By Love Thy Neighborhood | Listen
Published in February of 2022
SUMMARY: In an illuminating hour hosts Jesse Eubanks and Rachel Szabo trace religious nationalism to the gospels (Matthew 3) while weaving interviews with Samuel Perry, a sociologist who developed a Christian nationalism scale, and discussions with three Christians who fall on different ends of the spectrum.
Perry says there are six beliefs that make up Christian nationalism:
- The federal government should declare the United States a Christian nation
- The federal government should advocate Christian values
- The federal government should not enforce strict separation of church and state
- The federal government should allow the display of religious symbols in public spaces
- The federal government should allow prayer in public schools
- The success of the United States is part of God’s plan
Depending on whether a person strongly agrees, disagrees, or lands somewhere in the middle with those statements depends on where a person falls on Perry’s scale of Christian Nationalism.
The first person the hosts talk to is Michael Mills who goes to Fuller Seminary in California where he learns that his religious and civic identity has been steeped in Christian nationalism.
Sandwiched in between Mills’ story are interviews with pastor Ken Peters, who founded Patriot Church in Knoxville, TN, and falls under the ambassador category on the Christian Nationalism scale along with Amanda Tyler, who founded ChristiansAgainstNationalism.org, and falls under the rejecter part of the scale.
KEY QUOTE: “Christian nationalism exaggerates America’s goodness and downplays America’s sin and I think that the gospel brings America back into its proper place. We can celebrate and be thankful for the good gifts that America brings, but we can also be very realistic how broken we are because all man-made systems are broken and America was made by men and not by God. We can be grateful for the country we live in, but also know that is can never save us.”
WANT MORE? Sunday to Saturday has curated topical playlists on Listen Notes where you can subscribe and listen to the curated episodes in your favorite podcast player.
DIG DEEPER: We have curated three guided learning paths to help you think distinctly Christian about Christian nationalism.
Our latest curated podcasts on Christian nationalism:
PODCAST: What is Christian Nationalism with Alex Tuckness
In a well-rounded and straightforward conversation lead pastor at Cornerstone Church of Ames (Amex. IA) Mark Vance and Iowa State University professor Alex Tuckness discuss if Christian nationalism is real, how Christian nationalism can be distorted, and the dangers of Christian nationalism in the public square.
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PODCAST: Glenn Packiam – The Bible Leaves No Room For Christian Nationalism
New Life Church (Colorado Springs, CO) pastor Glenn Packiam says pastors need to point out the symptoms of Christian nationalism before providing a diagnosis. Packiam then touches on idolatry, kingdom theology, the global church, and much more in a wide-ranging and nuanced interview.
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PODCAST: How to Deal with Christian Nationalism
Was America founded as a Christian nation? That depends on how you define Christian and how you define nation. In the 1800s did most of the population identify as Christian? Yes. Was this also a time when 1/3 of the population was in forced labor? Yes. Was this also a time when the majority of…
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