Opinion: A danger to the American body politic

Michael Flynn, a retired three-star general who served as Trump’s national security adviser, speaks on stage during the “ReAwaken America Tour” at Cornerstone Church, in Batavia, N.Y., in 2022. Carolyn Kaster / AP File
Published: 12-28-2024 7:00 AM
Modified: 01-07-2025 1:15 PM |
John McCollister lives in Walpole.
Commonly known as The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the U. S. Constitution are vital to the health of a free and fair democracy. The first of these amendments provides that, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” It also protects freedom of speech, the press, peaceful assembly, and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances.
Throughout American history, the proper relationship between church and state has been the subject of intense debate. In colonial America most western European immigrants were protestants. However, the new Americans included true believers from a wide variety of backgrounds and beliefs including Judaism, Catholicism, and Islam. Notwithstanding widely divergent opinions about religion in the original thirteen colonies, approval of the Bill of Rights by Congress in 1789 and later ratification by the colonies, codified the First Amendment to provide for religious liberty and prohibit a state-mandated religion.
Despite the long-standing guarantee of religious freedom in this country, increasing numbers of Americans are beginning to embrace Christian nationalism, the belief that the United States should be a Christian nation. But an October 2022 Pew poll also notes that Americans’ views of what it means to be a Christian nation are wide-ranging and are often ambiguous.
For some respondents, the designation means the subtle presence of Christian beliefs, with the values of charity and kindness embedded in everyday life, or a general belief in something bigger than themselves. Today, more and more religious and right-leaning political leaders are embracing the Christian nationalist label, and some even dispute the idea that the country’s founders wanted a separation of church and state. Some Republicans even favor declaring the United States a Christian nation. In 2022, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene made waves on social media, when she claimed Republicans should proudly embrace Christian nationalism.
ReAwaken America is a Christian nationalist group. Retired Army three-star general and former White House advisor Michael Flynn launched the group a few months after the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Campaigning in 2023, the ReAwaken America Tour was still carrying its message of a country under siege to tens of thousands of people throughout the U.S. The tour serves as a traveling roadshow and recruitment tool for an ascendant Christian nationalist movement. The tour wraps itself in the movement’s own definition of God, patriotism, and politics to increase its power and influence within the Republican Party. Grievance and contempt for government institutions are regular themes.
On the other side of the debate, many Americans, including the leaders of many Christian churches, have pushed back against Christian nationalism. They have called it a “danger” to the country. “Christian nationalism really undermines and attacks foundational values in American democracy. And that is a promise of religious freedoms for all,” said Amanda Tyler, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee that advocates for religious freedom.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State is another opponent of Christian nationalism and supports tenets such as:
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■Religious freedom protects everyone’s right to believe, or not believe, if they don’t harm others.
■The “wall of separation between church and state” is an American original. It is an American invention which was born in the Enlightenment.
■Religious extremists and their lawmaker allies want to force everyone to live according to their beliefs.
Christian nationalism is a deadly virus in the American body politic. Claiming that America is a Christian nation is not only false, but also antithetical to the multi-religious heritage of our country. Thus, attempts to codify Christian nationalism initiatives by the new Republican administration should be opposed vigorously.