Christian Nationalism, the Antisocial Gospel? Attitudes on Charity and Justice in the Kingdom of God

ABSTRACT The Kingdom of God is a key motif in the teachings of Jesus. Many Christians, including those subscribing to Christian nationalism, believe they have a responsibility to “build” the Kingdom here on Earth. But what would this entail? Using original survey data, we ask Christians whether various actions—acts of charity or justice, personal devotion, attending church, evangelism, or promoting theocratic political arrangements—make God's Kingdom more present. We initially find that Christian nationalism is positively associated with affirming all proposed actions in absolute terms. Yet when we force respondents to choose which option best reflects their view about making God's Kingdom present, Christian nationalism corresponds to deprioritizing acts of charity or justice, while prioritizing electing Christians to power, changing laws to reflect biblical principles, and engaging in evangelism. Our findings are an initial step toward understanding the dynamics at play in American Christians’ conceptions of the Kingdom of God.