By Annalissa Lane ’22

When you hear the phrase “Christian nationalism,” what images come to mind? Perhaps you think of January 6, 2021, when insurrectionists stormed the US Capitol building in Washington DC carrying crosses, flags, and signs that linked Donald Trump and Jesus. In the countryside around my hometown in rural Iowa, there is a sign that reads “God, Guns, and Country: Vote Republican.” I often think of that sign when I reflect on Christian nationalism and how it appears in the world.

But Christian nationalism is much more than political propaganda and advertisements. It is a framework of beliefs, loosely held together under the common principle that America was founded as a Christian nation and should remain Christian today. This worldview often includes politically conservative views on immigration, labor, education, and social justice, but there is great internal diversity when it comes to religious commitment and political participation. 

Many scholars and journalists have written about the dangers of Christian nationalism in recent years, especially after the Trump presidency brought these issues into America’s common consciousness. Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry published Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States about the demographics, beliefs, and politics of Christian nationalists across the country in 2020. Sociologist and political scientist Philip Gorski took on a similar project with American Babylon: Christianity and Democracy Before and After Trump (2020), which details how white Christian nationalism has developed over time in America. Both books note that while Trump brought public attention to Christian nationalism, it is not a new or recent phenomenon. People have held these beliefs for the entirety of American history. 

But Christian nationalism is much more than political propaganda and advertisements. It is a framework of beliefs, loosely held together under the common principle that America was founded as a Christian nation and should remain Christian today.

Whitehead, Perry, and Gorski detail a number of problems that Christian nationalism inflicts on the nation as a whole. The First Amendment guarantees freedom to practice any religion without governmental influence, but it also protects citizens’ freedom from practicing religion at all. Christian nationalism threatens the First Amendment and advances a distinctly white Protestant America, and thus both intra- and interreligious organizations should concern themselves with stopping the spread of these movements.

Intrareligious dialogue within Christian spaces themselves is a valuable entry point to deconstruct Christian nationalism. Christianity is a tradition with great internal diversity, shown in the various denominations who disagree over LGBTQ+ rights, gender roles, scriptural interpretation, and the role of the church in secular society, to name a few examples. However, this complexity can blend Christianity and Christian nationalism in the public consciousness, especially because Christian nationalism has adopted many symbols and rituals of conservative Christian traditions. Intrafaith work can fill these gaps and educate the public on what Christianity is and, more importantly, what it is not.

Through my work as an Interfaith Fellow over the last school year, I have discovered that interfaith cooperation, dialogue, and action can mobilize communities against Christian nationalism and encourage greater compassion and understanding in both Christian and non-Christian spaces.

It can be daunting to push against a movement as broad and decentralized as Christian nationalism, which is entwined in the very systems that operate America’s government, religious infrastructure, and national identity. Nonetheless I believe that in addition to intrareligious attempts to counter Christian nationalism, interfaith organizations have a central role in slowing or stopping Christian nationalist cycles of oppression in America. Through my work as an Interfaith Fellow over the last school year, I have discovered that interfaith cooperation, dialogue, and action can mobilize communities against Christian nationalism and encourage greater compassion and understanding in both Christian and non-Christian spaces.

Interfaith dialogue encourages people to overcome their indifference towards traditions and religious practices they do not participate in. This dialogue is more than a mere celebration, but rather a conscious critique and examination of what various groups find valuable about their practices. While Christian nationalism is not a religious tradition, interfaith communities can use this same approach to discern what Christian nationalists find important and how to reach them with new information about the world.

Interfaith dialogue encourages people to overcome their indifference towards traditions and religious practices they do not participate in. This dialogue is more than a mere celebration, but rather a conscious critique and examination of what various groups find valuable about their practices.

Christian nationalism is a worldview that threatens interfaith spaces because it prevents people from opting out of religion, promotes a singular view of American history that ignores discrimination and oppression, and misrepresents religion in the public sphere. Inter- and intra-religious dialogue can, and should, work together to deconstruct Christian nationalist beliefs at local, state, and national levels.

Annalissa is a senior majoring in religion, English, and race and ethnic studies. Her experiences growing up in small-town Iowa have shaped her academic interests, which include Christian nationalism, the intersection of religion with gender, race, and class, and the role of religion in public life. At St. Olaf, Annalissa has worked as a Supplemental Instruction leader, Religion Department student worker, and in the spring of 2021, she researched equity and inclusion in the religion curriculum of St. Olaf. She also serves as the youth ministry intern at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church and participates in St. Olaf Cantorei. Next year she will start a Master of Arts in Religion at Yale Divinity School.