Christian Nationalism: trading on The Name

The Public Square
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New Warhorn Media post by Tim Bayly:

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There’s a fascinating comparison to be made here with both the UK and my own country. No-one in public life in Britain claims to be a Christian unless they almost certainly are. So, when one public figure (David Suchet, an actor) said the following:

From somewhere I got this desire to read the Bible again.
That’s the most important part of my conversion
In the New Testament I suddenly discovered the way that life should be lived

One can be sure that it is genuine.

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And the public figures in British politics who claim Christianity are usually of a much more serious quality than American ‘Christian’ politicians.

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Something else I perceive whenever “Christian” this or that starts making it’s rounds through various Christian circles, is how these movements/ideologies seem more like brand names meant to move men and women to do the work of building other men’s doctrinally distinct kingdoms.
I cannot help but notice the conferences, books, studies, podcasts, and other media, and by extension, money, which these movements seem to generate. Am I allowed to judge their motives? Methinks so, especially given how divisive these things become among the body of Christ

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Here is an excellent article from World: It’s Not Too Late to Abandon “Christian nationalism”

Walker doesn’t touch on abortion like you did, Tim, but his assessment is on-the-money. He writes:

What’s more, there are no moral brakes with the edge-lords of Christian nationalism on X. As long as one sufficiently opposes woke ideology, feminism, and homosexuality, virtually any other behavior—whether brash or insulting—becomes excusable. Almost entirely absent is talk of evangelism or personal holiness.
I want to be fair and say that the critiques above are not true of all self-described Christian nationalists, but they are a true enough description of many.

And:

Even while Christianity grants the legitimacy of nationhood , Christianity has never required nationalism to thrive. The greatest movements of faith in history have come not through state power but through personal repentance, cultural renewal, and moral leadership. Politics obviously matters, and the law should conform to Christian principles. At the same time, the church’s strength has always been in its ability to transform individuals and communities, not in its ability to wield political force.

That second quote is the kind of postmillennialism I’m all for.

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Yes, the church has been much better at speaking truth to power than it has been at exercising secular power.

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