While a student at Gordon-Conwell, I took a second-level Church History course with Dr. Nigel Kerr, and I became enamored of the Puritans in New England. Their attention to the Christian life and family life, and even (most) of their care and witness for indigenous peoples was noteworthy. In addition, they numbered among the brightest of Western culture at the time. The pastors were the best educated and, in the early period, the largest libraries were to be found at the pastors’ libraries in Ipswich and Cambridge, MA. I could say they were my heroes.  

However, they were still somewhat medieval in their thinking about church and society, or about religion and politics. The Puritans were persecuted for refusing to follow the form of Christian nationalism under the Church of England. So, they had suffered under an oppressive form of “state church.”  

Christendom, at its worst, showed itself as a form of Christian nationalism. By this I mean a single type of Christianity forced on the general population, negating religious freedom and Christian diversity. At its best, it spread the aroma of Christ in the larger society. The Puritans held town meetings in their meeting houses (churches) and sought to develop a Christian society. The experiment worked to some degree, until it didn’t. Without rehearsing the entirety as to how this model devolved, we can simply say that politically enforcing Puritan theology became oppressive. For example, the Baptists had to leave Massachusetts and settled in “Providence.” Soon, what the Puritans hoped would be a Holy nation began to dissolve.  

Today, many Americans seem to have forgotten this important lesson from history, as evidenced in some strong language, including from Evangelicals, that support Christian nationalism. Recent Pew survey data suggests that Christian nationalist sentiment has gained significant traction among some Evangelical communities, with 81 percent of white Evangelical Protestants believing the United States should be a Christian nation [1]—a view closely associated with Christian nationalist ideology. It seems the time is right for Christian leaders to speak up about the dangers of religious nationalism.  

We are not unique among Christians wanting to enforce our beliefs and behaviors for all of our nation. Most religions of the world are tribal or national. National or empire leaders are often religious leaders, enforcing the ethnic or tribal religion on the nation. To be Athenian is to worship Athena. To be a Celt is to worship Lug. To be Iranian is to be Muslim. To be Japanese, or a Japanese subject during the Pacific War, is to be Shinto.  

All religious nationalism tends towards violence. All. English Anglicans persecuted Irish Catholics. More examples of a religious group persecuting others include Muslim Empires (Umayyad, Abbasid, Taliban), Hindutva in present day India, Japanese under the Meiji Restoration, and on it goes.  

As Christians in the United States, we have a beautiful heritage of not upholding a single “national” religion, but of defending the right of people to choose their religious beliefs. Christians possess the right to worship publicly and to evangelize our neighbors.  

We often forget that Jesus, as our Lord and Savior, came proclaiming the Kingdom of Heaven/God, and he resisted religious nationalism, a temptation of many Jews who wanted to overthrow Imperial Rome. He came within a religious community which had once been a united nation of Israel before dividing into two nations (Israel and Judah), only to be conquered and its many people dispersed into exile.  

Many Jewish nationalists were hoping that Jesus would reunite the nation. In other words, they assumed that Jesus was a nationalist. He was not. His mission, his vision, and his purpose were much larger. His was a heavenly Kingdom, one that is eternal, and yet seeps into our earthly kingdoms. Jesus does not lift up nations. To be more clear, his kingdom comes in a kind of power that moves the nations and peoples of this world to unite at the foot of the cross. The Lamb that was slain unites all peoples, tribes, and nations.

And so, while we can and should be good Christian citizens of the United States or China, or Lebanon or Uganda, we must resist the temptation to return to the lower realms of religious nationalism. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place” (John 18:36, NIV). 

And then the well-known passage where Jesus distinguishes between the kingdom of the Roman Empire and the Kingdom of heaven:   

“Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it. They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him.” (Mark 12:15-17, NIV) 

I would love to have the Jesus of the Bible—not of our culture or race—be the Lord of our nation. But Jesus is much bigger than a king for America. The heavenly vision of Revelation 7 has guided us as a seminary for 6 years, and it continues to do so. Jesus unites all nations in his suffering and death and does not become a lesser god of any one nation. So, I pray:  

Lord of the nations, we need your help, your guidance, your gentleness, and your courage to speak kindly and truthfully about your Lordship in an age of religious nationalism among Muslims, Christians, Hindus, and others. We remember our friends and alumni who have been killed under the cause of religious nationalism in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Vietnam. In all humility Lord, guide us as to how we can provide Christ-like leadership in an age of violence, division, and distrust. May we trust you, and you alone. Please help us, Jesus.  In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

[1] Pew Research Center. “Views of the U.S. as a ‘Christian Nation’ and Opinions About ‘Christian Nationalism'”. October 27, 2022.

Dr. Scott W. Sunquist, president of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, is author of the “Attentiveness” blog. He welcomes comments, responses, and good ideas.