DELIBERATELY DIVERSE | by Mitchell Drummond
“Deliberately Diverse” represents the individual thoughts and opinions of a group of Taylor friends who almost never completely agree about anything but are gratified by the opportunity to stimulate deliberately diverse discussions in our beloved community.
Today’s column represents the thoughts and opinions of Mitchell Drummond not the Taylor Press.
Christian Nationalism is not a religion, a party or even an organized movement. It is a political ideology that combines evangelical Christian and nationalist identities, and asserts that America is and should remain a Christian nation and that Christianity should have a dominant role in society, government and culture.
Dr. Eric McDaniel, associate professor of political science, the University of Texas at Austin, defines it as “more than religiosity and patriotism. It is a worldview that guides how people believe the nation should be structured and who belongs there.”
The idea has been around for centuries. In the fourth century CE, Emperor Constantine combined the Christianity and politics by establishing Constantinople as a Christian capital. In the medieval era, European nations saw a close relationship between ruling monarchs and church authorities. In later years, many Europeans would emigrate to America to avoid religious persecution in their home countries and then establish new communities here in America, based on their interpretation of Christianity.
The founders of this nation, while many of them were Christian, intentionally separated church and state. Thomas Jefferson wrote about the “wall of separation” between church and state in his famous letter to the Danbury Baptist Association.
In the early years of American history, there was less than total separation of religion and governance. Protestantism was often intertwined with politics, with many politicians using religious language and rhetoric to justify their actions. The rise of Christian Nationalism as a distinct movement can be traced back to periods of perceived threats or challenges to traditional American values, for example, during times when waves of immigration brought different religions into the country. The idea that the Christian God favors this nation has guided much of our history, take for example Manifest Destiny, the idea that the US was destined by God to expand west across the continent. Not to mention the motto “In God We Trust” stamped on our currency in 1955.
After the Roe vs Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973, Christian Nationalist ideas become more organized through advocacy groups like the Moral Majority, founded by Jerry Falwell Sr. in the late 1970s or the Family Research Council, founded by James Dobson in 1983. These groups mobilized evangelical Christians over issues like feminism and LGBTQ+ rights. Today, debates around issues such as same-sex marriage, prayer in schools or teaching creationism alongside evolution reflect ongoing tensions between those who believe America should be governed by traditional Christian values versus those who advocate for secular governance and religious pluralism.
Although only a small proportion of the population adheres to Christian Nationalist ideals, they have gained main stream influence with conservative politicians and evangelical Christians.
Many Americans see the influence of Christian Nationalism as a threat to democracy and to the separation of church and state, as it privileges the Christian identity. This does not play well in multicultural communities and only increases partisan polarization.
So, shall we continue as a democracy? I certainly hope so. Theocracies worry me.
