How Mainline Protestants Help Build Christian Nationalism

“Evangelicals often rightly get critiqued for pushing Christian Nationalism. But the historical events and symbols such preachers and politicians point to as ‘evidence’ the U.S. should be a Christian nation are often the very things mainline Protestants either helped implement or encouraged.”

Those words appear in a brand new piece we wrote that was just published by Religion & Politics, a publication of the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. It’s a provocative look at how our nation is today reaping what mainline Protestants helped sow in churches, government, and society. As we explained in the piece, “It is hard to overstate the influence mainline Protestants wielded during much of the 20th century. They inadvertently used it to aid the cause of Christian Nationalism.”

We’re honored the essay was published by Religion & Politics, but we wanted to make sure you see it as well. So check out the whole piece. And we especially hope mainline Protestant ministers and lay leaders will consider it as we note some ways to help combat Christian Nationalism in their own congregations and beyond.

Thanks for reading. Your support of A Public Witness (especially if you’re a paid subscriber) helps us impact the public conversation here and at other outlets like Religion & Politics. And as our new piece demonstrates, there is much work yet to be done.