What is Christian Nationalism?
Christian nationalism is a political ideology that seeks to create or preserve a close link between Christianity and a nation's identity, laws and institutions. Its advocates treat Christianity as central to what makes the nation itself and want public institutions to recognize or support that role. It is distinct from Christianity as a faith: most Christians around the world do not hold these political views, and many Christian leaders have criticized the ideology. Scholars note that the term covers a wide range, from those who mainly want religious heritage honored in public life to those who want a formally Christian state. Some supporters embrace the label, while others reject it as a term used mainly by opponents.
Core beliefs
- The nation's identity and founding are rooted in Christianity.
- Government and law should reflect Christian moral values.
- Christian symbols and practices belong in public life and institutions.
- Traditional family and sexual morality should be supported by law.
- National culture and heritage should be protected from secularization and rapid change.
History
Links between Christianity and national identity are old, from state churches in Europe to the idea of a Christian commonwealth. In apartheid South Africa, a policy of Christian National Education shaped schooling for white Afrikaners from 1948. In the United States, the national motto "In God We Trust" was adopted in 1956, two years after "under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance. From the late 1970s the Christian Right, including the Moral Majority founded by Jerry Falwell in 1979, became a major force in Republican politics. Since the 2010s the term has been used more widely by journalists and scholars, including sociologists Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry, to describe a political outlook in the United States and elsewhere. Hungary's 2011 constitution refers to the role of Christianity in preserving the nation, and leaders in Russia, Poland and Brazil have also linked national identity to Christian tradition.
Variants
Some versions focus on cultural heritage and religious liberty, arguing that a Christian majority should be free to shape public life through ordinary democratic politics. Others, such as Christian Reconstructionism associated with Rousas John Rushdoony, call for law based on biblical principles. In Europe, Christian nationalism often stresses Christianity as civilizational identity, sometimes among leaders who are not personally devout. Orthodox versions in Russia and Serbia tie the nation closely to its national church.
Criticisms
Critics argue that Christian nationalism treats non-Christians and secular citizens as less fully part of the nation and conflicts with religious freedom and church-state separation. Survey researchers have found links in the United States between Christian nationalist attitudes and less favorable views of immigrants and minorities, though supporters dispute how these attitudes are measured. Many Christian theologians and church bodies argue that it confuses national loyalty with faith and uses religion for political ends. Historians dispute claims that the American founders intended a Christian state. Supporters respond that recognizing a nation's religious heritage is normal in many democracies and that the label is often used to discredit ordinary religious conservatives.
In practice
Christian nationalist ideas appear in policies on school prayer, religious symbols in public places, abortion, marriage, education and immigration. In the United States, a 2022 Pew Research Center survey found that 45 percent of adults said the country should be a Christian nation, though respondents defined the phrase in very different ways. In Hungary and Poland, governing parties have written references to Christian heritage into constitutions and policy.