Christian Nationalism: Examining the Demonization

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Because some held Christian flags and crosses at the Trump rally in Washington D.C. on January 6 and because a melee at the U.S. Capitol ensued, the conclusion now pushed by the mainstream media and politicians and religious leaders on the left is that “Christian Nationalists” are homegrown terrorists threatening our democracy.But what exactly is Christian Nationalism? It’s being used as a catch-all pejorative—a word expressing contempt—for those who breached the Capitol, but by extension, any and all Christians—including evangelicals—who want biblical values integrated into civil life and polity.The reasoning goes, “You’re a Christian, you voted for Trump, Trump is a white supremacist who made baseless claims of election fraud and incited an insurrection which threatened our democracy; thus, you are a Christian Nationalist supporting white supremacy, sedition, and election denialism. You are dangerous to democracy and need to be marginalized, monitored, and suppressed. You are the enemy of the state and the people.”...