Evangelicals must live by the Biblical words they memorize

It’s time for the evangelicals to have a (serious!) talk about Christian nationalism- IOW!  "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's" (Mark 12:17)

Don't listen to demagogues! Behave according to God's tenets and man's just laws. 

Christian nationalism is not patriotism, which can be a moral good. Moreover, neither is it Christianity.

Echo opinion published in the Dallas Morning News:

This opinion is part of the ongoing commentary on faith, called Living Our Faith. Ready for it or not, we are in the midst of a conversation about Christian nationalism.

The prominence of Christian symbols and messages intermixed in the Capitol insurrection was disturbing, but for many pastors and church leaders this was not entirely surprising. The photos and videos from Jan. 6 represented the most radical manifestation of one of the American church’s most cherished idols, one that has continued to snare individuals, churches and ministries in subtle and corrosive respects. This is the idol of Christian nationalism.

Christian nationalism is not patriotism, which arises from civic affection and responsibility. Yet, more pressing in our perspective is the fact that it is not Christianity. Rather, Christian nationalism is a syncretistic* fusing of the two. It interweaves notions of national exceptionalism, moral authority, and mandate into the Christian mission, rendering the two difficult to distinguish. 

In time, this proves corrosive to the Christian faith.


The belief that America enjoys providential favor or blessings above other nations is unbiblical, but it continues to animate elements of church life in America. Through emphasizing political and cultural victory using spiritual language, it incorporates national identity into the mission of the church. In doing so, it makes this national vision not only the lens by which we understand Christian faith and practice but a precondition for participation in the community of faith.

Although it is tempting to focus on the radical examples, this impact is far more subtle and pervasive. Focusing on outliers enables most Christians to miss the ways Christian nationalism might manifest in their churches, communities, and even in their own thinking. Instead, pastors and church leaders need to be involved in this conversation by asking ask ourselves: Is Christian nationalism subverting the identity and mission of churches in America?

In fact, the famed Baptist preacher C.H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) maintained that the essence of idolatry is “to love anything better than God, to trust anything more than God, to wish to have a God other than we have … this great sin is the main mischief in the heart of man.” The most insidious feature of our hearts is that we can make idols out of anything, even out of what is good. In time these idols bury themselves in our lives, intertwined with the beliefs, institutions and rituals central to our faith. Fully ingrained in our lives, we struggle to distinguish them from our faith and can become defensive at the suggestion they are even idols.

This is why conversations within the church about Christian nationalism have proven so difficult. For generations, many of its central myths have become so cherished that any criticism is perceived as an attack on the church itself.

Over the past several generations, churches in America across various traditions have offered a compelling vision for human flourishing rooted in the Gospel of Jesus. This has stood against the emerging narratives of secularism and humanism, both of which have been readily critiqued for failing to satisfy our needs for love, forgiveness and purpose.

For the church to succeed, it is not enough to correctly identify the deficiencies of others while remaining ignorant or defensive about our own. While we continue to be gravely concerned over trends of secularism and its increasing hostility towards religious liberty, we believe the greatest challenge to the future of the church in the United States lies in how we respond to our own failings.

In his epistle to the Philippian church, the apostle Paul used the metaphor of citizenship to drive home the reality that the Christian identity is not bound up in any nation or a ruler. Writing within a culture where Roman citizenship meant everything, Paul instead exhorted the church to live “as citizens of heaven.” For Paul, the fact that believers shared a common home was not only the basis of their unity but the rationale for their ongoing partnership within a world that obsessed over earthly status.

In the coming years, churches in America face the challenge of truly hearing Paul’s words. Pastors and church leaders need to challenge themselves and their people to consider where we have allowed our identity to be rooted in anything other than the Gospel (!).

At times, this may lead us to confronting hard truths and even risk being alienated. However, as Paul reminded the Philippian church, suffering the loss of all things is nothing compared to truly gaining Christ.

We can love our country. We must love God. When we disorder these loves, we denigrate the values of both.

Christianity is never represented by Jesus wrapped in American flag. The God of the Bible critiques every nation, culture and people. By loving our country, and that includes our rightful embrace of patriotism, we put God above country.

When we do, the Gospel is clear, the nation is critiqued by the truths of the Scriptures, and becomes a better place.

Ed Stetzer is executive director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center. His newest book is Christians in the Age of Outrage: How to Bring Our Best When the World Is at Its Worst.

Andrew MacDonald is associate director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center Research Institute and a doctoral candidate in historical theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

They wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News.

*Attempted amalgamation of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought.

(!)In my opinion, the followers of political demagogues need to internalize this statement. Hear Ye! We must live in the spirit and in harmony with the Gospels, the teachings in the Ten Commandments, and the Beatitudes and not just preach about them!