What's the Difference Between a Black Christian Nationalist and a White Christian Nationalist?
They may use the same words, but they mean very different things according to race
Isn’t it interesting how people can use the same words but mean very different things?
For instance Black Christians and white Christians may agree on their basic religious beliefs and even the conviction that their faith should show up in politics.
But the ways such words and beliefs are deployed is very different by race.
These differences are highlighted in new polling data from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI).
For the first time ever we have in-depth data about the presences of white Christian nationalism on a state-by-state level.
The information comes from a just-released survey called “Support for Christian Nationalism in All 50 States.”
The executive summary explains,
Throughout 2023, PRRI interviewed more than 22,000 adults as part of its American Values Atlas, which provides for the first time the ability to estimate support for Christian nationalism in all 50 states. Additionally, this new analysis examines how religion, party, education, race, and other factors intersect with Christian nationalist views.
Top-level findings from the report include the following:
About 3 in 10 people in the U.S. qualify as Christian nationalism adherents or sympathizers
People in red states hold Christian nationalist views at higher rates than in blue states
Christian nationalism is highly correlated to support for the Republican party and Donald Trump
The two religious groups with the highest support of Christian nationalism are evangelical Protestants and Hispanic Protestants
You can read the full report HERE.
I also participated in an online panel assembled to interpret the results for the press and the public.
My remarks focused on race, specifically, data related to levels of adherence to Christian nationalism among Black Christians.
Black Christians exhibited similar rates of adherence to Christian nationalism as white people. About 3 in 10 white Christians (20% Sympathizers, 10% Adherents), and about the same among Black Christians (21% Sympathizers, 12% Adherents).
Even though Black and white Christians exhibit about the same levels of support for Christian nationalism, holding these ideas means translates into a very different political profile for Black Christians.
So what is the difference between Black Christian nationalists and white Christian nationalists?