Growing up in a small, conservative Baptist Church in the 1960’s I was taught that there are two immutable truths about the Christian faith. First, Jesus is the only way to eternal salvation and anyone who rejects him is going to hell. Second, in light of that fact, every Christian is compelled to share Jesus with others.
An unspoken corollary to those concepts was that when a person commits to living for Jesus, not only do they inherit eternal life, but they also become a better person in this life. If that’s true, then Christianity would ultimately change the world for the better, one person at a time.
That seemed entirely possible fifty years ago. In fact, many prominent Evangelical leaders sincerely believed we were on the road to doing it.
And for good reason. Those fundamental beliefs, after all, were the singular focus of the early Christian Church and the driving force that led Christianity to overwhelm and revolutionize the Roman Empire.
As I began my theological training to become a pastor, I was told that not only did the little church of my childhood get it right on those two fundamental truths, but in addition, there was an evil liberalism in American Christianity that was undermining the second of those truths (evangelism) by calling into question the first of those truths (Jesus as the only Savior and hell as a reality).
If Jesus is not the only way to God and if hell is not real, the logic went, then evangelistic fervor is squelched. It’s not that evangelism dies so much as it languishes, pushed to the back shelf by other more pressing concerns, like social justice.
“Liberalism is contributing to the demise of evangelism,” was a common refrain.
Sociological research seemed to affirm this claim. While most Evangelical churches were either staunchly opposed to the civil rights movements of the 60’s and 70’s or simply silent on the most turbulent issues of the day, mainline Protestant churches were at the forefront of those radical social justice movements. During that same time period, however, those mainline churches were largely in decline. It’s a decline that continues to this day.
Baptists, as the largest group of Evangelicals, loved to gloat about the fact that liberalism was killing the mainline Protestant churches, while conservative Evangelicals were thriving.
Riding on the adrenaline of being the largest, non-Catholic missionary sending agency in the world, glowing from the successes of evangelists like Billy Graham, and basking in the victory of single-handedly electing Ronald Reagan president, Evangelicals were at the top of the world and seemingly unstoppable.
“Jesus is obviously on our side,” was the proud slogan.
But there was a subtle and deadly shift taking place among Evangelicals. Drunk with the newfound power of political influence, we started looking to politicians to solve America’s problems. Jesus alone was no longer the answer to America’s woes. We saddled Jesus with a political elephant, and it would take forty years for us to feel the effects.
The shift from evangelism to political power cleared the way for Christian Nationalism to take root and grow. Christian Nationalism in its mildest form is rooted in the idea that the United States was founded as a Christian nation and that its laws should reflect Christian values.
In its most severe form, Christian Nationalism vows to take over and control the “seven mountains” of society: family, religion, education, media, arts and entertainment, business, and government.
The most ardent Christian nationalist would have every American subjected to the teachings of the Bible in every area of life, or suffer the consequences.
So far, the milder form has meant everything from ending speeches with “God bless America,” to advocating for more prayer in schools, to requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments. It has also meant calls for restricting abortion, same-sex marriage and gender-affirming health care.
In the future, depending on the influence of the more radical versions of Christian Nationalism, it could mean strict laws about marriage and divorce, the revitalization of sodomy laws, the restricting of the growth of certain competing religious groups through intimidation and deportation, the banning of materials deemed anti-Chrisitian, the wielding of government levers to control anti-Christian movements, and so forth.
Christian Nationalism is as old as the Roman Empire. The American version is simply the latest manifestation of an ancient culprit – the temptation to seek our desired outcomes through the power of the State, instead of Christ.
You might ask: What’s wrong with wanting our country to reflect the teachings of Christ? What’s wrong with creating laws that are inspired by biblical morals and principles? Afterall, our nation was founded on Christian ideals.
The question of the role of Christianity in the birth of our nation is complex and beyond the scope of this brief essay. There is little doubt that Christianity had an influence on the values and philosophical foundation of our country. This is one reason the founding fathers were able to write of all men being “created equal,” and with the same breath defend the institution of slavery. Christians have long been adept at maintaining such paradoxes of beliefs and practices.
Whatever role Christianity played in the founding documents of our country, one thing is certain, those documents anticipated a pluralistic society in which every person was free to worship the god of their choosing, or no god at all. In other words, the founding fathers anticipated a society in which Christianity was not the only option.
There is nothing wrong with wanting our country to reflect Christian values. The pertinent questions are: Which Christian values? And, how do we achieve that end?
My contention and the thesis of this essay, is that using the power of the State (“power of the sword”) to achieve those ends is problematic for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it spells the demise of evangelism.
First, there is the sticky conundrum of deciding which Christian values will guide our country’s leaders and the decisions they make.
“Turn the other cheek” (Matt. 5:39, Luke 6:29), and “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Matt. 7:12), and “Love your enemies” (Matt. 5:44) are all fundamental Christian values delivered straight from the lips of Jesus.
Are these the Christian values Christian Nationalists want to see at the highest levels of government?
I’ve never heard a single Christian Nationalist speak of them.
When Jesus described the moment when we will all stand before God and give an account of the way we spent our lives, the defining values on which God’s judgment hangs are these, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Matt. 25:35-36, emphasis mine).
The word in verse 36 that my Bible translates as “stranger” is the Greek word, zenos. It’s the word that means “different,” or “alien.” In Jesus’ world it almost always referred to the immigrant.
When asked, what is the one character trait that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that you belong to the Kingdom of Heaven? Jesus answered, the way you treat the person who is vulnerable and powerless simply because they don’t belong.
Jesus was not alone in placing this value in a position of preeminence. The two most frequently addressed issues in the Old Testament are idolatry and care for the poor, the widow, and the stranger.
Is that the Christian value that Christian Nationalists want reflected in our country?
I don’t think so.
The problem with all the talk about building our country on Christian values is that we invariably cherry-pick which Christian values we want codified into the laws of the land. And we often choose poorly.
This glaring hypocrisy is not lost on non-Christians. It is certainly not lost on an entire generation of younger Christians. They are leaving the church in droves, disgusted with our hypocrisy.
We can get our cherry-picked, biblically-based laws passed. We can get the Supreme Court Justices who will do our bidding. We can get closed borders and concentrated wealth and homogeneity. Our guns and state-mandated school prayers and “Christ” in Christmas will all be safe.
But in the process we risk losing an entire generation of young souls who see through our blatant hypocrisy.
Worse, the non-Christians who feel the sword of the Christian State at their throats will submit to our wishes and obey our laws rather than suffer the consequences. However, they will never call on the name of the Jesus who held that sword at their throats.
No one wants to join the religion that is bullying them.
It’s a giant stake in the heart of evangelism.
A second and equally fatal problem with Christian Nationalism has to do with the identity and authority of Christ.
The earliest Christian statements of belief and purpose were embedded in the New Testament writings, and have one common trait: They begin and end with the identity, authority, and teachings of Jesus Christ. They exalt Christ and Christ alone.
The early Christian church didn’t need the help of Caesar to change the world. They had Jesus and the Holy Spirit to do that work.
Perhaps the most horrifying aspect to the Christian Nationalist voice is that it screams, “Jesus is not enough.” We need the help of our American Caesar to get the job done. We need the sword of the State at the throats of our enemies in order to protect what we have built. We need the power of the law to insure that Jesus remains on his throne.
As if God needs our help.
This is both blasphemous and idolatrous. It could very well be the final nail in the evangelism coffin.
If in the 1960’s and 70’s Christian Liberalism was eroding evangelism from the far left, the new millennium finds that same erosion occurring from the far right.
If the Christian Nationalists are successful in overtaking the Evangelical Church (and there’s every indication they will be), and can continue to build significant political influence, the first and most obvious casualties will be those who look different from the rest of us.
The unspoken and perhaps unintended casualty will be Christian evangelism.
This insight was written by Dr. Ellis Orozco, the Public Theologian in Residence at Stark College & Seminary. Dr. Orozco served in ministry as a pastor for 30 years and is the founder and CEO of Karooso Ministries.
Visit Dr. Orozco’s Blog to read more.