Star-Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding a True Faith

by April Ajoy

And a lot of these Christians were *gasp* Democrats. But not all of them. Some believed they were following Jesus by voting red, but they also embraced all of John 3:16, even the part about the rest of the world. They didn’t put America on a pedestal or believe she has a higher calling than the rest of the world.

And such went our compassion until our rights or privileges were at stake. My kindness had limits. My love had conditions. But Jesus’ love didn’t.

Underpinning so much of American evangelicalism is the belief that God really loves America the most (only possibly tied with Israel). So it’s okay if we are first. The irony is not lost on me that Christian Nationalism worships the same man who humbled himself and refused to accept power in favor of helping individuals. A man who often chose people over beliefs, like healing on the Sabbath, to the dismay of some religious leaders of his day.

But what did Jesus do during his time on earth? He told people there is a kingdom beyond that is far more important than any nation here and handed himself over to the Romans. He didn’t claim the vote was rigged when the crowd chose to crucify him over Barabbas. He didn’t encourage his followers to storm Rome’s Capitol Building and demand different results. His life rejected nationalism. His followers should, too.

One of my favorite fights in the early church occurred in Acts 15, when Christian men argued about their penises. They debated whether or not salvation depended on a man’s crotch turtle shedding its shell. I mean, naturally the men thought it all came down to their penises, right?

Reverend Robin Meyers put it this way in his book, Saving Jesus from the Church: “There is not a single word in that sermon [the Sermon on the Mount] about what to believe, only words about what to do.… Yet three centuries later, when the Nicene Creed became the official oath of Christendom, there was not a single word in it about what to do, only words about what to believe!”18

The only problem was, I couldn’t see where Trump had the “found Jesus and changed” part. And that seemed important. I mean, no one ever took the stage and gave a testimony saying, “Alcoholism, prostitutes, drugs, bankruptcy, I was at rock bottom… and I still am! All Glory to God!” The getting saved part is quite central to salvation. Which requires repentance and “changing your ways.” It’s Christianity 101.

This is the crux of the Sinner’s Prayer, the literal gateway to becoming a Christian in the evangelical world. But Trump replied to the question like this: “That’s a tough question. I don’t think in terms of, I have. I, I’m a religious person.” Um, did no one ever tell him it’s a relationship, not a religion? Red flag right there, never mind the scathing admission that he didn’t think he had ever asked God for forgiveness.26

Even though I was still a staunch conservative evangelical at the time, it felt weird to me that the Christian protagonist didn’t help the car-crushed atheist dying in the middle of the street by using his phone to call an ambulance or offering some medical aid… No, he just prayed with him.

And sure enough, at the end of the movie, there was a message about how YOU the audience can save the day too (but not the atheist—RIP) by texting everyone you know “GOD’S NOT DEAD.”

Manipulating end times eschatology to motivate followers is another tactic often employed in Christian Nationalism.

Wars = Jesus is coming back soon. Since there’s been no shortage of wars, the rapture was always imminent.

“Are you ready for the rapture?” This question always prompted cheers and “Amens” from the audience. Because there’s nothing cuter than toddlers talking about impending doom.

A

This was just one of several requirements for the return of Christ, at least as imagined by author Hal Lindsey in his 1970 book The Late Great Planet Earth. In this book, which sold more in the United States than any other nonfiction title in the 1970s, Lindsey argues that three things will occur before Jesus comes back: The Jews will occupy Palestine, they will take back the sacred sites of Jerusalem, and they will rebuild Solomon’s temple

at its original location. These beliefs have shaped our nation’s international politics, including our alliance with Israel and against Palestine. They also explain why, in 2018, Donald Trump, probably at the urging of his evangelical advisers, moved the US diplomatic embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.9

I knew that what I was feeling as a White woman was only a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of what People of Color felt every day in this country. A very sobering epiphany.

This generation practiced hiding under their desks in school in case a nuclear bomb was dropped on them by a communist government on the other side of the world. Of course, they associated communism with evil! It had been ingrained in them from childhood.

So much of my learning and growth out of the Christian Nationalism mindset has happened because I sat and listened to people of different groups and mindsets.

I didn’t always agree with her, but we were more alike than we weren’t. The more people I met who carried the labels I threw, the more I realized that demonizing wasn’t fair. Nor true. It’s difficult to want a narrow-minded theocracy after you see the humanity in the people that the system would harm.

Imagine my surprise when I investigated the history of the pro-life movement and learned it was actually a Republican-nominated Supreme Court that made the decision to legalize abortion through Roe v. Wade in 1973. At the time, polling showed that most evangelicals were either indifferent on the issue or supported access to abortion.11