Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism

This paper defines and explores the concept of Christian nationalism and its implications for democracy. It describes Christian nationalism not just as an anti-democratic political ideology, but also as a political machine, a leadership-driven movement that seeks political power and domination in all areas of government and society. Christian nationalism succeeds by cultivating and exploiting a mindset with four key features: the belief in a particular, authentic, and superior identity group within America; the conviction that the members of this group are the most persecuted group in society; the apocalyptic fear that the nation is on the verge of collapse; and an affinity for strongman leadership. Rather than merely advocating for conservative positions on social issues like abortion, Christian nationalist activists use these topics as tools to advance an anti-democratic agenda and advantage religious and political elites. I show that Christian nationalism is a key feature of the anti-democratic coalition, and has always been a top-down movement, driven by a leadership cadre that has transformed Christian nationalism into an anti-democratic, pro-oligarchic force. Opposing this movement requires us to collaborate with those who share at least a majority of our common goals to build a pro-democracy movement at all levels.