Christian Nationalism a Theological Error

That was the determination made by the latest General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States. It's about time mainstream Christians started saying this out loud. There is literally no way to reconcile the Christian Nationalist project with the actual teachings attributed to Jesus Christ. I could go through a whole bunch of Bible citations to support that point, but let's just say I wholeheartedly agree with this determination.

Commissioners to the 227th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted overwhelmingly to declare White Christian nationalism and similar ideologies “a theological error” incompatible with the teachings of Jesus Christ, advancing a proposed constitutional amendment that would add that language to the denomination’s Book of Order.

Erica Nelson speaks on behalf of the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy The Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP). Photo by Jonathan Watson. The assembly also approved a denomination-wide policy statement condemning White Christian nationalism, directed church leaders to expand public opposition to the movement through ecumenical partnerships and public witness, and declined to commemorate Presbyterians’ role in the American Revolution, citing concerns that such a celebration could elevate nationalism over the church’s gospel witness.

By a vote of 458-18, commissioners approved RUS-01, which asks the denomination’s 164 presbyteries to ratify new Book of Order language affirming the church’s commitment to justice, peace, mercy and human dignity while rejecting “any ideology that seeks to establish Christianity as a privileged or dominant force through the power of the state, or that conflates religious identity with national, racial, or ethnic supremacy.”

The apparent lack of faith shown by Christian Nationalists is utterly bizarre to me. If you honestly and sincerely believe that everybody who disagrees with you will be tortured for all eternity, why do you care about making their brief time on Earth harder by weaponizing the legal system against them? The easiest answer I can think of is that maybe they don't have faith at all, so they're doing everything they can to punish their supposed enemies here and now.

As a Thelemite I think the whole notion of eternal torment in the afterlife is nonsense, but if I'm wrong about that Christian scripture is pretty clear that those without faith are those who God will not save. If there really is a Heaven with pearly gates and the like, I expect that one of the first questions asked will be if they loved their neighbors as themselves. I am convinced that any Christian Nationalist who answers that question in the affirmative is lying, full stop.

Donald Trump was raised Presbyterian. Do I think he will now back off on the Christian Nationalist project? I highly doubt it, especially given how Catholics in the administration like J. D. Vance have been told in no uncertain terms by the actual Pope that they do not understand basic principles of Catholicism. There's no reason for me to think Trump takes his religion any more seriously, especially when it stands in the way of maximizing his political power.