What is Christian nationalism?
Defining Christian nationalism
Christian nationalism is not the same as Christianity, and it can be defined and understood in a variety of ways. In this campaign, we define Christian nationalism as “a political ideology that seeks to merge Christian and American identities, distorting both the Christian faith and America’s constitutional democracy.”
Some people may conflate Christian nationalism and Christianity because they both use the symbols and language of Christianity, such as a Bible, a cross and worship songs. But, Christian nationalism uses the veneer of Christianity to advance its own aims – to point to a political figure, party or ideology instead of Jesus. At Christians Against Christian Nationalism, we sometimes refer to it as “white Christian nationalism” to emphasize its frequent overlap with white supremacy.
There are other ways to approach and understand Christian nationalism, which you can hear discussed on this podcast (you can also watch a video clip).
At Christians Against Christian Nationalism, we believe Christians bear a special responsibility both to draw awareness to Christian nationalism’s gross distortion of the Christian faith and to work to explain its threat to democracy. But this job belongs to all of us, Christians and non-Christians. You do not have to be a Christian to combat Christian nationalism or to work with us, but we as Christians know that we have an important duty to root it out of our country, our congregations and ourselves. Learn more about this campaign.
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Dr. Andrew Whitehead and Dr. Samuel Perry defined Christian nationalism in their 2020 book Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States. You can also see their definition on this 1-page PDF handout available on our website.
Dr. Jemar Tisby shared his definition in a Substack post, including the use of “white” before the term: A Virtual Roundtable on the Threat of Christian Nationalism, Part 2 of 4
Dr. Anthea Butler defined white Christian nationalism in her contribution to Christian Nationalism and the January 6, 2021, Insurrection. Her section is on pages 4-6.
David French defined it in an op-ed in The New York Times: What is Christian Nationalism, Exactly?
Dr. Paul Miller defined Christian nationalism in this piece for Christianity Today:What is Christian nationalism?
This piece in The New Yorker by Kelefa Sanneh provides a definition: Under God: How Christian is Christian nationalism?
Measuring and identifying Christian nationalism
In this campaign, we intentionally avoid labeling people as “Christian nationalists.” This isn’t an “us versus them” issue. Christian nationalism isn’t a diagnosis — it’s not something you either have or don’t. Rather, it operates on a spectrum, much like racism. It exists throughout our society, and each of us has an ongoing choice to either embrace it or reject it, day by day.
In academic circles, researchers often use a scale to measure Christian nationalism, seeing how much people agree or disagree with certain statements. The questions used and the labels ascribed differ from study to study, and you can see a list of some academic findings below.
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Dr. Samuel Perry and Dr. Andrew Whitehead: Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States (2020)
PRRI: Support for Christian Nationalism in All 50 States: Findings from PRRI’s 2023 American Values Atlas (2024)
Neighborly Faith: Christian Nationalism: A New Approach (2023)
More questions?
Christian nationalism has been around for a long time – even before the founding of our country – but we are currently having a more public conversation about this ideology. This campaign exists to give you the tools you need to name, dismantle and counter Christian nationalism in your personal context and community.
Visit our page of Frequently Asked Questions for examples of Christian nationalism. Our “Endorsers” page shows some of the leaders of organizations who have supported this campaign, along with short statements from them about their concerns about the ideology. We also have a page sharing more about this campaign and how we began this work.