A few months ago, a small-town church made headlines for hosting a “patriotic baptism service” where new believers were baptized to the sound of a worship band playing “God Bless the USA.” It wasn’t an isolated event.
Across the country, churches have been holding prayer meetings to “reclaim America,” selling Bibles wrapped in the Constitution and hosting speakers who blur the line between spiritual revival and political takeover.
Christian Nationalism isn’t a new problem, but in recent years it has reached a new level. It’s not just about sermons with a few political undertones—it’s an entire culture where faith and patriotism are fused so tightly that questioning it feels like questioning Christianity itself.
For many believers, the message has been clear: to be a good Christian is to be a good American, and to be a good American is to fight for a version of the country that looks suspiciously like a political party platform.
But here’s the thing—Christian Nationalism isn’t Christianity. And the longer the Church allows the two to be confused, the harder it will be to undo the damage. This isn’t just about politics. It’s about whether the Church is willing to be the Church or if it’s comfortable being a tool for power.
For decades, American evangelicalism has walked a fine line between faith and nationalism. At times, the line has been erased altogether. Many Christians have been raised in churches where patriotism and Christianity weren’t just intertwined—they were treated as the same thing.
The result? A faith that often looks more like civil religion than radical discipleship. Jesus’ teachings on love, humility and justice have been blended with an ideology that prioritizes national supremacy and political dominance. The Gospel, in many places, has been compromised.
Amanda Tyler, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee, has spent years warning against this merger of faith and nationalism. “Whenever the state gets too cozy with Christianity, Christianity is the one that gets compromised,” she told RELEVANT. And she’s right.
The problem isn’t just that Christian Nationalism distorts Christian teachings—it’s that it reshapes Christian identity altogether. Instead of viewing themselves primarily as citizens of God’s kingdom, many believers have begun to see American citizenship as an essential part of their faith. This isn’t a minor theological misstep; it’s a fundamental shift that changes how people view salvation, justice and the role of the Church in the world.
But what about Christians who simply want to see biblical values reflected in society? That’s a fair question. For many, their desire to engage in politics isn’t about power—it’s about conviction. They believe their faith calls them to advocate for policies that reflect God’s justice, protect the vulnerable and uphold moral values. And they’re not wrong to care.
The Bible does call Christians to seek the welfare of their communities, to stand for righteousness and to be a light in a broken world. Faith should absolutely shape how believers approach issues like poverty, justice and human dignity. The problem isn’t Christians wanting their faith to influence society. The problem is when the Church trades its prophetic role for political dominance—when it stops challenging power and starts chasing it.
Jesus was explicitly clear about the nature of his kingdom: “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36).
That wasn’t just a poetic statement—it was a theological bombshell. The early Christians understood this well, often suffering under Roman rule rather than seeking to merge their faith with the empire’s power structures. They refused to take up arms in the name of nationalism. Instead, they committed themselves to love, justice and peace, even when it cost them everything.
But somewhere along the way, much of American Christianity traded this countercultural identity for political influence. Churches need to re-emphasize the radical message of Jesus’ kingdom—a kingdom that transcends national borders, political parties and earthly power. Pastors must preach that allegiance to Christ is not synonymous with allegiance to a country and that the Gospel calls believers to prioritize love, justice and humility over political control.
For many Christians, their political worldview has been shaped more by cable news and social media than by the teachings of Jesus. That’s a discipleship failure. The Church must take seriously its responsibility to form believers who are shaped by Scripture rather than partisan talking points.
This means getting back to the basics—reading the Gospels with fresh eyes, wrestling with Jesus’ teachings on power and humility and creating spaces where difficult conversations can happen. It means teaching believers that their primary identity is found in Christ, not in a political ideology. It means fostering communities where faith is not weaponized for political gain but cultivated for the sake of love and service.
The Church is at its best when it speaks truth to power, not when it seeks to wield it. Throughout history, the most impactful Christian movements have been those that challenged injustice rather than cozied up to political leaders. The Civil Rights Movement, led by figures like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., provides a powerful example of what it looks like when Christians stand for justice without seeking nationalistic dominance.
Christian leaders today must reclaim this prophetic voice. That means calling out the dangers of Christian Nationalism clearly and courageously. It means refusing to let political leaders co-opt Christian identity for their own gain. It means reminding congregations that the Church’s mission is not to defend a nation’s political interests but to embody the love and justice of Christ.
Rejecting Christian Nationalism doesn’t mean rejecting civic engagement. Christians should care about justice, public policy and the common good. But the moment the Church seeks power for power’s sake—the moment it begins to equate faithfulness with political dominance—it has lost the plot.
Christianity has survived for over two thousand years not because it aligned itself with political empires, but often in spite of them. The faith flourished under persecution, grew through acts of radical love and transformed societies not by seizing power, but by serving the least of these. This is the legacy the Church must reclaim.
For the Church to move forward, it must be willing to let go of its grip on political dominance and return to the heart of the Gospel. It must be willing to say, without hesitation, that Christian Nationalism is not just a political problem—it’s a theological one.
And it must commit itself, once again, to a kingdom that is not of this world.
