Unraveling the Strands of Christian Nationalism - Part 8
Opening Prayer
You are above us, O God, you are within. You are in all things yet contained by no thing. Teach us to seek you in all that has life, that we may see you as the Light of life. Teach us to search for you in our own depths, that we may find you in every living soul.
- John Philip Newell, Sounds of the Eternal, A Celtic Psalter, p. 2.
Unraveling the Strands of Christian Nationalism:
What is Christian Nationalism? When did it emerge? What interpretation of scripture regarding the End Times drives Christian Nationalism? How does systemic racism undergird it? Can you be a patriot without being a Christian Nationalist?
Prior Reflections
(1) What is a basic definition of Christian Nationalism?
(2) What is Christianity’s relationship to American identity and civic life?
(3) What should Christianity’s relationship to national identity and civic life be?
(4) How would you define and distinguish the two varieties of Christian Nationalism in the United States: (a) church statism and (b) Judeo-Christian Nationalism? What examples do you have of each?
(5) How has the biblical reference to “a city that is set on a hill” been used to justify Christian Nationalism in the United States?
(6) Can religious traditions strengthen democratic values and principles? Why or why not?
(7) How does religious supremacy erode democratic values and principles?
What is a Judeo-Christian Nation? – Part Three
“The Christian Prince”
In a complex and expansive written work, set within the framework of Reformed (Calvinistic) theology, author Stephen Wolfe argues for a prince (magistrate) who is the chief agent of Christian Nationalism and “mediates God’s divine civil rule.”
Stephen Wolfe chooses “to use ‘Christian prince’[instead of ‘Christian magistrate’] because ‘prince’ connotes a great man, not a bureaucrat or policy wonk. Our times call for a man who can wield formal civil power to great effect and shape the public imagination by means of charisma, gravitas, and personality.”
“The civil power of the prince comes immediately from God as the root of civil power, but the people, by their consent, are the instrument or mode by which God confers it on him. The people need civil authority because the national will for its good is insufficient to order the nation; it needs some intermediating authority between the national will and national action. The prince has his authority precisely because of this national will, and thus he is charged by the people to order them concretely to the end of that will, namely, to their national good.”
“The probability of a great Christian prince arising in the near future seems slim, give the forces at work both in the West and in Christian churches. But things change quickly, and the prospects of continued domestic peace in the future is becoming unlikely. An explosion of energy might disclose to us the possibilities of Christian civil order. We need to be prepared, having some blueprint for Christian civil and moral leadership. I trust that although my conclusions will not be shared by all Christian Nationalists, the reader will discern here a spirit of pan-Protestantism and will have the patience and forbearance for cooperation when our time comes.”
“Though in the meantime we may need to settle for civil leaders who fail to live up to the standards of a Christian prince, we should pray that God would raise up such a leader from among us: one who would suppress the enemies of God and elevate his people; recover a worshipping people; restore masculine prominence in the land and a spirit of dominion; affirm and conserve his people and place, not permitting their dissolution or capture; and inspire a love of one’s Christian country. In a word, pray that God would bring about, through a Christian prince, a great renewal.”
Stephen Wolfe, The Case For Christian Nationalism, 2022, pp. 31, 286, 322-323.
For this week: For reflection: The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prevents the government from “establishing” a state religion and protects citizens’ right to practice their religion as they please, so long as it does not undermine “public morals” or a “compelling government interest.” How does Christian Nationalism relate to this founding principle?
An invitation to our virtual participants: Discussion and comments are very much encouraged and welcomed. Online discussions can be held in the comments section in the upcoming post on Social Media for this week’s Deacon’s Reflection which is part of adult formation at St. Francis Episcopal Church.
Closing Prayer – Prayer of Blessing
Before us in the planned shape of this day, we look for unexpected surgings of new life. Around us in the people we know and love, we look for unopened gifts of promise. Within us in the familiar sanctuary of our own soul, we look for shinings of the everlasting light. Before us, around us, within us, we look for your life- giving mystery, O God, before us, around us, within us.
May the light of God illumine the heart of my soul.
May the flame of Christ kindle me to love.
May the fire of the Spirit free me to live this day, tonight, and forever. Amen.
- John Philip Newell, Sounds of the Eternal, A Celtic Psalter, p. 5.
“Unraveling the Strands of Christian Nationalism,” Deacon Joe Dzugan, St. Francis Episcopal Church, 2025.
