2 Main Threats Christian Nationalism Poses to the United States
It's anti-democratic and it sanctifies political violence.
In a recent video, Mike Huckabee—former governor of Arkansas who is also an ordained Baptist minister—claimed that 2024 will be the last US election “decided by ballots rather than bullets” if former President Donald Trump doesn’t win.
Huckabee is no stranger to using Christian nationalist rhetoric and his most recent book explores the “three Cs that made America great.” Christianity, obviously, is one. Can you guess the other two?
So why shouldn’t we be surprised when someone like Huckabee threatens violence as a response to an unwanted political outcome?
The threat of violence—or the use of violence—is a fundamental aspect of the cultural framework of Christian nationalism.
Christian nationalism refers to an ideology that asserts all civic life in the United States should be organized according to a particular expression of Christianity—one that is religiously and politically conservative. Christian nationalism is more than theological or religious beliefs. It includes several cultural assumptions including:
· Strict moral traditionalism focused on sustaining social hierarchies.
· Comfort with authoritarian control—exercised by the “right” people—that includes the threat and use of violence.
· A desire for strict ethno-racial boundaries around who is a “true” American, where non-white and non-natural born citizens are viewed as unworthy of full participation in American civic life. (This is why many label it white Christian nationalism)
· A populist impulse that inclines Americans toward feelings of victimization, conspiratorial thinking, and suspicion toward “elite” leaders and institutions (e.g., mainstream media, academics, universities, scientists, insider politicians).
Many Americans believe Christianity played a role in the founding period. And no reputable historian would argue that claim. However, Christian nationalism moves beyond that observation.
It demands that this very particular expression of Christianity operates as the principle and undisputed framework for the United States and that the government should vigorously defend and preserve that framework.
As I write in my latest book American Idolatry: “Christian nationalism does not want a government for the people by the people. It wants a government for a particular people, by a particular people.”
Namely, politically and religiously conservative white American Christians.
Recent surveys show that anywhere between 10% and 15% of Americans strongly embrace Christian nationalism. Another 19% to 30% are merely sympathetic, likely to stay silent rather than forcefully argue in favor of Christian nationalism.
So it is perhaps easy to sense the danger Christian nationalism can pose to a pluralistic democratic society, like the United States, or at least what the United States aspires to, when these folks would prefer only a small subset of the population enjoy privileged access to power.
Huckabee’s comments, however, allow us to clearly identify two of the main threats Christian nationalism poses to the United States.
It is fundamentally anti-democratic.
I write about how Christian nationalism is about power. Power in the “right” hands in order to ensure the United States fulfills its covenant with God. In this light, power becomes an idol, promising protection but demanding allegiance.
However, democracy demands we share power. This places Christian nationalism at odds with democracy.
So when Americans like Huckabee who believe Trump is the only one who can ensure the country does not turn its back on God, they must do all they can to stand for what they see as the ultimate good—returning “God’s choice” to power.
They are willing to set aside democracy itself, ignoring the results of fair and free elections, in order to fulfill their interpretations of God’s commands.
This is why in one recent study we find that Americans who embrace Christian nationalism are more likely to:
· Deny voter suppression is a problem
· Believe it is “too easy to vote” in the United States
· Believe voter fraud is rampant
· Support having to pass a civics test in order to vote
· Support laws that would disenfranchise anyone who committed certain crimes
Christian nationalism will choose power over democracy time after time.
It approves of political violence.
Comfort with violence is a natural byproduct of Christian nationalism’s obsession with power. At times, the only way to get people to do what they should—as God commanded—is with the use (or threat) of force.
Embracing Christian nationalism is a leading predictor of which Americans believe the riots at the Capitol on January 6th were justified and that violence is acceptable in advancing political goals.
A recent survey fielded by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) shows Christian nationalism is also closely linked to believing true American patriots may have to resort to physical violence in order to save the United States.
These findings suggest that to a subset of the American population, January 6th was no mere aberration.
And Mike Huckabee’s words underscore how the dark undercurrents linking Christian nationalism, anti-democratic values, and a comfort with political violence are still flowing.