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

by Philip S. Gorski

White Christian nationalism has also shaped American popular culture. Consider the “post-apocalyptic” genre of novels and movies, such as “The Road.” Or superhero comics and films, such as “Captain America.” Today, the secularized version of white Christian nationalism is almost as important as the religious one. Though sometimes it is hard to distinguish between the two, as evidenced by the many cosplay crusaders among the Capitol insurrectionists and the overlaps between Christian “prophecy belief” and the “QAnon” conspiracy theory.12 But white Christian nationalism is not just a deep story about what was; it is also a political vision of what should be. First and foremost, of course, white Christian nationalists believe that America should be a Christian nation, or, at least, a nation ruled by Christians. And though the expectation of “whiteness” is rarely expressed explicitly, it is often clearly assumed in the sort of “Christian” that adherents of white Christian nationalism have in mind. Who counts as “white” and what counts as “Christian” has changed over time. White Christian nationalism’s enemies have also changed, from Native Americans and Catholics, to communists, Black radicals, atheists, Muslims, and socialists, each taking their turn as the main threat to “(white) Christian values.”