The purpose of this podcast has always been to help Christian men define and stay focused upon their mission as followers of Christ. So, what is our mission over the next 50 days in view of the upcoming American election? Some Bible-believing Christians answer, “Your mission is to save America as a Christian nation by voting for Donald Trump and getting others to.” Other Bible—believing Christians are appalled by such Christian nationalism and would say, “The kingdom of God is not America. The mission of the church is to preach the gospel and stay out of political discussions.” Which is it? This episode analyzes the strengths and flaws of these two arguments, then suggests an alternative that avoids the potholes of both.
The term “Christian Nationalism” has rather suddenly intruded into American political conversation. For some, the term recognizes the historical reality of Christian influence that shaped this nation and made it great. The term calls Christians not to be passive while evil ideologies are being promoted by progressive Democrats that replace the Christian worldview that shaped America with destructive, godless ideologies. For others, the term Christian nationalism suggests January 6th violent, white supremacy. It is a dangerous term that denies the critical importance of separating church and state while seducing the church from its call to preach the pure unadulterated gospel into partisan politics. Between warring camps are Christian parents and grandparents who want to avoid the error of both sides, and just understand Jesus’ mission for them in this election. Is that possible? I think so.
THE CASE FOR CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM: Christians should be politically involved supporting the Republican Party to save America as a Christian nation
Two years ago, Eric Metaxas, a specialist in the study of Deitrich Bonhoeffer and the German culture surrounding Hitler’s rise to power, challenged American Christian leaders to avoid the mistakes of the German church, which remained silent while Hitler incrementally rose to power in the 1930’s. Here are some excerpts from the first chapter of his book, Letter to the American Church:
Critical Race Theory—which is atheistic and Marxist—and radical transgender and pro-abortion ideologies are all inescapably anti-God and anti-human. So, they are dedicatedly at war with the ideas of family and marriage, and with the idea of America as a force for good—as a force for spreading the Gospel and Gospel values throughout the world.
One of the principal ways that they (CRT, transgenderism, pro-abortion ideology) have gained strength is in persuading so many in the American Church that to fight them is to abandon the “Gospel” for culture warring or for politics. This is not just nonsense, but it is a supremely deceptive and satanic lie, designed only to silence those who would genuinely speak for truth...Those who call the church to be “apolitical” are like (the 1930s German church leaders) singing more and more loudly to drown out the cries of Jews in boxcars heading to their gruesome deaths.
Just as the German Church had a painfully important task and did not rise to that occasion to perform it, so we have a painfully important task…If anyone would feel that believing God has chosen the American Church for such a vital role somehow smacks of an egotistical nationalism, they have already bought into the Marxist and globalist lie that America is nothing special.
Let’s consider the arguments made in support of this view:
A. Scripture does distinguish between the power of the church, exercised via church discipline, and the power of the state, exercised through the use of the sword. But notice that the secular state is required to punish moral evil and reward moral good. From Romans 13: For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer (vs 3-4). The secular state is incapable of doing its job by itself; it needs the church to define the good, which it is to reward and the evil it is to punish.
History records that just nine weeks after taking office, Adolf Hitler signed the “Restoration Act” to “restore the purity of the Arian race,” which made it illegal for anyone with Jewish blood to hold government positions. Dietrich Bonhoeffer immediately responded writing his essay, “The Church and the Jewish Question” that same month. Bonhoeffer argued three central points:
- The church was the conscience of the state and must call it to account. It must loudly object if the state was doing wrong. It must not remain silent when injustices and wrongs are being promoted and enacted.
- The church was obligated to help the victims of the state’s evil policies.
- If the state refused to change course, Christians were obligated to act against it.
Bonhoeffer rightly understood the Romans 13 responsibility of the church to be the conscience in its political sphere.
B. Present-day progressive ideology and in particular, critical theory, (aka cultural Marxism) are as evil as were Hitler’s racism, America’s chattel slavery, and India’s practice of widow immolation. If William Wilberforce and Harriet Beecher Stowe believed Christians were to be “apolitical,” slavery might still exist in America and Great Britain. If Martin Luther King, Jr. believed Christians should be “apolitical” Blacks might still be forced to sit in the back of the bus. If Christian missionaries to India had been “apolitical,” some widows might still be burned on their husband’s funeral pyre. In today’s world, children are being raped because of open border policy, mutilated by gender ideologues shoving them down the path of irreversible hormone treatments and surgery that permanently disfigures their bodies, and slaughtered by policies that advocate the murder of unborn children not only up to the moment of birth but in some cases, after birth if the child survives a botched abortion. Ideas have consequences. Evil ideas have VICTIMS. If Christians don’t speak against the evils of progressivism,
C. Historically, America has been seen by many as a “Christian nation” from its inception. Here are two classic examples from the thousands that could be cited.
- The French sociologist, Alexis de Tocqueville in 1835 when he reported on his visit to America to understand the roots
I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers—and it was not there…in her fertile fields and boundless forests—and it was not there…in her rich mines and her vast world commerce—and it was not there…in her democratic Congress and matchless constitution—and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great. (Democracy in America).
- As recently as 1954, Earl Warren, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, said to attendees of a prayer breakfast at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.
“I believe no one can read the history of our country without realizing that the Good Book and the spirit of the Savior have from the beginning been our guiding geniuses. Whether we look to the first Charter of Virginia, or to the Charter of New England, or to the Charter of Massachusetts Bay, or to the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, the same objective is present: a Christian land governed by Christian principles. I believe the entire Bill of Rights came into being because of the knowledge our forefathers had of the Bible and their belief in it: freedom of belief, of expression, of assembly, of petition, the dignity of the individual, the sanctity of the home, equal justice under law, and the reservation of powers to the people. I like to believe we are living today in the spirit of the Christian religion. I like also to believe that as long as we do so, no great harm can come to our country.”
D. Some intellectuals like Rusty Reno, editor at First Things, use the term Christian nationalism juxtaposed to globalism. There is a strong case for resisting the open society globalism that is being promoted by globalist progressives, which would require the US to give up the tremendous influence that Christianity has had and is having on American society. As Rusty says, “I’d rather live in a society whose main influence is Christianity than in a society mainly influenced by secularism.”
E. Christian nationalists argue that Christians who attempt to deny that America is a Christian nation are playing right into the hands of godless progressivism, especially since the January 6th riots. Progressives have successfully used the dishonest tactic of guilt by association to brand Donald Trump a right-wing, white, racist, supremacist, extremist. No Christian leader wants to be associated with this label. So instead of speaking out against the evil policies of the Democrat party’s progressive ideology—they seek to justify being “apolitical.”
THE CASE AGAINST CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM
A. The fusion of Christain identity and national identity is both wrong and racist.
Although it could be argued that God has blessed us as no other nation and that no other nation has been used for good the way God has used America, we are no more special to God than North Korea, Venezuela, or South Africa. Blessed—yes. Special—no. The only time God’s church took on a political identity was in the OT, when the nation of Israel was a theocracy. The suffix ism, by definition, describes what is most valued. Human ism most values humans. Nationalism elevates loyalty to one’s nation to the highest value. It makes your country an idol. History is littered with the debris of human suffering that has accompanied nationalism of any kind. Christian nationalism is NOT the same as patriotism. CS Lewis in his book, the Four Loves defines the Greek word, STORGE as affection for an object like one’s pet or his homeland. There is no evil in love of country, but Christians are bound by a higher allegiance to brothers and sisters in Christ and to King Jesus!
B. Conflating Christian identity and the church’s identity is dangerous. One of the most horrible sights I have ever seen took place on January 6, 2021--a wooden cross propped up outside the US Capitol, surrounded by a mob of people hoisting up American flags, not far from a faux hangman’s platform and noose apparently intended for the vice president. I agree with the lat Tim Keller's assessment: “It will be many years before the sights and sounds of evangelical religious symbols and language in the Capitol riot will fade from national consciousness. We have all been stained with it (Gospel Coalition). Christians are naïve if they fail to realize that just about every politician who has ever lived has sought to persuade the populace that God was on his side. Let’s consider the other argument:
ARGUMENT: Christians should be “apolitical” and stay focused on just preaching the Gospel.
SUPPORT FOR THIS VIEW
A. Keeping the church and state separate is profoundly important. Arguably the location where the church of Jesus Christ is weakest is Europe, because of its historical union of state and church. It is ironic that Eric Metaxas, (with whom I mostly agree) has pointed to the moral weakness of the German church during the rise of Naziism, challenging us to NOT be like them. But why was the church of Luther’s Germany so weak? One cannot read Detrick Bonhoeffer’s biography without realizing that the moral weakness of the Lutheran church was caused by its centuries-long history of being a state church. During the Reformation, Lutheranism became the state religion of numerous states of northern Europe, especially in northern Germany, and Scandinavia. Lutheran clergy became civil servants, and the Lutheran churches became part of the state. No wonder most Lutheran pastors automatically went along with Nazi government declarations.
B. Part of the reason Isreal did not recognize the Messiah was that its people didn’t separate church and state. They expected a political ruler to overthrow Rome. But God sent Jesus to overthrow a far more sinister triumvirate—Satan, sin, and death. Progressive Democrats are not the enemy, they are being held captive by the enemy. The political entity we want to prevail is not the Republican party; it is the kingdom of righteousness spreading over all the earth.
C. Politics in a democratic system is extremely complicated. Political leaders must build coalitions to accomplish anything. Such messy compromises are difficult to evaluate. Should Christians rebel against the Republican party and refuse to vote for their candidates because they are no longer prolife? Hardly, since the alternate candidate belongs to a party that supports the death of the unborn child until the moment of birth, if not longer. The complexity of the democratic process makes it arrogant for a Christian leader to identify one party, or sometimes even one party’s position on a given issue as “the Christian one.” Furthermore, the complexity of many issues means that telling a congregant how to vote risks “binding their conscience.” The Protestant, Reformed tradition strongly upholds the freedom of conscience in political matters.
THE CASE AGAINST BEING “APOCITICAL” AND JUST PREACHING THE GOSPEL
A. There is NO gospel in the New Testament but the GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM. The gospel Jesus proclaimed was never just the gospel of personal, private salvation. The gospel has always been the gospel of the kingdom. That is the only way the Gospel writers understood it. Matthew records, “And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people” (4:23). Luke recounts “Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God” (8:1). Jesus’ own words show that his gospel was the Gospel of the Kingdom, “I must preach the good news OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose” (Lk 4:43). Until Jesus returns his followers are to proclaim the good news OF THE KINGDOM: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations” (Mt 24:14).
The true gospel, the Gospel of the Kingdom does not merely consist of two chapters, i.e. 1) man’s fall, 2) salvation through Christ, which gives us a ticket to heaven to escape this fallen world. Such a gospel teaches separation from the world, including the world of politics. But the gospel of the kingdom—the one Jesus taught—begins with kingdom and ends with kingdom. 1) Adam is created and given a kingdom to rule—earth. He is placed in the garden paradise to develop and shape it FOR God (God’s moral law written on his heart.) 2) Adam and Eve chose rebellion, causing their kingdom, earth, to be given to the power of Satan, sin, and death. 3) A Second Adam comes to defeat those powers at the cross, redeeming Adam and his kingdom from slavery to Satan, sin, and death and he is now seated on Adam’s once-lost throne. 4) Adam’s original call to bring glory to God by ruling Kingdom Earth in a way that pleases him is now being accomplished by the Second Adam. In his authority and power, we are to seek the spread of Christ’s kingdom of righteousness over every square inch of planet earth. Biblically, the true gospel IS the spread of Christ’s agenda of righteousness into every sphere of life on earth, beginning with the human heart. And the mark of every true Christ-follower is spreading that agenda as best he can EVERYWHERE. Politics and government policy are NOT excluded!
B. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which defines kingdom life as disciples, begins with the the development of heart attitudes which must take root in the heart of every true believer. Notice how directly three of these eight call Christians to oppose evil and promote righteousness over earth.
- Blessed are those who mourn—we are to grieve, to weep over the way sin is destroying ourselves and those around us (Matt 5:4).
- Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness—we are to hunger for righteousness to be restored everywhere. (Matt 5:6)
- Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake—we are expected to stand against evil and for what is right (Matt 5:10-11). It is doing that which Paul implies in Romans 13, Christians must do because the naked secular state can’t, call out what is evil and what is right.
The mark of Christ at work in our heart attitudes is an increasing hatred of evil and deepening refusal to be silent in the face of it.
C. God’s plan in this age is not for Church isolation from culture—but for Christ’s kingdom of light and righteousness to exist side by side with Kingdom Earth, Christians influencing our culture like yeast spreading throughout the loaf. Salt and light INFLUENCE their surroundings: “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matt 5:13-14).
There is zero case for the faithful church to be “apolitical.” The gospel transforms culture and uses thoughtful Christ-followers to do that. But we can get the HOW of political influence very, very, wrong. The rest of this series on Election 2024 and Biblical Worldview will attempt to help us not through calling for blind allegiance to a particular party but by understanding the worldview ideas at stake during this election.
For Further Prayerful Thought
- How can understanding the strengths of both sides of the Christian nationalism movement help Christians be less judgmental towards those holding the other view.
- How would you challenge a friend who claims that America is more special to God than other countries like China and Iran?
- How would you challenge a friend who said, “The kingdom of God is not America and Christians should just focus on the gospel and not discuss anything political?”
- How would you summarize the argument that Christ’s highest calling, “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness won’t” requires Christians to be engaged in working for righteousness through utilizing their political rights?
