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Special to United Methodist Insight | Sept. 23, 2025
Welcome back to Camp Crystal Lakewood! Where John and Charles Wesley thought they’d have a lovely Christian youth getaway in moderation, only to discover the counselors are enthusiasts of fundamentalist culture! Last week, our popular teens were wooed by the penal substitutionary Calvinism of the cool, hipster para-church organization, Vibe Life! But what will become of our younger, geeky outcasts when they run into the big boogeyman…dun dun DUN! CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM!
This one’s a tougher topic for me to address this week given the state of American news, but I find the news makes this conversation all the more pressing. Christianity is inherently political, in that we follow a Jewish Messiah who suffered capital punishment under the Roman Empire. The early church understood that Jesus was both our Savior from Sin and Death, and also our Lord, a political declaration that Caesar and the Roman Empire, were decidedly NOT Lord. Christians have long been engaged in politics, and often Christians have been at odds with one another in American politics. While I am not equipped to get into the philosophy or ethics of politics, I will instead attempt to discuss the dangers and appeal of Christian Nationalism and offer some thoughts on talking to your kids and your church about it.
At its strongest, Christian Nationalism in America thrives on establishing crystal clear boundaries on what it looks like to be a true Christian-American (which I hyphenate because the two are now one in the Nationalist’s mind). To be a good Christian is to be a good American, and vice versa. Anything less and you are at risk of being an enemy of America, which makes you an enemy of God. In its present iteration, a “good Christian-American” is very specifically defined by MAGA rhetoric and The Project 2025 agenda to re-organize the American government in a very specific way. While I, and many others, find the MAGA rhetoric and The Project 2025 agenda itself to by dynamically opposed to much of what I believe the Gospel is actually about, polls indicate that in March of 2025, 1/3 of registered voters identify with the MAGA movement, including 71% of Republicans. This does NOT mean that every one of those voters is Christian Nationalist in their personal ideals. But it does indicate a certain level of comfort with Christian Nationalist rhetoric coming from the politicians they would place in office.
I recently drove past a home with a yard sign saying “Jesus is my Savior, —– is my President.” This sentiment sums up my understanding of Christian Nationalism, the conflation of Lordship between Jesus and the person who appeals to one’s political preferences, until there is so little left that resembles anything Jesus is, was or stood for that all that remains is ideals for political power gift-wrapped in religious jargon. Tik Tok and Instagram algorithms are finding it easy to hand this rhetoric to any and all Christians because enough of the language sounds Christian enough that our youth are likely to like a video posted by celebrity Christian Nationalists. It’s incredibly appealing to hear someone convicted of their faith in Christ, telling you that you could belong to a movement that makes a difference for the kingdom of God. It’s feels good to believe that you’ve figured it out, to know that you are right, and that “they” are clearly wrong, misguided, mentally ill. It feels good to believe you’re standing on the winning side, that your people have a divine right and holy order to take charge, clear out everything and everyone who opposes God’s will, and make the country to thrive for your people…which can only happen when “those” people get out or get in line.
The world is full of ideas that don’t match up with mine. The world is full of people I don’t understand. It makes sense that they are all wrong, and the people who think like me are all right. It makes sense that they are the confused ones, they are the ones who have gone all Romans 2 and God has handed them over to their sinful lifestyles. And when my people mess up, when my people behave in the same way as those people, it’s easier to blame it on the others, to change the narrative so my people only ever remain the good guys. It’s easier to think that I’m the victim taking back my power, that I’m the persecuted one finding a community of fellow persecuted-ones, and we’re not going to take it anymore.
Now, how do these ideas line up with the Jesus we meet in the Gospels? How do these ideas compare to a Jesus who welcomed sinners and sat at the table with both Pharisees and prostitutes? What part of Matthew 5 or 25 resonates with these ideals? What kind of peace does Jesus promise, and how did he achieve it? How is belonging to Jesus different from belonging to a tribe or nation? How does Jesus define first and last? How does Jesus talk about hospitality to strangers and enemies? How does Jesus talk about children? Are those only the children that belong to you and the ideals of your tribe?
I am trying very hard to be broad and even a little vague in my description today, because I still hope that the Gospel of Jesus is big enough for me to stand beside my Christian Nationalist sibling and invite them to meet me at the foot of the cross. I am not inviting debate; I am inviting conversation in the presence of Jesus. I am not inviting rhetoric and proselytizing; I am inviting a seat at an open table where enemies and strangers find that the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is alive and working God’s love into the world through the least likely. I also acknowledge it’s difficult to notice that when your voice is so loud and you are always so right.