The Flag and the Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy

by Philip S. Gorski

we must be specific that the phenomenon we’re describing in this book is white Christian nationalism. At issue is not just religious nostalgia or even religious conservatism, as if such things transcended ethnic and racial identities. Rather, it is an acute strain of ethno-traditionalism in which “white” and “Christian” are conflated into a single identity—“white-Christian.” Dog whistles are effective to the extent that the target population hears and understands their intended meaning, while most others remain oblivious. Even as it’s become riskier for mainstream politicians to use negative dog whistles like “thug” or “welfare queen,” the word “Christian” remains the right’s most effective signal to white conservatives that “our values,” “our heritage,” “our way of life,” and “our influence” are under attack, and “we” must respond. Christianity and American-ness are both raced.