SENATORS & IMMIGRANTS:

brittbryan1001
Mar 3, 2024
4 min read

Updated: Mar 3, 2024

Why Christian nationalism is anti-biblical.

Have you ever said something and the SECOND it came out of your mouth, you regretted it?

I did that this week. I was talking to a 19-year-old student at Georgia Tech and asked him where he was from. But because of his ethnicity, it fully sounded like I was asking his immigration status.

I just so happened to know he was attending college from out of state and what I meant was, "What state are you from?" I don't know if he took it that way, though...I kicked myself for that for the rest of the day.

But that's NOTHING compared to what Senator Tommy Tuberville said this week about the southern border. I mean...YIKES.

In case you missed it, here's what he said:

"We live in a Constitutional Republic that’s trying to do things without our Judo-Christian values. The biggest thing right now I will tell you is what's going on at our southern border. When you've got a country without borders, you don't have a country." - Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama

Okay so, just forgive that he referenced "Judo-Christian" values. We all know it's Judeo-Christian, not "Judo." Maybe it was a Freudian slip; that would kinda explain his adversarial posture towards immigrants...

Look, it's totally fine to want strong immigration policies. It's also fine to speak openly about your morals and values. It's just really odd that he would merge Christianity in general to HIS political views, when the Bible is full of commands to care for the immigrant, the marginalized, the widower, the orphan, the poor...

Anyway, it actually gets worse. Tuberville goes on to say:

“We have to get moral values back into our country. And you can’t do that when you have a million people every couple of months come into this country that know nothing about God, that know nothing about our laws and constitution.”

I am sure he will walk back these remarks, if he hasn't already.

But Tuberville's personal flub aside, his comment is representative of a larger issue within our country today, thanks to the rise in popularity of a movement called "Christian nationalism."

WHAT IS CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM?

Christian nationalism is not a new development (I've written about its roots and history in a previous blog) and it happens in other countries too. But, for the purposes of this discussion, I’m speaking about the trend in America.

Some people confuse nationalism with patriotism, but they are not the same thing. And when Christians muddle them up, the result is devastating for both Christianity and America.

"Patriotism" means you love and are devoted to your country.

"Nationalism" also means loyalty and devotion to a nation, but it goes much further by "exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups" (Merriam-Webster).

"Christian nationalism," according to an article in Christianity Today, is the belief that America is defined by Christianity, and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way.

Recent surveys show more than half the Republican party now supports Christian nationalism. What was once a fringe group has become the mainstream -- that's how popular this movement has become.

WHY SHOULD WE CARE ABOUT THIS?

The messaging behind Christian nationalism is incredibly effective. Which is precisely why those of us who identify as "Christian" need to be extremely wary of it.

And we should care because Christian nationalism has become a religion in itself. It elevates our national identity above our true identity, which is in Christ and Christ alone.

Put more bluntly, Christian nationalism is idolatry.

As Christians, we must separate our identity in Christ from our political affiliation. These spheres should not overlap, especially if the result of that is harm to others.

Christian nationalism is also at complete odds with the message of the gospel. If we want to discern whether something...a belief, an action, a word...is good or bad, all we have to do is look at the fruit it produces. And the fruit of Christian nationalism is rotten.

Love of God and love of country are wonderful things. But Christian nationalism goes far beyond that and is sinister because it inherently separates. It places American and Christian culture above all others. It draws boundary lines Jesus himself came to erase.

Put more bluntly, Christian nationalism is anti-biblical.

OKAY, SO...HOW DO WE RESPOND TO THIS ISSUE?

When I heard Senator Tuberville’s comment about immigrants not knowing God, it inspired me to put out this blog. Because even though what he said is ridiculous and untrue, the sad reality is that he said it because he knows there is an audience who will react and respond to those kinds of statements. And unfortunately, a large portion of that audience is made up of Evangelical Christians.

With this being an election year, there will be many more comments like this. There will be many voices and things competing for our attention and allegiance. So, there is no getting around it; we have to respond to this moment.

One way to respond is by openly and unapologetically denouncing Christian nationalism. I hope I have made that case here.

But beyond that, we can respond by reminding ourselves that Jesus never excluded anyone, anywhere, ever. We can read the gospels and Paul's letters when we need to be reminded of this (Ephesians 2 is a beautiful picture of how Jesus desired for us to live among one another in peace).

We can remind ourselves that the biblical vision of the Kingdom of Heaven is one of inclusion and diversity.

In the Book of Revelation, John describes a vision of what Christianity looks like at its best:

“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” - Revelation 7:9

And finally, we can recommit ourselves to remain true to our identity in Christ above all else.