The "traditional" Religious Right has been receding in importance and influence in America. The leaders and movements are still there, but it seems as though they are being eclipsed by a far more dangerous and virulent form of right-wing religiosity: Christian Nationalism. Members of this movement so closely identify their own religious beliefs with America that they are unable to distinguish them anymore. Being an American means being a Christian (as they understand the term) and vice-versa.

In the now-defunct blog Shock & Awe, Kynn Bartlett addressed this phenomenon in some depth:

The association of Christian symbols with nationalistic American symbols came out of the closet and into the mainstream in the short, desperate hours after the 9/11 attack. "God Bless America" replaced the national anthem as the "patriotic" song of choice, and stickers with American flags and religious slogans appeared on the backs of countless cars. Currently in vogue around these parts is an American flag superimposed by a Christian fish.

is unmistakable and direct: America is the chosen country of God, blessed beyond all others for our faith and belief in him, with our leaders directly empowered by deity himself to do good work. Any who oppose the will of God and his appointed spokespeople are not only traitors to our country, but are working against the very power of the Lord.

I would highly recommend reading Kynn's full post, if it were still available. Unfortunately, the only way to get any of it is to read quotes from it on this site and a few others. I have also written about this issue often: here, here, here, here, and here, just to cite a few examples.

In the minds of the nationalistic Christianist, America is intended by God only for the true believers. Those who don't believe simply aren't part of God's plan for America, and must be opposed.

To my non-Christian readers who may not be familiar with the internal schisms within contemporary American Christianity: By "true believers" they don't mean people who go to church, who believe in God, who follow Jesus. Nearly all Catholics are not "true believers." Jews certainly are not, despite the insistence that we come from a "Judeo-Christian heritage." (The term itself is a cleverly crafted disguise for the fact that Christianist is inherently and virulently anti-Semitic in theology.) And mainline liberal Christians such as myself are excluded from the Christianist definition of Christian. I am not a "true believer" according to these people.

But it goes further than just opposing those who aren't "real Christians" -- non-believers must be actively defended against, and of course the best defense is a good offense. Nationalistic Christianism depends, as do many other protofascist movements, on the notion that society itself is under active attack by designated enemies. In this case, because America and Christianity are conflated, anyone who opposes one opposes the other, and you're doubly damned. Not only are you a nasty anti-American socialist if you oppose the War on Iraq (as did many mainline Christian ministers), but you're also the tool of Satan himself.

The most important addition that I would have to Kynn's analysis is the fact that there really isn't anything new about this Christian Nationalism. It owes a great deal to Christian Reconstructionism — and, in fact, can probably be regarded as a form of Reconstructionism.

These Christian Nationalists share with Reconstructionists the idea that American laws should be modeled on biblical laws and the primary difference seems to be that whereas Reconstructionists emphasize in their writings the Bible and biblical laws, Christian Nationalists give equal weight to American patriotism and the Bible. Reconstructionists might actually argue that the Christian Nationalists are making idols out patriotic symbols like the American flag, but in the end the goals of both groups are largely the same: making this a Christian Nation in every fundamental sense.

 

Christian Right & Christian Nationalism:

• Religious Right News
• Adolf Hitler, Nazi Germany, and Christian Nationalism
• Christianism & Christian Nationalism
• Christian Identity, White Supremacy, Christian Supremacy
• Confederate Southern Nationalism & Christianity
• Religion in America

 

Christian Nationalism & Dominion Theology:

• Dominionism & Dominion Theology
• Christian Reconstructionism
• Leading Christian Reconstructionists
• Reconstructionism & Christian Right: Common Goals, Beliefs

 

Christian Right Issues & Agenda:

• Religious Privilege
• Christian Privilege
• Christian Supremacy