Unraveling the Strands of Christian Nationalism - Part 4

Opening Prayer

All things come from you, O God, and to you we return. All things emerge in your great river of life and into you we vanish again. At the beginning of this day we wake, not as separate streams but as countless currents in a single flow, the flow of this day’s dawning, the flow of this day’s delight, the flow of this day’s sorrows, your flow, O God, in the twistings and turnings of this new day

• John Philip Newell, Praying with the Earth – A Prayerbook for Peace, p. 26.

Unraveling the Strands of Christian Nationalism:

What is Christian Nationalism? When did it emerge? What interpretation of scripture regarding the End Times drives Christian Nationalism? How does systemic racism undergird it? Can you be a patriot without being a Christian Nationalist?

What is Christian Nationalism? – Part Three

Report from the House of Bishops Theology Committee [The Episcopal Church] (cont’d)

“There are at least two varieties of Christian Nationalism in the United States. The first, church statism, openly advocates theocracy: a government of, by, and for Christians, and ruled by scriptural mandates. The second variety, a colorblind Judeo-Christian nationalism, opposes theocracy, yet limits membership in the American people to those who embrace the primacy of Judeo-Christian culture.”

“These disordered nationalisms, - church statism and Judeo-Christian nationalism – require a response. It is not adequate only to think the right things, say thoughtfully worded prayers, or learn more about what troubles us about our society. Theological reflection should also lead to theologically based actions.”

• The Crisis of Christian Nationalism, 2024, pp. 20.

The Quiet Rise of Christian Dominionism

In a recent Wall Street Journal article (see sources below), the writer labels Douglas Wilson as “the incendiary pastor [who] calls for taking away women’s right to vote and barring non-Christians from holding office.” Wilson cofounded the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), a Calvinist denomination, in 1998. “In Wilson’s vision of a biblically oriented America, abortion would be illegal. So would same-sex relations, LGBTQ Pride parades and other public displays of what he calls sexual immorality.” “One of Wilson’s core messages is that the Bible creates a hierarchy in society: Jesus is the lord of all domains, while in the home, women are subservient to men. Wilson believes the basic unit of democracy should be the household: Each household gets a vote, with the husband and father controlling the ballot.”

This type of thinking emerges from a worldview known as Christian Dominionism. “Christian Dominionism is the belief that Christians should take moral, spiritual, and ecclesiastical control over society.”

“The roots of Christian Dominionism are found in the mid-20 th century, when Rousas John Rushdoony developed a hermeneutic [method or theory of interpretation] called Christian Reconstructionism. The central tenet of Rushdoony’s teaching is that God has tasked Christians with taking dominion over society, beginning in Genesis 1:28, in which God commands humans to take dominion over the earth. While many Christians have applied this verse in the context of stewardship, Rushdoony taught that this creation mandate is really a dominion mandate, commanding humans to bring every sphere of society – as well as nature itself – into subjugation under Christ. In his view, Christ’s sacrificial death nullified the Fall and subsequent curse of Genesis 3, and enabled Christians to perfectly follow God’s law. Reconstructionism is a guidebook for Christians to reconstruct society according to Rushdoony’s understanding of Mosaic law. (Notably, his understanding differs dramatically from historical Jewish interpretations and includes stoning
LGBTQ individuals.)”

“What would the perfectly reconstructed society look like? Rushdoony taught that it would provide man – specifically the male gender – with the greatest possible freedom, due to the absence of a government that currently limits that freedom. A federal government would no longer be responsible for laws that govern public safety, social programs (including public schools and welfare), or just about anything else.”

“Instead, society would be reconstructed so that the male-headed family and local church fulfill the roles that currently belong to the government, which would have the authority only to protect private property and punish capital offenses. Families and churches, as the cornerstones of the reconstructed society, would implement Mosaic law, with Christ as king over what would have become a Christian nation.”

“Following Rushdoony, a hyper-charismatic movement known as the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) picked up on dominionist theology while jettisoning reconstructionism’s goal of Mosaic law.” The main piece of their theology is known as the Seven Mountain Mandate (7MM). “This is the NAR form of dominionism. The7MM suggests that there are seven mountains of culture: religion and church, family, education, government, media, arts and entertainment, and business and economics. Historically, Christians have focused on only the first mountain by building churches, to the neglect of the others. The new revelation for today is that they are to hold positions of leadership over all the mountains of culture so that they can attain dominion over every aspect of society.”

“These Christians are hard at work attempting to create their version of a Christian government. If we are concerned about those who stand to lose the most from the excesses and abuses of a deregulated public sphere, we need to pay attention to the development of Christian Dominionism.”

• Sources: Aaron Zitner, “Douglas Wilson Want the U.S. to Be a Christian Republic. MAGA Is Listening,” The Wall Street Journal, Saturday/Sunday, September 27-28, 2025. Keri Ladner, “The Quiet Rise of Christian Dominionism,” The Christian Century, November 2022.

For this week: For reflection: How would you define and distinguish the two varieties of Christian Nationalism in the United States: (1) church statism and (2) Judeo-Christian Nationalism? What examples do you have of each?

An invitation to our virtual participants: Discussion and comments are very much encouraged and welcomed. Online discussions can be held in the comments section in the upcoming post on Social Media for this week’s Deacon’s Reflection which is part of adult formation at St. Francis Episcopal Church.

Closing Prayer – Prayer of Blessing

Blessings on the day born of night. Blessings on the earth wedded to heaven. Blessings on the creatures adored by angels. Blessings on our bodies alive with spirit. Blessings on our minds filled with dreams. Blessings on our hearts opened by love. Blessings, blessings, blessings.
May the light of God illumine the heart of my soul.
May the flame of Christ kindle me to love.
May the fire of the Spirit free me to live this day, tonight, and forever. Amen.

• John Philip Newell, Praying with the Earth - A Prayerbook for Peace, p. 28.

“Unraveling the Strands of Christian Nationalism,” Deacon Joe Dzugan, St. Francis Episcopal Church, 2025.