Is Christian Nationalism Biblical?

My Report is entitled “Is Christian Nationalism Biblical?

We will be talking about some related terms and define what
Christian Nationalism is all about.
We will also talk about the dangers if there are and see what the
Bible tells about Christian Nationalism
And also on how do we respond to this topic.
The Difference of Patriotism and Nationalism
Patriotism is the love of country. It is different from nationalism,
which is an argument about how to define our country. Christians
should recognize that patriotism is good because all of God’s
creation is good and patriotism helps us appreciate our particular
place in it. Our affection and loyalty to a specific part of God’s
creation helps us do the good work of cultivating and improving the
part we happen to live in. As Christians, we can and should love the
United States—which also means working to improve our country
by holding it up for critique and working for justice when it errs. PAUL
D. MILLER FEBRUARY 3, 2021 Christianity Today
Nationalism
Most scholars agree that nationalism starts with the belief that
humanity is divisible into mutually distinct, internally coherent
cultural groups defined by shared traits like language, religion,
ethnicity, or culture. From there, scholars say, nationalists believe
that these groups should each have their own governments; that
governments should promote and protect a nation’s cultural
identity; and that sovereign national groups provide meaning and
purpose for human beings. PAUL D. MILLER FEBRUARY 3, 2021 Christianity Today
Christian Nationalism
Christian nationalism is the belief that the American nation is
defined by Christianity, and that the government should take active
steps to keep it that way. Popularly, Christian nationalists assert that
America is and must remain a “Christian nation”—not merely as an
observation about American history, but as a prescriptive program
for what America must continue to be in the future. PAUL D. MILLER
FEBRUARY 3, 2021 Christianity Today
Christian nationalism is the belief that the American nation is
defined by Christianity, and that the government should take active
steps to keep it that way. Popularly, Christian nationalists assert that
America is and must remain a “Christian nation”—not merely as an
observation about American history, but as a prescriptive program
for what America must continue to be in the future. Scholars like
Samuel Huntington have made a similar argument: that America is
defined by its “Anglo-Protestant” past and that we will lose our
identity and our freedom if we do not preserve our cultural
inheritance. PAUL D. MILLER FEBRUARY 3, 2021 Christianity Today
Christian nationalists do not reject the First Amendment and do not
advocate for theocracy, but they do believe that Christianity should
enjoy a privileged position in the public square. The term “Christian
nationalism,” is relatively new, and its advocates generally do not
use it of themselves, but it accurately describes American
nationalists who believe American identity is inextricable from
Christianity. PAUL D. MILLER FEBRUARY 3, 2021 Christianity Today
To better understand Christian Nationalism more, let us look at the
position paper of the National Council of Churches
Christian nationalism is characterized by the following religious
affirmations:

•that the United States was founded as a Christian nation;

•that America is exceptional.  That is, God has given the United
States particular blessings and privileges not available to people in
other countries, and the nation must remain Christian in order for
those blessings to continue;

•that only Christians are the proper custodians of this nation’s

heritage;
Christian nationalism is characterized by the following religious
affirmations:

•that Christianity (or a particular form of Christianity) should have

privileged status in the United States, particularly in matters of law
and political policy;

•that, even when their presence is tolerated, people who practice

other religions or none cannot be fully American  —  they are not
welcomed, their voices are discounted, and they are not to be
trusted with political and cultural leadership;
Christian nationalism is characterized by the following religious
affirmations:

•that Christians in general and some Christians in particular should

enjoy a level of legal protection not granted to those who practice
other religions; and,

•that Christians have been made to suffer unjustly, leaving them no

alternative but to respond with revolutionary zeal to preserve the
United States as a great Christian nation.
What is the problem with nationalism?
Humanity is not easily divisible into mutually distinct cultural units.
Cultures overlap and their borders are fuzzy. Since cultural units are
fuzzy, they make a poor fit as the foundation for political order.
Cultural identities are fluid and hard to draw boundaries around, but
political boundaries are hard and semipermanent. Attempting to
found political legitimacy on cultural likeness means political order
will constantly be in danger of being felt as illegitimate by some
group or other. Cultural pluralism is essentially inevitable in every
nation. PAUL D. MILLER FEBRUARY 3, 2021 Christianity Today
Is that really a problem, or just an abstract worry?
It is a serious problem. When nationalists go about constructing
their nation, they have to define who is, and who is not, part of the
nation. But there are always dissidents and minorities who do not or
cannot conform to the nationalists’ preferred cultural template. In
the absence of moral authority, nationalists can only establish
themselves by force. Scholars are almost unanimous that nationalist
governments tend to become authoritarian and oppressive in
practice.
Is that really a problem, or just an abstract worry?
For example, in past generations, to the extent that the United
States had a quasi-established official religion of Protestantism, it
did not respect true religious freedom. Worse, the United States and
many individual states used Christianity as a prop to support slavery
and segregation. PAUL D. MILLER FEBRUARY 3, 2021 Christianity Today
What do Christian nationalists want that is different from normal
Christian engagement in politics?
Christian nationalists want to define America as a Christian nation
and they want the government to promote a specific cultural
template as the official culture of the country. Some have advocated
for an amendment to the Constitution to recognize America’s
Christian heritage, others to reinstitute prayer in public schools.
What do Christian nationalists want that is different from normal
Christian engagement in politics?
Some work to enshrine a Christian nationalist interpretation of
American history in school curricula, including that America has a
special relationship with God or has been “chosen” by him to carry
out a special mission on earth. Others advocate for immigration
restrictions specifically to prevent a change to American religious
and ethnic demographics or a change to American culture. Some
want to empower the government to take stronger action to
circumscribe immoral behavior. PAUL D. MILLER FEBRUARY 3, 2021 Christianity
Today
Some—again, like the scholar Samuel Huntington—have argued that
the United States government must defend and enshrine its
predominant “Anglo-Protestant” culture to ensure the survival of
American democracy. And sometimes Christian nationalism is most
evident not in its political agenda, but in the sort of attitude with
which it is held: an unstated presumption that Christians are
entitled to primacy of place in the public square because they are
heirs of the true or essential heritage of American culture, that
Christians have a presumptive right to define the meaning of the
American experiment because they see themselves as America’s
architects, first citizens, and guardians.
How is this dangerous for America?
Christian nationalism tends to treat other Americans as second-class
citizens. If it were fully implemented, it would not respect the full
religious liberty of all Americans. Empowering the state through
“morals legislation” to regulate conduct always carries the risk of
overreaching, setting a bad precedent, and creating governing
powers that could be used later be used against Christians.
Additionally, Christian nationalism is an ideology held
overwhelmingly by white Americans, and it thus tends to
exacerbate racial and ethnic cleavages.
How is this dangerous for America?
In recent years, the movement has grown increasingly characterized
by fear and by a belief that Christians are victims of persecution.
Some are beginning to argue that American Christians need to
prepare to fight, physically, to preserve America’s identity, an
argument that played into the January 6 riot. PAUL D. MILLER FEBRUARY 3,
2021 Christianity Today
How is Christian nationalism dangerous to the church?
Christian nationalism takes the name of Christ for a worldly political
agenda, proclaiming that its program is the political program for
every true believer. That is wrong in principle, no matter what the
agenda is, because only the church is authorized to proclaim the
name of Jesus and carry his standard into the world. It is even worse
with a political movement that champions some causes that are
unjust, which is the case with Christian nationalism and its
attendant illiberalism.
How is Christian nationalism dangerous to the church?
In that case, Christian nationalism is calling evil good and good evil;
it is taking the name of Christ as a fig leaf to cover its political
program, treating the message of Jesus as a tool of political
propaganda and the church as the handmaiden and cheerleader of
the state. PAUL D. MILLER FEBRUARY 3, 2021 Christianity Today
How is Christianity different from Christian nationalism?
Christianity is a religion focused on the person and work of Jesus
Christ as defined by the Christian Bible and the Apostles’ and Nicene
Creeds. It is the gathering of people “from every nation and tribe
and people and language,” who worship Jesus (Rev. 7:9), a faith that
unites Jews and Greeks, Americans and non-Americans together.
How is Christianity different from Christian nationalism?
Christianity is political, in the sense that its adherents have always
understood their faith to challenge, affect, and transcend their
worldly loyalties—but there is no single view on what political
implications flow from Christian faith other than that we should
“fear God, honor the king” (1 Pet. 2:17, NASB), pay our taxes, love
our neighbors, and seek justice. PAUL D. MILLER FEBRUARY 3, 2021 Christianity
Today
Christian nationalism is, by contrast, a political ideology focused on
the national identity of the United States. It includes a specific
understanding of American history and American government that
are, obviously, extrabiblical—an understanding that is contested by
many historians and political scientists. Most importantly, Christian
nationalism includes specific policy prescriptions that it claims are
biblical but are, at best, extrapolations from biblical principles and,
at worst, contradictory to them. PAUL D. MILLER FEBRUARY 3, 2021 Christianity
Today
Can Christians be politically engaged without being Christian
nationalists?
Yes. American Christians in the past were exemplary in helping
establish the American experiment, and many American Christians
worked to end slavery and segregation and other evils. They did so
because they believed Christianity required them to work for
justice. But they worked to advance Christian principles, not
Christian power or Christian culture, which is the key distinction
between normal Christian political engagement and Christian
nationalism.
Can Christians be politically engaged without being Christian
nationalists?
Normal Christian political engagement is humble, loving, and
sacrificial; it rejects the idea that Christians are entitled to primacy
of place in the public square or that Christians have a presumptive
right to continue their historical predominance in American culture.
Can Christians be politically engaged without being Christian
nationalists?
Today, Christians should seek to love their neighbors by pursuing
justice in the public square, including by working against abortion,
promoting religious liberty, fostering racial justice, protecting the
rule of law, and honoring constitutional processes. That agenda is
different from promoting Christian culture, Western heritage, or
Anglo-Protestant values. PAUL D. MILLER FEBRUARY 3, 2021 Christianity Today
The Danger of Christian Nationalism
The danger is in conflating our Christian identity and our national
identity. We can be Christian, we can also be American. But to
assume that being American means being Christian and that being
Christian means holding to a narrow view of what it means to be
American is limiting to all of the above.
The Danger of Christian Nationalism
Dr. Scott noted “There’s a long history of Christian nationalism in the
United States, and it has often been the type of nationalism that
tries to exclude others. American Christian nationalism has tried to
define the United States as a native white Protestant nation and
exclude all others: Catholics, African Americans, indigenous peoples,
immigrants, Jews, Muslims, etc.”
The Danger of Christian Nationalism
So Christian nationalism limits who we are in our spiritual identity
and who we are in our American identity. And it runs the even more
dangerous route towards a belief that the nation is infallible.
Christian nationalism makes an idol of the nation--the country
becomes an interchangeable object of worship. We believe we
serve God by serving the country. Rev. Ryan Dunn, “What is
Christian nationalism?”
Why is Christian nationalism appealing?
Dr. Scott believes an appeal exists for both Christians to be
nationalists and for nationalists to feel a pull towards Christianity.
“Being able to root your nationalist beliefs in a religion that gives
those beliefs a sense of ultimate reality is very appealing. Political
leaders have used religion for their own ends throughout history,”
he noted.
Why is Christian nationalism appealing?
Aligning nationalistic ideologies with religious belief grants them a
sense of importance and legitimacy. Turning nationalist thoughts
into religious beliefs moves them from being political opinions to
standards of faith. So those who are looking to provide a base for
legitimizing their political opinions find value in claiming that their
thoughts are established through Divine order. Rev. Ryan Dunn,
“What is Christian nationalism?”
What can we do about Christian nationalism?
According to Dr. Scott, “the best safeguard against religious
nationalism that I know of is learning from Christians (and others)
who are different from you.” We begin to safeguard against
Christian nationalism by adopting a mindset that our spiritual and
human identity supersedes our national identity. “Learning to see
God in others who are outside our sense of who comprises our
nation or our in-group reminds us that God is bigger than any
political or social group.” 
What can we do about Christian nationalism?
One way to keep the lesson of human connection before us is to
engage in mission work--or the work of representing God’s love and
mercy to others. “Mission, because it involves interactions by
Christians across national and cultural boundaries, has historically
been one of the most important means for facilitating this type of
encounter and mutual learning, though it can happen in other ways
too,” noted Dr. Scott. Rev. Ryan Dunn, “What is Christian
nationalism?”
“Christianity also has a lot of theological resources for thinking of
ourselves as citizens of heaven and siblings to all other humans, not
partisans of a particular national group,” he continued. Joining in
the process of extending God’s grace across cultural borders is a
meaningful way of witnessing to the extended family of faith. 
You can learn more by reading about mission work and the global
community of faith at UMGlobal.org. Rev. Ryan Dunn, “What is
Christian nationalism?”
Is Christian Nationalism Biblical?
Jesus said to “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and
to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21). When people
are so tied up in their ideal of nation-building, their focus moves
away from kingdom-building (heavenly kingdom building), becoming
a “my way or the highway” mentality. The nation we serve here on
earth is not the still-to-come kingdom of God. Christian Nationalism
serves no purpose but to promote one’s misguided motives. This is
not the action our Lord Christ commanded us to obey (
Matthew 28:19-20; John 13:35, etc.).
Is Christian Nationalism Biblical?
Yes, we are to submit to the authorities God has placed over us (
Romans 13:1). Yes, we are to pray for those authorities (
1 Timothy 2:1-5). The 1 Timothy passage is Gospel-centered. It’s
about evangelism and being obedient to the Lord. Paul says:
Is Christian Nationalism Biblical?
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions,
and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are
in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly
and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight
of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to
the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one
mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (italics
added)
Is Christian Nationalism Biblical?
God will not cram Christianity down peoples’ throats. If we ascribe
to Christian Nationalists’ syncretic agenda and methods, we risk
producing and becoming like the Pharisees: whitewashed tombs.
We will “outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead
people’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27). And our
culture will remain just as godless as before. Lisa Loraine Baker,
“What Is the Meaning of Christian Nationalism?” Christianity.com
Aren't Christians Supposed to Care for Our Nation?
It’s good to have Christians in various public offices, but we cannot
legislate Christianity upon everyone—that’s not our goal. Nation-
building is the crux of the problem with Christian Nationalism. We
are kingdom-of-God builders, not earthly nation-builders—our
building efforts are through one-to-one interactions empowered by
the Holy Spirit.
Aren't Christians Supposed to Care for Our Nation?
In the Scriptures, we do not see the Apostle Paul striving to change
the culture. That’s a wondrous act only the Lord can achieve.
Instead, we are to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of
season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and
teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). We are to be the people God created us
to be, not who we think we should be. We are not to usurp God’s
agenda and insert our own. 
Aren't Christians Supposed to Care for Our Nation?
As Scripture commands us in 1 Timothy 2:1-5, we are to pray for our
leaders. Romans 13:1-4 tells us “there is no authority except from
God,” so praying for them is an act of obedience to and worship of
God.
As believers, we are to be an advocate for the least of these (
Matthew 25:40), which may include promoting policies to help the
disadvantaged. We are also to pray for each other, including those
brothers and sisters caught up in Christian Nationalism.
Aren't Christians Supposed to Care for Our Nation?
Also, as creatives (not just Christians in the arts, also Christians
analyzing and making public policies), we should use our God-given
gifts and talents in a redeeming way. We use our values to guide our
decisions without calling them “God’s one decision for our nation.”
 Using this framework, we can find ways to redeem culture and
promote beauty within.
Aren't Christians Supposed to Care for Our Nation?
The passage above (1 Timothy 2:1-5) also adds the requirement
that Jesus is the Mediator between God and men. Nowhere does
the Bible say a nation is to submit to any takeover plan in the name
of the Lord. We must mention not everyone who desires the nation
to be Christian is a Christian Nationalist. It should be our collective
desire as Christ-followers that everyone comes to faith, just as it’s
God’s desire (1 Timothy 2:4), and this desire leads to obedience to
the Lord and getting in on what He’s doing.
Aren't Christians Supposed to Care for Our Nation?
To reference Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who urged restraint on the part of
the Christian church amid the rise of Naziism. Bonhoeffer 
said his stance was based on the “right concept of the church,” and
the church “is not encouraged to get involved directly in specific
political actions of the state,” because the “true church of Christ
 lives by the gospel alone.” “This definition of the church in terms of
the gospel sets the guidelines for the character of the church’s
resistance.”Lisa Loraine Baker, “What Is the Meaning of Christian
Nationalism?” Christianity.com
What Does Christian Nationalism Mean for Our Witness?
On another note, we need to realize Christian Nationalism’s effect
on missions. Dr. James Emery White again provides us with a
sobering reminder. Unbelievers are watching us, and our efforts to
bring the Gospel to them are besmirched by the violence Christian
Nationalism has invoked. He says they are “
frightened and appalled.” Attaching violence to a peaceful and
compassionate message (Eph. 4:15-16; 1 Peter 3:11-17) will push
people away rather than draw them in. It may even draw people in
for the wrong motives. Lisa Loraine Baker, “What Is the Meaning of