Christian nationalism fuses ethnic, racial, and political hierarchy with religious identity

Evidence

Simply put, Christian nationalism is a cultural framework—a collection of myths, traditions, symbols, narratives, and value systems—that idealizes and advocates a fusion of Christianity with American civic life. But the “Christianity” of Christian nationalism is of a particular sort. We do not mean Christianity here as a general, meta-category including all expressions of orthodox Christian theology. Nor will we use terms such as “evangelicalism” or “white conservative Protestantism” (to the extent that these represent certain theological-interpretive positions) as synonyms for Christian nationalism. On the contrary, the “Christianity” of Christian nationalism represents something more than religion. As we will show, it includes assumptions of nativism, white supremacy, patriarchy, and heteronormativity, along with divine sanction for authoritarian control and militarism. It is as ethnic and political as it is religious. Understood in this light, Christian nationalism contends that America has been and should always be distinctively “Christian” (reflecting this fuller, more nuanced sense of the term) from top to bottom—in its self-identity, interpretations of its own history, sacred symbols, cherished values, and public policies—and it aims to keep it that way. — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 66

Categorization

• DEFINE: Core working definition of the book’s central term; essential operative concept for everything that follows.
• XREF: The constellation of nativism, white supremacy, patriarchy, and authoritarian militarism parallels what Cooper identifies in the social-conservative world-building project. — connects to: Christian nationalist zeal indexes commitment to a threatened racial and gender hierarchy — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 45; Christian nationalism bundles political ideology with cultural religious claims; White Christian nationalism fuses race and faith into one ethno-traditionalist identity — Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, The Flag and the Cross: White Christian…, 122 (+31 more)

Broader Connections

• White Christian nationalism fuses race and faith into one ethno-traditionalist identity #corroborates (0.95) — Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, The Flag and the Cross, 122
• Christian nationalism fuses moral traditionalism, authoritarian control, and ethno-racial boundaries #corroborates (0.90) — Andrew L. Whitehead, American Idolatry, 142
• Christian nationalism bundles political ideology with cultural religious claims #corroborates (0.85)
• Christian nationalism conflates whiteness with Christian American identity #corroborates (0.85) — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 14
• Religious identity functions as a racial marker within American hierarchies #expands (0.80) — Sahar F. Aziz, The Racial Muslim, 71
• Religion and nationalism fuse when religious symbols represent the nation #expands (0.80) — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized, 71
• Christian nationalist adherence is primarily political rather than religious #complicates (0.75) — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 214
• Religion and nationalism mutually constitute identity and resist clean separation #expands (0.75) — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized, 292
• White Christian nationalism explains seemingly contradictory Christian political behavior #expands (0.75) — Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, The Flag and the Cross, 17
• Christian nationalism predicts ultra-conservatism mainly for white Americans, not Black or Hispanic #qualifies (0.75) — Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, The Flag and the Cross, 98
• Cultural and political shifts can racialize religious identity #qualifies (0.70) — Saher Selod, Forever Suspect_ Racialized…, 150
• Christian nationalism seeks power, not pluralistic cultural influence #complicates (0.70) — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers, 26