By Mitchel Plaisted
In the last few years, the United States has seen the rise of what many call “Christian nationalism.” Some Christians have embraced the term. Others have distanced themselves from it. I believe Christian nationalism could be a good thing for our nation and people. Yet, it depends on what “Christian” means to those who ascribe to the movement. Are they interested in true revival? Or are they resurrecting a Frankenstein from the corpse of our past?
AMERICA’S MORAL FOUNDATION
The morals and teachings of Jesus Christ are at the foundation of America. Thomas Jefferson compiled “The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth.” This book bears the popular label The Jefferson Bible. It is often used as evidence that our founders did not follow Jesus’s teachings. Making the case that America was never a Christian nation. However, Jefferson believed the teachings of Jesus were “the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man.” Furthermore, his reason for compiling the book was not to destroy Jesus’s teachings. Rather, it was to clarify them. He compiled them into a small book that would be given to U.S. Senators until the 1950s. Some of the founding fathers doubted God’s existence. But, even they looked to the teachings of Jesus for our nation’s moral foundation.
AMERICA NEEDS CHRISTIAN MORALS
US President John Adams – 1798:
“Because We have no Government armed with Power capable of contending with human Passions unbridled by morality and Religion. Avarice, Ambition, Revenge, or Gallantry would break the strongest Cords of our Constitution as a Whale goes through a Net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
Our Constitution relies on citizens with moral principles. Yet, America’s culture no longer rests on Christian morals. The percentage of self-identifying Christians has been dropping for years. It’s also doubtful that all who self-identify actually practice the faith. Try scrolling through social media or, if you are old-fashioned, flip the channel on your cable TV. Abundant proof will come into view. Our culture no longer follows Jesus of Nazareth’s morals.
Without these moral standards, our nation is falling apart. Some symptoms would be our government not working, or the division among the people. Another would be the shocking political violence we witnessed in Pennsylvania. This all led to a rise in Christian nationalism. People are not stupid. Many have figured out that without Christian morals, our nation will be destroyed.
TYPES OF CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM
Dr. Michael Brown is a Christian author and speaker. Many consider him one of the top Messianic Jewish apologists. He divides Christian nationalism into three categories. ‘Healthy,’ ‘unhealthy,’ and ‘boogie man.’
‘Boogie man‘ is the exaggerated, over-the-top depiction that the establishment media puts forward. This version is not real at a meaningful level.
Insisting that America is like Old Testament Israel would be ‘unhealthy‘ Christian nationalism. We need to remember that the Kingdom of Heaven is not of this world.
I know that there is much we can learn from God’s covenant with Israel. Yet, we should not try to bring back a covenant that our Lord has fulfilled. Instead, we should live by the New Covenant in the blood of Christ.
Desiring to recover our nation’s Christian heritage would be ‘healthy‘ Christian nationalism. This is in the best interest of America and is not in conflict with our faith.
POLITICS AND RELIGION
Our government needs a moral foundation. Christian principles must be the root of it. I believe that is why Christian nationalism is rising, as a political movement, in our nation. There are many people who believe two things. One, they are losing their nation. Two, it will take Christian morals to save it. These two points are true. As John Adams stated, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.” Furthermore, according to Jefferson, the teachings of Jesus are “the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man.” Our founders would agree that our nation needs morals. They thought that the morals of Jesus were the best.
Christian nationalists engage in politics with dedicated participation. There is a lot of lip service paid to Christianity. However, I have not seen it cause a large religious awakening. The religious effects I have seen are dwarfed by the movement’s political focus.
As a political movement, Christian nationalism is good for America. However, one of the ingredients needed to save our nation is not political but religious. The Christian morals. Without Christian morals, Christian nationalism will do one of two things. Fall apart or become distorted and dangerous. The movement requires Christian morals. Christian morals cannot originate from a political movement. They can only come from individuals surrendering their lives to Jesus Christ. Christian nationalism requires not only political activism but also a religious awakening.
FRANKENSTEIN
Christian nationalists risk creating a Frankenstein. They will do this if they try to impose Christian morals without genuine conversions. Without genuine faith in Jesus Christ, a society that adheres to a set of morals will fail. We know this because that is exactly what happened in the Old Testament. God gave His children a set of rules to live by. They proved unable to follow them. They were not able to find lasting peace with God. Instead, they found themselves ruled by leaders who followed only the letter of the law. All the while neglecting its spirit.
Without genuine faith in our nation, we will not find the truth that will set us free. If we try to force things, we will not save our nation. Rather, we will turn it into a Frankenstein of what it used to be. Even if we mean well, we will turn the goodness of our past into a monster. A monster brought to ‘life’ by human will opposed to the power of the blood of Jesus. Only those whom His blood has washed clean can live out the morals of Jesus.
REVIVAL IN AMERICA
If the nature of our nation’s sickness is a lack of Christian morals, then what we need is a revival. Before the Revolutionary War, we had the Great Awakening. Likewise, if we are to restore our nation to what it was, we must first awaken its people to the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Being involved in politics is acceptable. I am myself. However, we will only achieve America’s well-being by centering on Jesus, not politics. We must be light and salt to our fellow countrymen. Remembering all the while that although we may love this country, it’s not our home. For Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). We are to be citizens of His kingdom first. Strangely, focusing on the New Covenant of Jesus Christ is in the best interests of our country. We can try to resurrect our past culture apart from true revival. We can try to reinstate the Old Covenant. Both will lead to disaster, both spiritually and politically. We must go forth with Christ alone as our hope. Remember, our real enemy is not of this world, and our Lord has the victory. So let us overcome, “[by] the blood of the Lamb and [by] the word of [our] testimony, [not loving our lives] even when faced with death” (Revelation 12:11). Let us see revival in this land!
SOME QUESTIONS TO PONDER
- If we called all the people you interacted with in the last week to testify, what would they say about you? Would they know your politics? Would they know the Gospel? Who would they say you serve, God or man?
- Are you spending your life sowing the seeds of revival? Is Jesus your focus? Is your hope in Him or in this world?
I encourage you to take a moment to ponder these questions. We only have so much life this side of heaven. Be sure you are spending it on what you mean to.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
James Madison wrote:
“If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”
Alas, men are not angels, so government is necessary. The Church should never withdraw from the political. The political is simply the public. To withdraw from the political would be to abandon the people. Our faith should not be private. Yet, we must remember that no kingdom of this world will last forever. That includes America. Your hope must not be in this nation. Your hope can only be in Jesus. He is the only hope that will not disappoint.
Yes, pray for America. But, even more so, pray for revival. Pray that the people of this nation would know the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Pray for the restoration of moral foundations in this land. Without the morals of Jesus of Nazareth, this land will fall into chaos and destruction. Even so, make sure that your motivation is not love for this nation. Rather, may your motivation be love for your King and those He gave His life to save. To our King be the glory!
SOURCES
https://thejeffersonbible.com/
https://billofrightsinstitute.org/primary-sources/federalist-no-51
Scripture from New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Kairos Ministries 
so very well written