The Rise in Christian Nationalism

The belief that the United States is a “Christian nation” is not a new one. From the very founding of the US, there have been those who believe that our country should be governed according to biblical rules and Christian belief. This system of thought, known as Christian nationalism, has been a contentious issue among American Christians. On July 29^th, 2019, a coalition of Christian leaders published an open letter titled “Christians Against Christian Nationalism”. This letter provides a scathing condemnation of Christian nationalism in all its forms, calling it a distortion of the Christian faith. The authors claim that Christian nationalism demands the government favors their beliefs and wants other faith practices to be treated as second-class religions. In addition, the letter claims that Christian nationalism promotes and provides a respite for white supremacy and other racist actions. Amanda Tyler, the group’s chairman, claims that, while Christian nationalism isn’t new, there has been a spike in its popularity and intensity in recent decades.

            This new, more militant brand of Christian nationalism shares many of its tenets with the Christian reconstructionist movement. They both believe that the US should was founded and should be ruled by Christians. This belief, often called Dominionism, comes from the biblical creation story where Adam was given dominion over the Earth. Christian nationalists often use this to claim that their governmental leaders have a God-given right to rule. They both ultimately seek a purely Christian nation, where the Bible is the basis for law and morality within the US. This extreme viewpoint was often criticized within mainstream protestant groups. Recently however, Christian nationalism has seen a marked increase in popularity. This increase is likely linked to the election of Barack Obama. Many conservative Christians saw his election and the passage of many liberal policies under his administration as an attack on their “traditional” Christian beliefs. As more Christians felt alienated under his administration, they turned towards more nationalistic practices. This process has allowed Christian nationalism to become relatively mainstream and popular in comparison to a couple decades ago.

            This new rise in Christian nationalism worries many Christians and non-Christians alike, who fear that this increase in power will result in discrimination for many minorities. Nationalism is predominant among white Christians, who are the targets of anti-immigration and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric from nationalistic political candidates. If Christian nationalism is not curbed, it may result in a significant amount of loss of protection for these groups. It is this progress that the “Christians Against Christian Nationalism” authors are trying to protect. They are issuing a call for Christians to fight against this kind of radical belief, so that Christians can instead work towards a more inclusive future with those that have traditionally suffered under this kind of faith-based nationalism.

Works Cited:

Danney, Micah. “What Is Christian Nationalism? Shootings Spark Renewed Debate.” Religion Unplugged, Religion Unplugged, 8 Aug. 2019, https://religionunplugged.com/news/2019/8/8/what-is-christian-nationalism-shootings-spark-renewed-debate.

Jenkins, Jack. “Christian Leaders Condemn Christian Nationalism in New Letter.” Religion News Service, 5 Aug. 2019, https://religionnews.com/2019/08/02/christian-leaders-condemn-christian-nationalism-in-new-letter/.

Jenkins, Jack. “Why Christian Nationalists Love Trump.” ThinkProgress, 7 Aug. 2017, https://thinkprogress.org/trumps-christian-nationalism-c6fe206e40cc/.

Methodist Response to Calls for Same-Sex Marriage

            In recent years there has been a growing difference in how American Protestant Christians approach homosexuality. Since the early 1970’s, when homosexuality was delisted from the DSM, there has been a growing divide among protestants. Liberal protestants have increasingly moved towards tolerance and acceptance of homosexuality while conservative evangelical protestants dug deeper into the disease model. Many within the protestant church have debated whether homosexual couples have a right to be married. A 2016 Pew Research Center poll states that 64% of “white mainline” protestants and only 27% of “white evangelical” protestants favor same-sex marriage. The debate between these two schools of thought has permeated almost every denomination and it remains a major source of contention within the American Protestant Church. This issue can be seen through a recent case study involving the United Methodist Church.

            On February 26^th, 2019, the United Methodist Church voted on a passage in their Book of Discipline, which banned homosexual people from being married or ordained within the denomination. This rule had long been ignored by many Methodist churches while many others have adhered strictly to its ideals. The denomination’s leadership wanted to unify the denomination under a single guiding principle. Towards this end three plans were proposed to be voted on, the most progressive of which would remove the anti-LGBTQ language and officially make the denomination more accepting of these individuals. Many in the United States supported the One Church Plan, which would allow individual churches to choose whether they would support the marriage and ordination of LGBTQ members. Ultimately, the denomination voted in favor of the “Traditional Plan”, which strengthens the anti-homosexual language and adds mandatory punishments for pastors who break the rules set in the Book of Discipline.

            This decision was extremely troubling for many members and churches within the United Methodist Church. Since the February vote there have been measures to challenge and undermine the February decision. Many churches have come out to denounce the decision and state that they will withhold money from the denomination until a new vote is held. In addition, potential plans have surfaced to split the Church into two or three new denominations, all of which would still be allowed to use the “United Methodist” label. The new denominations would remove the anti-homosexual language from the Book of Discipline and allow LGBTQ people to be married within the church. Most United Methodist members do not wish for a denominational split, but some see no other way if they wish to be inclusive of homosexual members.

            While many do not think this issue will lead to a denominational split, it remains to be seen how many churches will end up dealing with the results of the February vote. The Methodist Church is only one of many denominations debating the topic of same-sex marriage. This issue will likely continue to divide the protestant church for years to come.

References:

Fingerhut, Hannah. “Support steady for same-sex marriage and acceptance of homosexuality.” Pew Research Facility, 12, May 2016, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/05/12/support-steady-for-same-sex-marriage-and-acceptance-of-homosexuality/

McFarland Miller, Emily. “‘In this to the end’: LGBT United Methodists express hope, hurt after vote.” Religious News Service, 28, February 2019, https://religionnews.com/2019/02/28/in-this-to-the-end-lgbt-united-methodists-express-hurt-hope-after-vote/

McFarland Miller, Emily. “United Methodists float plans to split denomination after LGBTQ vote.” Religious News Service, 19, September 2019, https://religionnews.com/2019/09/19/united-methodists-float-plans-to-split-denomination-after-lgbtq-vote/

McFarland Miller, Emily. “United Methodists pass Traditional Plan, keep ban on LGBTQ clergy, same-sex marriage.” Religious News Service, 26, February 2019, https://religionnews.com/2019/02/26/united-methodists-pass-traditional-plan-strengthens-ban-on-lgbtq-clergy-same-sex-marriage/

Zauzmer, Julie. “U.S. Methodist leaders lay plans to resist vote against same-sex marriage.” The Washington Post, 29, March 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2019/03/29/us-methodist-leaders-lay-plans-resist-anti-gay-marriage-vote/