Christian Nationalism

10 questions to determine how Christian nationalist are you?

If someone called you a Chistian nationalist would you be furious…concerned…or hysterical with laughter?

This isn’t my quiz. I borrowed it from Christian apologist Mathew Everhard. He argues most people use this term incorrectly and that even then, most people who might fall in the sphere of Christian nationalism live on a spectrum that matters.

He offers 10 questions to help you figure out if you are a Christian nationalist and whether that’s a good or bad thing. He also gives you a ranking category to determine your passion about this label.

I figure I’ll analyze myself.

I believe it’s a somewhat nuanced stance concerning the intersection of faith and civic life, much misunderstood by the ideologically possessed, so I have no desire to have a hockey brawl over it. You can call me evil after this exercise, and I’ll say “Go in peace! I don’t care what you think! Life is too short to worry about what unthinking people think about an idea I’ve reasoned out.”

A Definition You Could Drive a Truck Through

Ask 10 people what the term “Christian nationalist” means and you might get 12 different answers, some of them valid because they’re held by people with Christian and/or nationalist leanings and some of them completely out in left field because they’re held by people who get their opinions from the View.

Okay, I’m mixing my sports analogies. I’ll try to keep that to a minimum.

Some people perceive the label “Christian nationalist” as vitriol while others view it as a compliment. And there are reactions in between. I’m personally puzzled when it’s aimed at a nonpartisan libertarian like me. Like so much in our lives these days, everybody looks at everything from an extreme point of view. It’s hard to have a reasonable conversation about almost anything.

But I’m all about tilting at windmills. We need to figure this out because as our political tensions increase, that term is going to be used as a weapon by people who don’t care who they harm.

As a Baptist, I believe the state should stay out of the churches and that church hierarchies should stay out of government. That doesn’t mean I don’t have political positions or that I don’t ask God how I should vote. When we say “church and state are separate” in the United States, that is not the same as saying Christians should take no stance in matters involving government. Christians are just as affected as anyone else by what the government does, so absolutely, we should care about what happens in that sphere of influence.

Rating System

The questions ask for a “yes” or “no” response, but Everhard provides a graded response. If you don’t really agree with the statement, you can pick a 1. If you feel very strongly about the statement, you can select a 5. And then there’s three compromise positions you can assign yourself. Of course, you’re going to end up adding up your answers when you’re done and you’ll know where you fall on the spectrum.

Questions

1. Do you love your nation and legitimately want it to succeed, prosper, and thrive, even when in direct competition with other nations?

I started thinking I was a 3, but then I ended up reasoning to myself that I’m really a 5 because I do love the American people, even though I am often critical of our government, and I want the American people to prosper. I do think Americans are special, but I also believe they need to compete in the world and do well on their merits. I think they should deal with the world in a moral and ethical way, but I don’t think they’re obligated to take a backseat to anyone.

If you’re from another country, ask and answer this question for your country. You do you!

2. Do you believe that Christianity is true, and that it legitimately contributes to the public good (human thriving)?

Absolutely! I give that a strong 5 without any of the hesitation I had with Question 1. I believe Jesus is the Messiah, God Incarnate, Who can save souls and can rule every nation through His believers, and that nothing happens on this planet that He doesn’t allow or care about. I believe Christians living as God instructs us contribute to human thriving in amazing and unappreciated, but beneficial, ways. I believe the world would work better if more people were Christians.

3. All else being the same, would you rather vote for a Christian than a non-Christian for political office?

I stumbled on this one too because I reject theocracy as a form of government. I don’t much like being told how to live my life except when Jesus is doing the commanding and I would never want to force another human being to do things my way because…I just don’t find that command anywhere in the Bible. In fact, Paul the apostle told Christians to judge themselves and other Christians and let the world take care of itself.

But…in a primary, yeah, I’ll probably choose the Christian conservative over the non-Christian conservative because I believe the Christian is more likely to tell the truth than the non-Christian. I live in a small-population state so I have the advantage of (often) meeting the candidates, so I can ask questions and discern for myself if they really are a Christian or just pretending to win an election. I gave myself a 3 because I’m also honest with myself – if I know or sense this Christian is the authoritarian type, I might not vote for him or her.

4. Do you believe our nation would be better and stronger if its laws better reflected the Bible’s standard of justice than they currently do?

Oh, boy! I might get voted off the Christian nationalist island for this one.

I believe – yes, every nation in the world would be a better place if it followed the Bible’s actual standards of justice, but…BUT

I don’t think theocracies are a good idea because they’re run by human beings and all human beings are fallen, so the last thing we should do is put any of us in charge, so I gave myself a 2 like the honest libertarian I am. IF Jesus were in charge of this nation, I’d have given myself a 5, but even my pastor doesn’t hold a candle to Jesus.

5. Do you believe the US Constitution would be improved if it had included an express acknowledgment that Jesus Christ is Lord in its preamble?

Yeah…no! The US Constitution wasn’t written just for Christians. America can’t be the melting pot society that it is if it has that sort of exclusivity. My Christian heart hopes everyone comes to Christ, but I feel a Holy Spirit check on my heart on this question. Christians have a job to do in leading people to Jesus. We can’t pawn it off on the government…much as we might like to. I gave myself 1.

6. Do you believe Psalms 2 and 110 are correct when they threaten rebellious nations with judgment for rejecting God’s Messiah?

Um, do I agree with God Creator of the Universe, Savior of my soul, and Lord of my life? YES! ABSOLUTELY. He says it in His Scriptures, and I’m not arguing with God about what He says is best. Wouldn’t do any good anyway. He doesn’t take my advice, nor should He. I gave myself a 5 on this question.

And if you think I’m being inconsistent between Questions 5 and 6, I suggest you take a pause on consider what I’m actually saying. God has the absolute right to control His creation, but He also granted us free will to disobey Him…with consequences. It’s a conundrum that matters.

7. Do you believe the State (government) has the duty to especially protect the Christian churches and help them to thrive to the extent it is able?

Oh, boy! “Especially”?

No. I believe the State should protect freedom of faith and expression for all religious groups. So long as nobody is getting hurt, churches/mosques/synogogues/etc. shouldn’t be interfered with by the government. All religious institutions should be treated the same in a country claiming the rule of law. That’s another score of 1.

8. Do you believe the government has a duty to promote true piety and restrain evil, as they are defined in Scripture?

Wow, tough question. No, to “true piety.” The government shouldn’t be trying to define that. You need to be a Bible-believing Holy Spirit-led Christian to define that term and there’s no guarantee government employees meet that qualification.

Restrain evil? Theoretically, yes. There are some things that are patently evil and shouldn’t be allowed. Child sexual exploitation. Child mutilation. Rape. Murder. Stealing. But much beyond that can get us mere mortals into trouble. The Puritans thought falling asleep in church was evil and should be punishable. I can’t go that far. So I gave myself a 2.

9. Do you believe Christians are generally more productive citizens and more faithful patriots than their unbelieving counterparts?

I’ve been on this planet a while and am coming up on my 49^th year of being a Christian. I didn’t grow up in a Christian home so I actually have experienced both sides of this discussion. I’m old enough to remember before I met Jesus. I also know a lot of Christians – good Christians, productive Christians, lazy Christians, wayward Christians. I gave myself a 4 on this question because while I do believe most Bible-believing Christians strive to be good citizens, I know a few who don’t. I know too many exceptions to give this a full-throated “YES”.

10. Do you believe Christianity is the only true religion, and that it is inherently superior to other world religions, including atheism and secularism?

Change that first “religion” to the word “faith” and YES, ABSOLUTELY. That is a solid 5 without hesitation. Christianity is the only true FAITH and belief in the only actual God is superior to all philosophies essentially worshipping human beings. And, yes, atheism and secularism are belief systems and therefore religions in a general sense.

Where Do You Fall?

Establishmentarianism 43 – 50

Christian Government 35 – 42

Moderate Two Kingdom – 27 – 34

Radical Two Kingdom – 19 – 26

Enlightenment Secularism – 10 – 18

I scored 33

Some things to note –

Establishmentarism doesn’t mean you’re an extremist. It just means you prefer a strong influence of faith in society. You’re not as comfortable with anarchy as I am. And that’s okay. You’re in good company. By the time this article comes out, you should have read up on Cotton Mather. He was a good guy, despite the tarnish history has rubbed on his reputation. You want an established church. I think it’s a truly bad idea, but lots of people in the past thought it was the way to go. A lot of Europeans are establishmentarists.

Christian government is kind of a mild term but it’s trying to avoid Christian nationalist because it’s been hung with a lot of baggage. You want your government to be pretty strongly Christian – and while I foresee a lot of problems with that, a lot of Christians in history thought it was a great idea. You aren’t 100% sure we should have an established church the government supports. You think some freedom of conscience is okay, but you’re leery of too much freedom. Congratulations, you’re a Christian nationalist.

Moderate 2-Kingdoms – this is me. I think there is a distinction between the church and the state. I’m uncomfortable with giving the state too much power over the church, even in protecting it. I do, however, believe the government shouldn’t persecute the churches, and I still vote. Strangely, I’ve been called a Christian nationalist by people I think are extremists. At best, I’m a Christian nationalist-lite. I love my country, I love God, and I believe in freedom of religion.

Radical 2-Kingdoms – You want the state to have nothing to do with Christianity and you may even think Christians shouldn’t vote. Congratulations, you might be Amish...or even Christian libertarian. I can respect this position. It is a Biblical position. Some days, I agree and other days I’m a moderate 2-Kingdom Christian.

Enlightenment Secularism – okay, this one is going to be hard. You probably aren’t reformed and it’s highly likely you’re not a believer. In other words, if you score this low, you’re not a Christian. A lot of the questions had to do with the truthfulness of Christianity and, if you couldn’t give those at least some moderate scores, you don’t believe in Jesus’ claims to be God and so, that being blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, you’re outside of the will of God. You can still be a good person, but you’re not a Christian. Congratulations, you’re not a Christian nationalist, but you’re also not a Christian.

But if you’ve sat through this quiz, you might be right on the edge of becoming a Christian. Tell me about it in the Comments and I’ll pray for you.