Pastors denounce the rise of Christian nationalism and its influence on public policy
July 6, 2022

National groups, elected leaders, and the majority of SCOTUS are currently pushing a Christian nationalist agenda that is
antithetical to an honest democracy, civil rights, and
the Global Christian Church

NASHVILLE -- In a live Press Conference on June 30th, pastors from across the state of Tennessee connected the dots between the dangerous ideology of Christian Nationalism and recent SCOTUS rulings, January 6th, and Governor Lee's move to bring Christian Hillsdale Schools to Tennessee.

Rev. Dr. Lillian Lammers, Associate Pastor of First Congregational Church in Memphis, opened the press conference by defining and explaining Christian nationalism and its danger:

I want to be perfectly clear, Christian nationalism, sometimes called White Christian nationalism, is not a true representation of the Christian faith. The definition of Christian nationalism is the belief that the American nation is defined by Christianity, and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way. This is a dangerous ideology that is actually contrary to the Gospel of Jesus, who never tried to overtake the government, or align God with empire as a means of asserting power or control. Yet, that is the agenda of white Christian nationalists in the United States and specifically in Tennessee right now.

She continued:

Increasingly in our judicial system, we see the influence of national groups like the Alliance Defending Freedom and Family Action Council, who claim the Christian faith, but are actually pushing a more extremist agenda from the Christian Nationalist playbook, which is a non-biblical distortion of the Christian faith. From promoting discriminatory, anti-democratic and intensely pro-firearm policies, the agenda of Christian nationalists not only corrupts and misrepresents our Christian faith, it also undermines and corrupts our democracy. And the violent insurrection on January 6, and the criminal conspiracy to overturn the will of the voters in the 2020 election are perfect examples of white Christian nationalism in action [...] To be perfectly clear, I love God, I love Jesus. I've devoted my professional life to studying and talking about the Christian faith. While we all like to see our own values and beliefs reflected in the world around us, there is a dangerous precedent and a horrendous history in this country and others, when the Christian faith becomes too closely aligned with Empire, with our government, America's strengths and potential rest in an appropriate separation of church and state, so that the many diverse populations that reside here can truly claim the principle of freedom that we so proudly celebrate.

Rev. Dr. Kevin Riggs, Pastor of Franklin Community Church, warned of the blurring of the lines between church and state that is promoted by White Christian Nationalists.

White Christian nationalists are trying to rewrite history and include it in our public school curriculum, and use our public funding to further remove the separation of church and state. Governor Lee's attempt to bring 100 Christian Hillsdale charter schools to Tennessee and use their curriculum that teaches a whitewashed history is another example of this blurring of the separation of church and state and trying to bring Christian nationalism into our public schools.

The Alliance Defending Freedom, the same national organization that is defending 'Holston Home', the East Tennessee adoption/foster agency that refused to work with a Jewish couple on the basis of their faith, was involved in last week Supreme Court decision that ruled that the state of Maine must fund religious schools as part of a state tuition program. This decision forces the state to fund religious schools, no matter how discriminatory their practices or sectarian their teachings.

Rev. Rick Roberts, the Pastor of Pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Donelson spoke of the dangers of glorifying firearms and gun violence:

The fact that the Supreme Court just overruled a New York State common sense gun restriction law that has been in place for over 100 years shows a dramatic turn from judges ruling based on precedent and civil rights, but instead, with an agenda of Christian nationalism. The influence of groups like the Federalist Society, who train and recruit judges in their ideology, harms all Americans, and puts us all at risk [...] The glorification and worship of guns is absolutely contrary to the call of Jesus Christ, to love our neighbors and to pursue peace, which is at the heart of the Gospels, which is the heart of God. And those who use Bible verses to support their love and use of guns are coming from a Christian nationalism that is an ideology that is not our understanding of the Christian faith.

Rev. Eugene Se'Bree, Associate Pastor of Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville, spoke about the connection of women's reproductive health to Christian Nationalism.

One of the key tenets of Christian nationalism is the subjugation of women. You can see this is their traditional view of women existing only for the purpose of childbearing, that women must exist for the pleasure and purpose of some men. As a pastor and father of two girls, I can plainly declare that this ideology is contrary to the liberation of women found in Jesus's words and the gospel, and is not a part of the Christian faith.

He spoke on the dangers of SCOTUS overturning Roe v Wade decision and the dangerous abortion laws in Tennessee that now restrict all abortions. He quoted Proverbs 3:5, saying:

The first thing that we should do, when we face a major decision, is to ask God. [Proverbs] doesn't say to ask Governor Lee, or the State Legislature. It does not even say to ask the Supreme Court. It says to ask God. So in other words, the difficult choices that women face should be between them, God, their family, and their doctor, not the state of Tennessee, not the Supreme Court. When you limit the rights of women, you limit all of society.

Rev. Gordon Myers, Retired Pastors in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America referenced the Christian Nationalism connected to January 6:

When you see people marching with guns and sticks, and faces contorted with hate and anger, calling for the death of people who don't agree with their political agenda, we cannot identify them as Christian because there's nothing in that that looks like Jesus" He then ended with hope, "The good news of Christianity is we can be better than this. And if those who profess a Christian faith will actually live it out by loving our neighbors as ourselves, we're welcoming the diversity of God's creation rather than working to impose our will over others. That's where there's hope for more inclusion and growth, and an expansion of representative democracy and a closer approximation to the more perfect union envisioned in our (country's) founding documents.

Rev. Dr. Lillian Lammers concluded the press conference:

No matter where we live, the color of our skin or the religion we may practice, as Americans, we should want to live in a country with an appropriate separation of church and state, where we all have the freedom to live safely, according to the faith convictions we hold, without insisting that others ascribe to the same. Unfortunately, national groups and politicians who have fallen for the lure of Christian nationalism, try to force their agenda on the rest of America in a way that Jesus never did when he walked on this earth. As pastors and Christians, we want to declare that these groups and their agendas do not represent what we as pastors understand the Christian faith to be, and that Christians of good conscience must speak out against the harmful messaging policies and rulings that are associated with Christian nationalism. Christianity operates best when it wins followers over through its ethic of love, justice, and liberation, not force and constraint.

Background:

-A look at the role Christian nationalism played in the Jan. 6 attack

-White Christian Nationalism ‘Is a Fundamental Threat to Democracy

-How Christian nationalism paved the way for Jan. 6

-Doug Mastriano, Christian Nationalism, and the Cult of the AR-15

-The Supreme Court’s abortion decision is based on a myth. Here’s why

-How the Christian right took over the judiciary and changed America

-The ‘pursuit of happiness’ means having the right to privacy

-The Supreme Court Ruled the Constitution's Establishment Clause Is Unconstitutional

-No wonder Christian nationalists wanted these justices on the Supreme Court

-Supreme Court Uses Praying Football Coach to Gut Separation of Church and State

About Southern Christian Coalition
The Southern Christian Coalition is a nonpartisan grassroots, ecumenical organization. Across the South, politicians use ideology in the guise of Christian theology to push policies that harm our communities and isolate us from our neighbors. We are a community of Christians, speaking up on the values of our faith.