Christian Nationalism in America: What Is It and How Powerful Is It?

Christian nationalism is one of those terms that generates instant defensiveness from people who think it means "Christian" and instant alarm from people who understand what "nationalism" adds to it.

Let us be precise. Christian nationalism is a political ideology — not a religious identity — that holds that America was founded as a Christian nation, that the separation of church and state is a myth or a mistake, and that government should actively promote Christian values in law and policy. It is different from personal faith, church membership, or even political conservatism. You can be a devout Christian and completely reject Christian nationalism. Many do.

The ideology has a specific policy agenda: restrictions on abortion and contraception grounded in religious doctrine, removal of LGBTQ protections, government support for religious schools, limits on religious pluralism in public spaces, and the premise that America's "real" identity is Christian and must be defended against secular and non-Christian "replacement."

It is not new, but it has moved from the margins to the center.

The New Apostolic Reformation — a charismatic Christian movement that explicitly seeks to place believers in "the seven mountains of culture" (government, media, education, business, family, religion, and arts) — has significant representation in the current administration. Several figures with documented connections to this movement hold senior positions. (Politico, NAR and the Trump Administration)

The Supreme Court's recent decisions on religious freedom have moved significantly in Christian nationalist-friendly directions: allowing more public religious expression by government, narrowing the Establishment Clause, and expanding religious exemptions from generally applicable laws.

The majority of Americans — including the majority of American Christians — do not want to live in a theocracy. Polling consistently shows this. But a motivated minority, strategically positioned in courts, legislatures, and executive agencies, can accomplish a great deal without majority support. That is the play.

The separation of church and state was not an anti-religious provision. It was a protection for religion from government interference — and a protection for people of all faiths (and none) from having someone else's faith imposed on them. Dismantling it benefits the Christianity that is currently in power. It creates a system that any future religion in power could use just as easily.