear overlap with white supremacy, Christian supremacy, the Seven Mountain Mandate movement, and dominionism. Most researchers have described Christian nationalism as "authoritarian" and "boundary-enforcing", but recent research has focused on how libertarian, small-government ideology and neoliberal political economics have become part of the American Christian political identity.
Beliefs Religion studies scholar Julie Ingersoll writes that the movement is a complex amalgamation of a number of concepts and traditions, with a long-term focus on theocratic, authoritarian forms of government based on Christianity. Not strictly Protestant, the movement has also had a significant conservative Catholic contingent.
Christian nationalism also overlaps with but is distinct from theonomy, with it being more populist in character. Theocratic Christians seek to have the Bible inform national laws and have religious leaders in positions of government; while in America, Christian nationalists view the country's founding documents as "divinely inspired" and supernaturally revealed to Christian men to preference Christianity, and are willing to elect impious heads of state if they support right-wing causes.
Christian nationalism supports the presence of Christian symbols in the public square, and state patronage for the practice and display of religion, such as Christmas as a national holiday, school prayer, singing "God Bless America", the exhibition of nativity scenes during Christmastide, and the Christian cross on Good Friday. During the Cold War, church attendance reached a high point in the 1950s, which was also when the United States added phrases like under God to the Pledge of Allegiance and on currency, described at the time as a civil religion that was motivated in part to show distance from communism.
Christian nationalism also influenced the constitution of the Confederacy. The Constitution of the Confederate States explicitly mentioned God, in contrast with the United States Constitution. The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution: "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."The United States Constitution – The U.S. Constitution Online – USConstitution.net. Retrieved July 10, 2013. The Preamble to the Confederate Constitution: "We, the people of the Confederate States, each state acting in its sovereign and independent character, in order to form a permanent federal government, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity – invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God – do ordain and establish this Constitution for the Confederate States of America."Constitution of the Confederate States of America – Wikisource, the free online library. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
Christian nationalism has been linked to prejudice towards minority groups. Christian nationalism has been loosely defined as a belief that "celebrate[s] and privilege[s] the sacred history, liberty, and rightful rule of white conservatives". Christian nationalism prioritizes an ethno-cultural, ethno-religious, and ethno-nationalist framing around fear of "the other", those being immigrants, racial, and sexual minorities. Studies have associated Christian nationalism with xenophobia, homophobia, misogyny, political tolerance of racists, opposition to interracial unions, support for gun rights, pronatalism, and restricting the civil rights of those who fail to conform to traditional ideals of whiteness, citizenship, and Protestantism. The Christian nationalist belief system includes elements of patriarchy, white supremacy, nativism, and heteronormativity. It has been associated with a "conquest narrative", premillennial apocalypticism, and of frequent "rhetoric of blood, specifically, of blood sacrifice to an angry God".
American Christian nationalism is based on a worldview that America is superior to other countries, and that such superiority is divinely established. It posits that only Christians are "true Americans". Christian nationalism also bears overlap with the American militia movement. The 1992 Ruby Ridge standoff and the 1993 Waco siege served as a catalyst for the growth of militia activity among Christian nationalists. Christian nationalists believe that the U.S. is meant to be a Christian nation, and that it was founded as a Christian nation, and want to "take back" the U.S. for God.
Christian nationalists feel that their values and religion are threatened and marginalized, and fear their freedom to preach their moral values will be no longer dominant at best or outlawed at worst. Experimental research found that support of Christian nationalism increased when Christian Americans were told of their demographic decline. Studies have shown Christian nationalists to exhibit higher levels of anger, depression, anxiety, and emotional distress. It has been theorized that Christian nationalists fear that they are "not living up to" God's expectations, and "fear the wrath and punishment" of not creating the country desired by God.
Some Christian nationalists also engage in spiritual warfare and militarized forms of prayers in order to defend and advance their beliefs and political agenda. According to American Studies professor S. Jonathon O'Donnell, "A key idea in spiritual warfare is that demons don't only attack people, as in depictions of demonic possession, but also take control of places and institutions, such as journalism, academia, and both municipal and federal bureaucracies. By doing so, demons are framed as advancing social projects that spiritual warriors see as opposing God's plans. These include advances in reproductive and LGBTQ rights and tolerance for non-Christian religions (especially Islam)."
Attitudes towards political violence Christian nationalism has been linked towards support for political violence. Such support is conditioned by support for conspiratorial information sources, white identity, perceived victimhood, and support for the QAnon movement. A 2021 survey of 1,100 U.S. adults found that respondents who combined Christian nationalism with these factors exhibited increased support for political violence.
Ideological beliefs
Christian nationalism in the United States is associated with distrust of science and intellectualism. Republican politicians and commentators have frequently denounced mainstream media outlets and scientists as "elites," but not wealthy individuals and large corporations.
Attitudes towards science Adherence to Christian nationalism has been associated with high levels of distrust of science, especially those parts perceived as challenging biblical authority. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Christian nationalists frequently opposed measures including lockdowns, restrictions on social gatherings and mask-wearing.
In a 2020 study, it was found that "even after accounting for sociodemographic, religious, and political characteristics", Christian nationalism was a "leading predictor" that individuals "prioritize the economy and deprioritize the vulnerable" due to a "pervasive ideology that blends Christian identity with conceptions of economic prosperity and individual liberty". Christian nationalism has also been associated with belief in conspiracy theories.
Southern Baptists have denounced belief in both evolution and climate change as a sin, and have dismissed scientists as intellectuals attempting to create "Neo-nature paganism".
Anti-intellectualism
Anti-intellectualism is a feature of Christian nationalism. Analysis of Christian nationalists in America found that "Christian nationalism is the strongest predictor that Americans fail to affirm factually correct answers". When asked about Christianity's place in American founding documents, policies, and court decisions, those who embraced Christian nationalism had more confident incorrect answers, while those who rejected it had more confident correct answers.
A 2021 research article theorized that, like conservative Christians that incorrectly answer science questions that are "religiously contested", Christian nationalism inclines individuals to "affirm factually incorrect views about religion in American political history, likely through their exposure to certain disseminators of such misinformation, but also through their allegiance to a particular political-cultural narrative they wish to privilege".
Economic beliefs
Christian nationalism in the United States is generally highly supportive of entrepreneurship and capitalism, while being highly skeptical of social welfare programs.
Protestant work ethic
In 1607, the first English settlement in America was established at Jamestown in modern-day Virginia, led by John Smith. He trained the first English settlers to work at farming and fishing. These settlers were ill-equipped to survive in the English settlements in the early 1600s, and were on the precipice of dying.
John Smith emphasized the Protestant work ethic and helped propagate it by stating "He that will not work, shall not eat" which is a direct reference to 2 Thessalonians 3:10. This policy has been credited with helping the early colony survive and thrive in its relatively harsh environment.
Attitudes towards innovation
Christian nationalism does not oppose technological innovation, in contrast to Luddite opposition to technological change.
Comparison with Catholic social teaching
Catholic social teaching explicitly distances itself from capitalism. For example, Pope John Paul II wrote:
Commentators 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.
History Julie Ingersoll argues that rather than being a new movement, Christian nationalism and its origins weave back decades through the Tea Party, the new Christian right, the Moral Majority, and the old Christian right, with R. J. Rushdoony's Christian reconstructionism being another significant source of influence. She traces its origins still further back to the Antebellum South and early American Puritanism.
Historians and writers have also pointed to the mid-1800s and Joseph Smith, who founded the Latter Day Saint movement, as providing important historical context for the development of U.S. Christian nationalist ideas, due to factors such as his strong influence over the Nauvoo Legion militia and his 1844 presidential campaign that called for Restorationist Christian theodemocracy. Both those aspects of Smith and specific interpretations of Brigham Young's views and governance style also inspired the DezNat movement—a sectarian Restorationist nationalist ideology and collection of loosely-affiliated far-right Latter Day Saint movement groups.
Historian Kristen Kobes Du Mez, in her book Jesus and John Wayne, describes the rise of American evangelical preacher Billy Graham in the 1940s. His rallies, aimed at reaching youth with the gospel, also featured "patriotic hymns, color guards, and veterans' testimonies"; she describes Graham as "[preaching] a gospel of heroic Christian nationalism with unparalleled passion".