The term white Christian nationalism has gained recognition in the past several years as scholars and pundits analyze the current socio-political climate.
They are looking at events such as the attempted insurrection on January 6, 2021 and the ascendancy of people such as Mike Johnson to the Speaker of the House.
What ties these and other phenomenon together is the ideology of white Christian nationalism (WCN).
I have defined WCN this way…
White Christian Nationalism is an ethnocultural ideology that uses Christian symbolism as a permission structure for the acquisition of political power and social control.
You can read a more detailed explanation HERE.
Even though white Christian nationalism as an ideology has come under more scrutiny, people often leave off the “white” part.
I encourage people to, “Say the white part out loud.”
Race is a central element in white Christian nationalism, and it speaks to the kind of social structure they want to create—namely one with white, monied men at the top and all others in degrees of subordinate roles.
I think people leave off the “white” part in white Christian nationalism for at least one of three reasons:
Ignorance - People genuinely don’t know about the racial element and/or they’re not even familiar with the term “white Christian nationalism.” As much as I talk about it here, there are plenty of people who aren’t familiar with the phrase.
Avoidance - People want to deny or downplay the racist elements of white Christian nationalism. This happens especially on the far right when proponents of WCN don’t want to be labeled as racist even though they oppose things like diversity and immigration.
Optics - People don’t want to turn off others who need to hear the truth about white Christian nationalism. In a sense, this is an evangelistic stance; it’s an attempt to get people to listen to hard truths.
I’m not saying any of these reasons are an excuse to ignore the racial elements of white Christian nationalism. Nor am I saying that these are all the possible reasons people leave off the word “white.”
This list is simply an attempt to understand why more people don’t “say the white part of Christian nationalism out loud.”
I go into a fuller explanation of why “white” is so important to include in white Christian nationalism in this webinar.
It’s called “The ‘White’ in White Christian Nationalism” and it was hosted by Faithful America and Rev. Nathan Empsall.
I had the distinct privilege of sharing time on the panel with Dr. Randall Balmer whose work as a historian of race and religion I frequently cite. (His article on the “Real Origins of the Religious Right” is required reading!)
You can watch HERE.
You can also read an article from Word & Way summarizing the event HERE.
Why do you think it’s important to include the “white” in white Christian nationalism? Let us know in the comments below!
I think you're absolutely right. The "white" part is essential because it emphasizes this is a movement and ideology that has its roots in white supremacy, part of the founding mythology of our country. WCN wants to drag us back to the pre-emancipation days of our history. It's not about making the country more Christian; it's about making it more white.
After watching the movie "God and Country" I understand a little better why it is important to include the "white" in Christian Nationalism, along with your excellent definition: White Christian Nationalism is an ethnocultural ideology that uses Christian symbolism as a permission structure for the acquisition of political power and social control.
Phillipians 2:5-8 prophetically indicts the ideology if we could get more of its adherants to actually open up the New Testament...