Open Blogging

“Christian Nationalism is wimpy. It seeks a soft Christianity supported by Caesar under the guise of glory. But a Christianity made easy by the might of the state is not the hard, narrow path that Jesus spoke of—it’s a paved six-lane highway that the masses can comfortably cruise down without any real commitment. Of course, Jesus tells us where that highway leads.

While the online theobros are crowing about their masculine Christianity, I think of Perpetua and Felicity—two female Christian martyrs executed in a Roman arena in Carthage in 203. These two young women entered the arena without a trace of fear and were carried out as martyrs. There you go, boys. That’s some tough Christianity! It’s the martyrs, not the crusaders who should inspire us. But while the early church venerated the martyrs, Christian Nationalism is an attempt to make martyrdom unthinkable.

So I insist that Christian Nationalism is wimpy. And though you make think this piece overly polemic, I’ve actually been more fair to Christian Nationalism than it probably deserves. To say that Christian Nationalism is wimpy because it needs the apparatus of the state to make it easy to be a Christian is the nicest thing I can say. As it plays out in real life, Christian Nationalism is more often bigoted nativism and ugly racism disgustingly masquerading as if it has something to do with Jesus. When I think of Christian nationalists parading around with police protection, covered faces, shouting ugly slogans, that’s when I know that Christian Nationalism is not only wimpy, it’s also cowardly.”

Brian Zahnd

Now, It’s all yours today…