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The Rev. Angela Denker is an award-winning author and noted expert on the topic of Christian nationalism. In her most recent book, “Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization Of American Boyhood,” she examines the ways Christian-nationalist theology is encouraging the celebration of dominance, misogyny, violence, and racism among white American boys and men. Denker has done extensive research and has written about politics and Christian nationalism in print media. She has also been invited to speak on the subject as a guest commentator on NPR, CNN, SkyNews, and the BBC. She serves as pastor of visitation and public theology at Lake Nokomis Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.
A simple understanding of Christian nationalism can be based on the notion that America is a Christian nation, founded on Christian principles, and therefore should be structured politically and socially around Christian values and teachings. A middle-school understanding of the First Amendment clearly shows this idea to be false, and Denker cuts closer to the point.
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She wrote, “Christian nationalism is a version of the idolatrous Theology of Glory, which replaces the genuine worship of God with worship of a particular vision of America, often rooted in a revisionist history of white people in the 1950s, before the Civil Rights movement or the women’s movement. Christian nationalism supports a violent takeover of government and the imposition of fundamentalist Christian beliefs on all people. Christian nationalism relies on a theological argument that equates American military sacrifice with Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. It suggests that Christians are entitled to wealth and power, in contrast to Jesus’ theology of the cross, which reminds Christians that they too have to carry their cross, just as their crucified savior did. … What I want people to understand is that the god of Christian nationalism is angry, so even if you have people who are not extremely religious and distance themselves from religion, this perspective influences people’s concept of what God is and determines how they understand the manifestation of power.”
It is clear that both authoritarianism and Christian nationalism are seeping into the policy initiatives of the current administration. Project 2025 is a blueprint for Christian nationalism and the president’s almost-daily penchant for violating the Constitution could easily make one wonder what happened to all those conservative folks who claim both faith in Christ and a commitment to “constitutional originalism.” Why do they so consistently act as though the Constitution was merely a suggestion rather than the law of the land?
The Rev. Denker points out that the political right is focused on identity politics and is busy trying to redefine what makes a person “American.” An example of this can be seen in Vice President J.D. Vance’s recent attempts to recast American identity as one connected to land, blood, and soil. Students of history will recognize the blood and soil emphasis as a reflection of the same language that was prevalent in Germany in the 1930s and 40s.
Cartoon images of a muscular President Donald Trump, armed National Guard troops patrolling the streets of Washington D.C., and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem masquerading as an ICE pistolero seem to be intentionally militaristic and harken to the imagery of the armor-clad Crusader, valiantly fighting for God and country. Such characterizations wield influence and reveal the fear driving the rise of authoritarianism and Christian nationalism in America. This fear has led to the desire among some Americans for government rule through the exertion of overwhelming power — the rule of law, constitutional norms, and people’s dignity and human rights be damned.
The most privileged among us seem to be feeling threatened by the inclusion of people who are not so privileged. Fear has been generated over efforts to recognize the rights of racial minorities, LGBTQ Americans, the cultural and racial awareness that comes from DEI programs, and bipartisan efforts toward actual immigration reform. This fear has fanned the flames of anger among some people on the right. Who knew that freedom was a commodity in short supply and that recognizing the rights of marginalized people would be such a threat to white men?
While it is ultimately up to the Christian church to solve the problem of Christian nationalism, it is incumbent on all of us to understand where this ideology comes from and how it can impact our collective social and political well-being. Even folks who are not religious likely know someone who holds Christian nationalistic beliefs or someone who naively thinks it is something that doesn’t merit their time and attention.
Christian nationalism is not new in American society, but this heretical viewpoint has had a resurgence with the rise of Trump. It is a useful tool for those who have been working for decades to drive a wedge among us in the hope of reinforcing their own power and wealth. They have succeeded, to a degree, by pitting us against each other through accusation, lies, fearmongering, and misapplied name-calling (“fascist,” “socialist,” “communist,” “lunatic,” “America haters,” etc). While it’s easy for people on opposite sides of the political divide to point fingers at each other, doing so will not help solve the problems of rising authoritarianism and the extremes of Christian nationalism.
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In spite of the anxiety that many people are experiencing at this time, Denker suggests there is reason for hope and it is important we meet in spaces of compassion, with a willingness both to listen and to talk with each other. “God calls not to hegemony, but to faith and love,” she said. “The best places to address (the problem of Christian nationalism) are within local communities, congregations, and institutions.”
To that end, Denker will be speaking and leading a discussion on the rise of Christian nationalism on Friday, Aug. 29 at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Two Harbors. The free public event at 7 p.m. is sponsored by Breakwall Indivisible.
Rick Evans of Two Harbors writes for the North Shore Journal and is a member of the leadership team for the group Two Harbors Breakwall Indivisible , a branch of the national, nonpartisan, nonprofit Indivisible organization ( indivisible.org ) that was behind the nationwide “No Kings” protests in June.
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