What are the main theological beliefs behind Christian Nationalism?
Executive summary
Christian nationalism is a political theology that fuses Christianity with national identity and seeks to privilege a particular version of Christianity in public life; scholars say it aims to make a country “a Christian nation” and often treats the Bible or “biblical principles” as a basis for law and policy [1] [2]. Critics link its theology to exclusionary politics — prioritizing “us” over “them,” patriarchal social orders, and potential threats to pluralism and democratic checks and balances [3] [2] [4].
1. What Christian nationalism claims theologically: a fusion of faith and polity
Proponents frame Christian nationalism as a political theology that fuses faith with civic life, arguing the nation should be guided by Christian principles or even the Bible as the foundation for law and governance; Harvard Divinity School describes it as “an ideology of Christian supremacy” that advocates for a fusion of Christian faith and a country’s politics and civic life [1]. Project 2025 critics say Christian nationalist thought insists the Christian Bible should have primacy over public and private institutions and that government should be imbued with “biblical principles” [2].
2. National identity as sacred: “us” versus “them” in theological language
Many accounts stress that Christian nationalism recasts national belonging in theological terms, treating the nation as sacred and defining insiders and outsiders in religious-national terms; the New York Times columnist sums this up as a movement that is “about protecting ‘us’ against ‘them’ — the native versus the immigrant” and places power over universality [3]. ForeignPolicy notes the core nationalist claim: faith must protect order through exclusion, a theological stance that makes dissent resemble blasphemy [5].
3. Varieties and internal theological disputes
Observers emphasize there is not one uniform theology. Harvard’s convening and other commentators note multiple strains — from Calvinist-leaning nationalists who worry about heterodox leaders to Pentecostal or conservative Catholic flavors — and these strains disagree on leaders, strategy and doctrine [1]. Clearly Reformed’s engagement illustrates theological debate: some conservative theologians accept certain convictions tied to Christian influence yet reject expansive civil-magnetic powers that Christian nationalists sometimes demand [6].
4. Gender, sexuality and social order in theological terms
Christian nationalist theology frequently carries a patriarchal social vision, according to critics, positioning traditional gender roles and opposing legal recognition of gay rights; Project 2025 analyses and reporting contend the movement’s blueprint advances a patriarchal view that does not recognize gender equality or gay rights and sanctions discrimination on religious grounds [2] [7]. The Fulcrum and Kettering reporting draw direct lines between those theological premises and policy recommendations in certain conservative transition plans [7] [2].
5. Theology with political consequences — from policy to violence
Scholars and empirical studies link Christian nationalist theology to concrete political outcomes: the movement’s privileging of a specific Christianity in public life correlates with exclusionary policies and, in quantitative research, with increased risk of violence against minority religious groups [8]. Harvard presenters and social scientists warn that political theologies that claim divine sanction for national projects can enable authoritarian or anti-pluralist impulses [1] [8].
6. Historical and moral critiques: theology versus gospel contrasts
Theological critics argue Christian nationalism departs from core Christian teachings about neighbor-love and universality; essays and magazine pieces contrast the Samaritan ethic — love of the foreigner that “transcends national boundaries” — with nationalist religious rhetoric that privileges natives [9]. Commentators trace historical precedents from Constantine through colonialism to argue Christian nationalism often weaponizes theology to justify empire and exclusion [10].
7. Limits of available reporting and competing perspectives
Available sources show both descriptive accounts of what Christian nationalism asserts and normative critiques of its effects; they also record internal disagreements among theologians and conservative activists [1] [6]. Sources do not provide an exhaustive theological catechism embraced uniformly by all who use the label — multiple strains and contested doctrines exist and some conservative thinkers reject the label while upholding certain convictions about Christian influence in public life [6] [1].
8. Why this matters: democracy, pluralism and theological accountability
Across the reporting, the core implication is theological claims about national identity have political power: when theology is used to justify exclusionary state projects, it changes law, social policy and democratic norms; critics worry this can erode constitutional checks and pluralism and mirror global illiberal movements that claim a civilizational or divine mandate [2] [4] [5]. The debate is both theological and civic: how a society reconciles faith’s moral claims with democratic pluralism remains contested in the sources [11] [12].