Christian Nationalism is at America’s Doorstep and It’s Terrifying
The rise of Christian Nationalism is a serious cause for concern
In 1932, the German Christians were established shortly before Hitler took power in Germany. Once the Führer succeeded in taking over the German Government, The German Christians strongly supported the new Nazi government, embracing nationalism, racism, and anti-Semitism.
In response, The Confessing Church was founded to oppose The German Christians. They believed that the Church’s commitment was to God, not a wannabe emperor with a lame mustache and an anger problem.
Both churches were German evangelical churches. They fought bitterly over the role of German Evangelism in people’s lives and politics. It was either neutrality, they stood by and watched the terror unfold across Europe, or they joined in the terror, enlisting in the Wehrmacht.
Should the church remain neutral or support the Nazi beliefs that many constituent members held?
Sixty percent of the Nazi Party was German Protestants.
Hang on to that number. It’ll come in handy.
Even though The Confessing Church was technically neutral, they published a slew of anti-Semitic propaganda. They reproduced the writings of Martin Luther, founder of Protestantism, printing tens of thousands of copies of Martin Luther über die Juden: Weg mit ihnen!
Translation: Martin Luther on the Jews: Away with Them!
Hardly what I’d call “neutral” but okay.
Either way, they didn’t put up much of a fight against Nazism, and both groups aided the Nazis in their takeover of Europe.
Then came a strange twist…
Later in Hitler’s reign, the Nazis used The German Christian church to take control of German Evangelicals completely. The attempt failed. After the horrific nature of the Nazis came to light, Evangelicals decided to remain neutral and quit pushing propaganda.
Some objected to enlistment in the Wehrmacht. Others were angry over children forced into Hitler Youth. Some protested and were sent to the gas chambers over it.
I won’t regurgitate tired comparisons of Republicans and Nazis. That’s both disingenuous and cheap. But we must understand how easy it is for traditional churches to get swept up in extreme far-right-wing politics.
Hitler hated religion. He saw it as a vehicle to wield power.
Though America is far from being a Nazi Germany, it does feel a little totalitarian lately.
In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed a new sports complex for the Tampa Bay Rays after they tweeted about needing gun safety.
When asked about it, DeSantis doubled down but denied it was retaliation, saying he vetoed the new stadium because he doesn’t believe in building sports arenas.
We’re skeptical.
DeSantis stripped Disney of the special tax status it’s enjoyed for more than 55 years back in April. This came after Disney criticized the so-called “don’t say gay” bill that restricts discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in schools. DeSantis admitted this was retaliation.
Similar bills were passed in Tenessee, Georgia, and several other Republican-held States that ban anything that would “promote, normalize, support, or address lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, or transgender issues or lifestyles.”
Republicans say Liberals are “grooming” elementary school kids by discussing “gender, skin color, consent, empathy, [women’s] bodies, and autonomy.” Laura Ingraham says this is “radical” to Fox News Republicans.
This is Christian Nationalism in America.
While we’re far from repeating 1930s Germany, the marriage of totalitarian right-wing politics and Evangelism feels eerily similar. Evangelism in America is becoming synonymous with extremist right-wing politics.
According to Pew Research, sixty percent of Evangelicals voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020. Coincidentally, this matches Hitler’s support from rural, economically-minded Evangelicals in Germany.
Nine percent of Trump voters defected from Trump between 2016 and 2020.
18% of Evangelical voters converted to Trump, voting for someone else in 2016 but changing their minds and voting for Trump in 2020.
Only 13% of Evangelical voters voted against Trump in 2016 and 2020.
Evangelicals are moving farther to the extreme right and away from the middle. The words “Evangelical” and “Republican” are becoming perfect synonyms.
Much of this has to do with the totalitarian anti-sex stances Trump delivered on and, like the antics of Governor DeSantis, his willingness to fight bitterly for this minority population.
Only 23% of America identifies as Evangelical.
A Republican-held Senate and the current Republican-nominated Supreme Court represent less than 20% of America.
Trump’s appointed Supreme Court Justices are ready to overturn Roe V Wade and Casey V Planned Parenthood, allowing states to ban abortion, even though only 27% of Americans agree that abortion should be illegal in most cases.
Only 8% believe abortion should be illegal in all cases, yet, many right-wing and Evangelical states are ready with trigger laws waiting to implement total bans on abortion.
But this isn’t about abortion — it’s about sex. I’ve detailed the history of religious anti-sex laws throughout America’s history. Abortion bans are an assault on sexual liberties—especially for women.
They’re anti-sex, not pro-life.
Why else would they want to undo marriage equality? Why else would they want to ban birth control along with abortions?
Birth control prevents abortions.
Republican candidate for U.S. Senate from Arizona, Blake Masters, said he’d only vote for Supreme Court Justices willing to overturn cases that protect the right to contraceptives.
Sitting Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn has said she thinks contraceptives should only be available to married couples (to prevent premarital sex).
The fact that banning IUDs is even being discussed says it all.
This happened before. America banned condoms, sex education, erotica, and contraception for a century before Roe V Wade. The sentence was five years of hard labor in prison.
And why else would they want to ban porn?
Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance says that pornography should be outright banned and that it’s a “public health crisis” (there is no credible scientific reason to believe this).
In Utah, the State Government signed a bill to ban phones without a filter preventing phones from accessing pornography. Mormons hate porn. They hate premarital sex. They share the same values as Evangelicals.
The Republican Party, under the influence of religious extremism, has become anti-free-speech and vehemently anti-sex. It’s become an anti-freedom party.
They’re frothing at the mouth to impose their views on the rest of us.
They want to ban phones that allow porn, porn itself, contraceptives, birth control, abortions, and free speech—but don’t you dare suggest moderate, sensible gun laws. If you do, they just might strip your funding in retaliation. Challenge their anti-gay agenda, and they’ll come after you with the State.
The Fourth Great Awakening has reached its pinnacle. It’s a period of extremist religious upheaval. And if history is our guide, religious extremists will use the power of the State as a tool for oppression.
The question is, will American Evangelicals eventually wake up the same way the Germans did? Or have they been consumed by a political apparatus hellbent on transforming religion into a vehicle for power and destruction?
Thanks for reading. Sign up to my Medium email list so you don’t miss a beat.
Full disclosure: I'm a Christian and a centrist who shares some of your concerns.
I wanted to add one thing: I believe one of the major things going wrong here is a belief that America is a Christian nation. My own view is that we are a PLURALIST nation structured to support the free exercise of religion, for all. Our founders get a lot of flack these days, but they had some good ideas on this front.