Let's Discuss Christian Nationalism

How is being part of God's "holy nation" different from what people call Christian nationalism? It comes down to what comes first. When God is first, believers from every nation become one people under one King. When a nation, ethnicity, or government is placed above God, you get nationalism. Scripture calls you to something bigger: blessed to be a blessing to all peoples.

What is the difference between a holy nation and Christian nationalism?

The difference is priority. A holy nation puts God first and includes believers from every people group. Nationalism, as the hosts use the word, is putting a nation or an ethnicity above God.

Peter describes every follower of Jesus this way:

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

1 Peter 2:9

On Beyond Sunday, Pastor Marty Sloan called "Christian nationalism" an oxymoron. Christianity is for the entire world. "For God so loved the world" (John 3:16). God created the people groups of the earth. When God is central, you recognize that in Christ there is one people with many distinctions and dialects. As Pastor Marty put it, "one true heart of people together under one true King."

He went a step further: there is no such thing as Christian nationalism, only Christians in many nations. Iranian Christians, Ghanaian Christians, Indonesian Christians, American Christians. They live in different countries, but their identity as Christians comes first.

Can a nation become an idol?

Yes. Pastor Sean Sloan pointed to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor who resisted the Nazi regime. Bonhoeffer warned against an "idolatry of the state." He asked whether we've made a god of government. Pastor Marty's answer was short: "We have."

The trouble starts when your national or political identity becomes the lens for your faith instead of the other way around. A simple test Pastor Sean offered: is this building division, or is it bringing unity?

For example, Calvary saw the alternative during its Calvary United weekend, with people from 72 nations in the room. One worship song was sung in Ukrainian and then in Russian. Those two countries are in conflict, yet there are people of God in both. In Christ, the dividing wall comes down.

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,

Ephesians 2:14

What does "nation" mean in the Bible?

In Scripture, "nation" often simply means a people or a people group. Peter and Paul wrote in Greek, and the Old Testament in Hebrew. The words we translate as "nation" don't carry the modern idea of a geopolitical state with borders and governments.

Pastor Sean noted that reading modern political meaning back into those words creates much of our confusion. When Jesus sent His followers out, He was sending them to every people group on earth.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Matthew 28:19

Why did God choose Israel?

God chose Israel to be blessed and to be a blessing to every other nation. They were set apart to be for the nations, not against them.

I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

Genesis 12:2

Pastor Marty pointed to the word holy. Holy means set apart for God. Only God is holy. Nations rise and fall, and God doesn't. Israel was called to be different so the nations would notice. They had better health and God's provision. They worshiped the one true God while their neighbors served many gods. Others would look at them and want to know their God.

Israel's purpose was bigger than its place. God gave them land, but the land served a purpose. Pastor Marty observed that people who identify with a place but have no purpose live miserable lives, not missional ones.

Even Jonah forgot this. He didn't want to preach to Nineveh, because he knew God would forgive them. Pastor Marty called him a nationalist. Jonah had human reasons to want judgment, given how Nineveh had treated his people. But God's view was bigger. Jesus put the principle simply: "Freely you have received; freely give" (Matthew 10:8).

How do you keep God first?

Remember where God brought you from. Pastor Marty said every one of us has an exodus story. We were far from God, living by our own nature, and He delivered us. When you remember that, you're humbled. You become willing to extend to others what God extended to you.

God also gives clear ways to live. He calls you to worship Him so that He gets the glory and others are drawn to Him. His charge to the church: be a church of the nations, for the nations. Be blessed to be a blessing.

Common questions

What is the difference between a holy nation and Christian nationalism?

It comes down to priority. A holy nation puts God first and includes believers from every people group, while nationalism puts a nation or ethnicity above God. In Christ, believers from many countries form one people under one King.

What does 1 Peter 2:9 mean by a holy nation?

Peter describes all believers as God's own people, called out of darkness to declare His praises. The word translated "nation" often simply means a people, not a modern political state.

Why did God choose Israel?

God chose Israel to be blessed and to be a blessing to all nations. They were set apart for the world, not against it, so that other peoples would see God's goodness and be drawn to Him.

Is it wrong for Christians to love their country?

The issue the episode raises is not where you are from but what comes first. Problems begin when a nation or government takes the place of God, which Dietrich Bonhoeffer called an "idolatry of the state."