Christian nationalism is a dynamic ideology, not a single founding belief

Evidence

While the question we use in Figure I. is useful in that it gives us a general idea of where Americans stand on the Christian nation narrative, it doesn’t tell us how strongly Americans embrace Christian nationalism. Furthermore, “Christian nationalism” is not a single idea that can be measured solely by agreement with a founding myth, but rather a more dynamic ideology incorporating a number of beliefs and values. We want to know if Americans believe the United States should be a Christian nation, not just whether they think it is or was a Christian nation. — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 51

Categorization

• DEFINE: Establishes the operative definition of Christian nationalism as an ideology measured by whether America SHOULD be Christian, not whether it WAS - a distinction central to the empirical scale built later.
• XREF: connects to: Christian nationalism is not an exclusively evangelical ideology — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 213; Christian nationalism is a global, not uniquely American, phenomenon; Christian nationalism is a technologically modern movement, not a premodern relic — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers: Inside the…, 45 (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• Christian nationalism is not an exclusively evangelical ideology #expands (0.80) — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 213
• Christian nationalism is not synonymous with white evangelicalism. #expands (0.80) — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 15
• Christian nationalism is a global, not uniquely American, phenomenon #expands (0.78)
• Christian nationalism bundles political ideology with cultural religious claims #expands (0.78)
• Political party alone does not explain Americans’ Christian nationalist views #expands (0.76) — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 171
• Calling nationalism a religion uncritically presumes a fixed definition of religion #expands (0.75)
• Christian nationalism is a technologically modern movement, not a premodern relic #expands (0.72) — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers, 45
• Nationalism’s borrowings from religion do not make religion its source #expands (0.72) — Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular, 946