Jude 1:3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

While watching a YouTube video, where a Christian YouTube content creator was answering whether he was a Christian nationalist, I was troubled. It seems to me that despite the nearness of Christ’s return, there will be Christians who believe the nation they live in will defy Biblical precedent and be the first Christian nation.

In this belief, these individuals believe that through politics and law the United States will be what God ordained it to be; a nation where God’s law and morals become the law, morals and cultural dominance of all its people.

Let me be clear that Christian nationalism, in America, is no more the faith once delivered to the saints, than the nationalism of Israel at the time of Christ (or prior) was pure Old Testament faith and religion.

With the 2024 election season having begun, it is important that followers of Christ have an appropriate understanding of politics, considering what the Bible declares concerning our lives in the last days.

To be clear, I am not opposed to voting for candidates whose policies are reflective of the morals and desires of God for human government and relationship. We ought to vote that way.

The problem is when we begin to deify politicians, as the only solution to make America what it once was, as a supposed “Christian nation”.

Before untangling this false narrative among evangelical Christians, concerning the foundations of this nation, let us work a definition for Christian nationalism.

Christian nationalism is the false belief that the United States of America was founded to be an exclusively Christian nation. In this belief, it is imperative that our national documents and laws reflect biblical precepts concerning law, culture, and religion.

Although the above ideals have never governed this nation exclusively, Christian nationalists suspend history and declare the nation has been hijacked from its supposed Christian foundation. Christian nationalists believe that by dominating the political process, through electing the right and God ordained candidate, the nation will be saved.

Therefore, it is imperative that we elect the candidates that will put Christians in the most advantageous position to retake America for God.

One of the many problems with this false ideology is that it negates our blessed hope, for the hope of a restored Christian nation. This also reveals another falsehood.

A majority of American bible believing Christians believe in a pre-tribulation rapture. With that position they believe they will not suffer any tribulation (not true see II Timothy 3:12). In this falsehood, Christian nationalists reading the handwriting on the wall, need to retake the nation for God to avoid the persecution Christians have suffered for 2000 years.

WAS AMERICA EVER A CHRISTIAN NATION

The simple answer to this question is no, not in the sense that the Christian nationalists define it. It is true that most of the population would have deemed themselves Christians. This Christianity was largely nominal across the spectrum, but not evangelical as we understand it today.

That is not to say there were not pockets of revival and on fire Christians, but that those were not focused on influencing a national government, as they were subjects of the King of England. It is important to remember that most of the population, even a few decades prior to the war for independence, were loyal to the crown.

But let us take a trip even further back to the puritan pilgrims, to whom many Christian nationalists point to as being the founding of the United States.

Landing at Plymouth Rock in 1620, it is undeniable that the pilgrims came to the new world not only to avoid persecution from the King of England and his Anglican church, but also to avoid the worldliness that snuck into their youth.

Many do not know that the pilgrims first fled to Holland, and more specifically to the city of Amsterdam in 1608. In that city they could work in new factories and practice their faith without persecution. They also found a fact of Christian life, that when there is not persecution, we can let our guard down and the enemy can come to sabotage our faith in other ways.

After 10 years the puritans understood they were losing their young people to the world, the flesh and the devil, as they were tempted by the liberal nature and permissive culture of that city. They returned to England to plan their next move. That next move was to America, for the purpose of setting up a Christian colony, not a nation.

After the troublous first years they began to gain ground around Massachusetts, and they did seek to live under God’s law and enforce it upon those who lived there. Although this sounds benevolent, it is not biblical. Our Great Commission mandate is to make disciples of all nations, teaching the to observe all things that Jesus said unto us (Matthew 28:18-20).

This observing was not to be done, under the threat of penalty from man, as that would be a new pharisaical law, something the Christian nationalists of today do not understand.

Many have pointed to the writings of early pilgrim leaders like John Winthrop, who wrote that the Plymouth colony would be God’s city shining on a hill. Winthrop’s vision, although sincere and nice is a misapplication of God’s word, as Matthew 5:13-16 is not in reference to a geographic location, but the presence of His church worldwide, until Christ comes.

That said, it is a historical fact that the influence of the pilgrims, concerning overall colonial influence had waned 40 to 50 years after the planting of the Plymouth colony. By the year 1700 that influence was insignificant—by the time of the war for Independence it was gone.

There were two other colonies which had more influence on the war for Independence and the founding of this nation. The first is the Jamestown settlement of 1608, which would lead to the colony of Virginia. This colony was an economic boon for the colonies and the future founding because of tobacco and the slaves trade needed to produce this crop.

As lucrative as the economics of Virginia, perhaps the establishment of the settlement of New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island in 1621, was even more influential to our founding. This city, which would become New York City, was the fountain head for the colony of New Netherlands, which encompassed New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Delaware.

No one can deny the economic impact this colony had through the fur trade and economic institutions which rose in New York City, which was the first capital of the United States.

The point is that these two early settlements had undeniable impact on the founding of United States, whereas the pilgrims influence was negligible at best.

OTHER FACTS ABOUT THE FOUNDING OF AMERICA

When dealing with the founding of the United States three names aid us in understanding that America was not founded as a Christian nation. These three men were Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Payne.

Franklin was representative to English parliament on behalf of the American colonies. Franklin was a demagogue in American colonial society, writing poor Richard’s Almanac, being a well know scientist and the afore mentioned representative to the English parliament. Franklin was also the focus of questionable, immoral, and even possibly satanic activities.

Ben Franklin gave us the phrase that fueled many loyal to the crown to begin to consider a possible revolution “No taxation without representation”. Note the phrase had nothing to do with religious freedom.

It was also Franklin, who turned the tide of support for independence, at the Continental Congress in New York City, by using religious rhetoric and scripture improperly. Which leads us to Thomas Payne.

This man wrote the fiery call to Independence “Common Sense” which was circulated through out the colonies. In this work, Payne an avowed hater of religion and a deist, used fiery rhetoric that bordered on religiousness, to convince a weary population to seek independence.

Payne’s deism was the same as Thomas Jefferson’s, a man who thought Christ a good teacher, but not the Son of God and not one who did the miracles written of Him.

Jefferson and Payne, as well as many of those included as Christians in the list of founders, believed in a benevolent god, that was not involved in the affairs of men. Like a cosmic watchmaker who designed the universe and wound it and left.

When looking at Jefferson’s greatest work (others contributed and edited it), the Declaration of Independence, we see this belief, which was deistic (not Christian) and was the language of John Locke and natural law, a man most of the founders were influenced by.

The declaration was important, but it is the United States Constitution that is the founding of our national government. I can assure you there are no scriptural citations in this document.

Many Christian nationalists point to the first amendment to declare our founding as a Christian nation…

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

This first Amendment declares three basic freedoms to American citizens. Firstly, the right to practice whatever religion you choose. Secondly, the right for the news media to be controlled by conscience rather than censored by the government. Thirdly, citizens have a right to protest against the government publicly, in essence this makes up the right of free speech.

It is the first protection to which Christian nationalists point to, in error, as why we were founded as Christian nation. Many declare “What other religion were they referring to too, because everybody was a Christian, at that time? Well, that is simply not true.

In early America, there were many nominal Christians and a few walking talking bible thumping Christians, but there were also many Catholics, tons of Deists like Jefferson and Payne, as well as many Freemasons. All these above groups were persecuted by the church of England, under England’s one religion policy.

It was the Freemason’s who had most influence, especially when considering the choice and design of Washington D.C. for the nation’s capital, early into this nation’s history.

It is not difficult to see how major players used and continue to use Christian nationalism, to influence Christians to follow a particular agenda. This reality can be seen in other nations as well. Christian nationalism is not an American idea.

CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM AMONG THE NATIONS

Consider England as a world power. At its height of power, from the 1500’s to later 1700’s it was a monarchy which claimed divine right from God. The country was sold on the idea that its kings would increase English power to where the sun would never set on its empire. It is important to remember that the monarchy allowed only one religion and persecuted detractors.

Consider the Christian nationalism under the Czars of Russia, where Jews and those who did not follow Russian Orthodox practice were persecuted.

Perhaps one of the most brutal of all Christian nationalist movements was that under the Holy Roman Empire. This entity existed in some form from the early 700’s and married Germanic emperors with the power and influence of the Roman Catholic Church.

This empire lasted for approximately 1000 years and was determined by Hitler to be the 1st Reich or reign and was followed by the 2nd Reich from 1871 to the end of world war I in 1918.

After WWI Germany was decimated and its population depressed, and it only grew over the next several years. Germany was the shame of nations. Roman Catholics and Protestants had their own political parties and gained much power. As a matter of fact, many were looking for someone to make Germany great again.

In stepped Hitler, who was not a Christian. The religious leaders overlooked his antisemitism because they did not care for Jews either. They overlooked his writings and radical fascists ideology, because once in power, he appeared to turn the economy around. Make no mistake, Christian nationalism, was manipulated by Hitler, until they one day awoke to the deception they fell for.

CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM BREEDS BLINDNESS AND PERSECUTION

To be clear, I am not suggesting that former president Trump is a Hitler like figure, but I am suggesting that Christian nationalism has made many Christians in America blind.

Books are being written by Christians that President Trump is divinely ordained as president again, and will defend this man, who has walked back his pro-life support.

Even more troubling is how Christian nationalists would love to have Vivek Ramaswamy as the vice-presidential candidate. Ramaswamy is a devout Hindu, a man who worships a false god and believes in Kundalini, which is demonic.

This will be a man a breath away from the presidency of what is supposed to be a Christian nation. How can Christian nationalists support a ticket, when the vice president is a Hindu, a religion from a country which produced the Swastika eventually used by Hitler—a nation from where his idea of Arian supremacy was partially formed from the oppression of the caste system.

I am not a Christian nationalist, because it is not the faith once delivered to the saints. Christian nationalism is based on faulty theology and outright lies. If we live to see another election, prayerfully consider the candidates and if you can vote with a clear conscience, do so.

Remember voting is supposed to be anonymous. Don’t be a political activist, be a Great commission Christian, that is what God promised to bless.