Christian nationalist rhetoric uses coded ethno-traditionalism to mean white rule

Evidence

White Christian nationalism is nationalist because it rejects pluralism and what many on the right call “globalism.” It expresses a desire for national unity and international power. But unity around what? And power for whom? Unity around what political scientist Eric Kaufmann calls “ethno-traditionalism,” a national myth that blurs distinctions between culture and race with talk of “Christian heritage and values.” And power for whites. Because when some whites—many whites, in fact—hear the words “Christian” and “American,” they think of “people who look and think like us.” A truly Christian nation, in their view, would celebrate and privilege the sacred history, liberty, and rightful rule of white conservatives, tolerating “others” at best; enslaving, expelling, or exterminating them at worst. This is the root of the massive resistance of some whites to removing Confederate statues or to teaching about racism in American history—to impugn the racial history of the nation is to dispute the chosenness and fundamental goodness of white Christians. — Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, The Flag and the Cross, 66

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the operative orien of white Christian nationalism as ethno-traditionalism blurring culture and race.
• XREF: connects to: 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; Christian nationalism conflates whiteness with Christian American identity — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 14; White Christian identity is conflated in conservative rhetoric with whiteness itself — Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, The Flag and the Cross: White Christian…, 165 (+2 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 conflates whiteness with Christian American identity #corroborates (0.90) — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 14
• White Christian identity is conflated in conservative rhetoric with whiteness itself #corroborates (0.85) — Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, The Flag and the Cross, 165
• Christian nationalism fuses moral traditionalism, authoritarian control, and ethno-racial boundaries #expands (0.85) — Andrew L. Whitehead, American Idolatry, 142
• Christian nationalism fuses ethnic, racial, and political hierarchy with religious identity #expands (0.80) — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 66