Healthy Christian orthopraxy is always voluntary and never forced or coerced . This makes the same kind of pervasive Christian Nationalism ( the kind described by Alexis de Tocqueville and the Supreme Court of 1892 ) impossible at our current moment in history .
Let me explain . I ’ m not saying it would be impossible at some time in the future if a massive turning back to Christ and Christianity were to occur as a result of nationwide repentance . But Christian Nationalism held by “ every rank of society ” via government fiat from the top down would be quite different than what Alexis de Tocqueville observed in 1831 . “ Christian Nationalism ” by force is an oxymoron . A contradiction of terms .
Having said this , however , we must recognize that government fiat is necessary when it comes to law and order in any society . Law and order without government fiat are impossible . It ’ s the name of the game . It just varies according to what standard for right and wrong is used . There can only be one north on any nation ’ s moral-legal-political compass . Until the twentieth century , Christianity was north from sea to shining sea in the United States . Now , this is regrettably not the case .
But because we live in a Constitutional Republic ( thank God ), Christ-followers can help turn America toward a true-north standard of law and moral order that is ( as the Supreme Court of 1892 put it ) “ based upon and embod [ ies ] the teachings of The Redeemer of mankind .” To wait for national repentance would be irresponsible . If we truly love our neighbors , we must be active in the political arena , taking our civic responsibilities seriously . It is inexcusable that in 2019 , an estimated 15 million Christians were not even registered to vote . 6
Let ’ s work to ban the teaching of anti-white racism in schools , as Florida has done . Let ’ s teach authentic American history that includes both the good and the bad . Let ’ s outlaw hormone blockers and “ sex-change ” surgery in minors . Let ’ s push back against the medieval abracadabra of transgenderism in our schools and its cousin , trans-speciesism . 7 The list goes on .
In addition , let ’ s take the “ long view .” This means getting Christhonoring judges back on the benches and Christ-honoring legislators back into their seats . Fulfilling that vision for our nation requires creating a host of Christ-honoring K-12 schools and universities through which the ideal of Daniel Webster ( i . e ., whatever makes men and women good Christians , makes them good citizens ) could become a reality once again via a grass-roots citizenry ( warts and all ). We must eliminate the “ sacred / secular divide ” in our thinking and voluntarily live out our Christian faith in all spheres and sectors of society , being in the world , not of it . This would be a healthy expression of Christian Nationalism , as I see it .
The key lies with the Church . Judgment begins in the House of God ( 1 Peter 4:12-19 ). Salt that has lost its savor is good for nothing but to be cast out and trampled underfoot by men . That ’ s what is happening now . As the term “ Christian ” becomes increasingly hard to define , and “ true north ” becomes fainter in American churches , 8 there is less hope that what goes on outside the assembly of believers in the broader society will be affected
by Christians at all . Today , what goes on inside the assembly of believers is increasingly affected by outside forces . This trend needs to be reversed .
America will continue its downward spiral , and the kind of “ Christian Nationalism ” observed by de Tocqueville in 1831 will remain a distant memory if faithful Christ-followers hold back from being fully what we are in Christ , where we are in the world , including our life in the socio-political realm . 9
A lot is at stake today ! What started as the privatization of Christianity in a civil society is rapidly progressing toward the demonization of Christianity in an uncivil society .
Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord ( Psalm 33:12 ). The converse is also true . ■
Dr . Christian Overman is the author of Eliminating the Sacred / Secular Divide , available free online at issuu . com / christianoverman . Dr . Overman has taught on biblical worldview and Christian education across America and Central America , South America , Europe , Africa , and Asia . He and his wife , Kathy , have four adult children and twelve grandchildren . Contact Dr . Overman at overman @ biblicalworldview . com .
ENDNOTES 1 . On November 19 , 2016 , the President of Poland and other state officials gathered with Cardinals and Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church to officially proclaim “ The Act of Acceptance of Jesus Christ as King and Lord of Poland .” See https :// youtu . be / pzv9DOg0ksk . 2 . Ashley Lopez , “ The Christian Right is winning in court while losing in public opinion ,” NPR , July 1 , 2022 , https :// npr . org / 2022 / 07 / 01 / 1109141110 / the-christian-right-iswinning-cultural-battles-while-public-opinion-disagrees . 3 . Alexis de Tocqueville , Democracy in America , Henry Reeves , trans . ( New York , NY : George Dearborn & Co ., 1838 ), 281-291 . 4 . Church of the Holy Trinity v . U . S ., 143 U . S . 457 ( 1892 ). 5 . Daniel Webster , The Works of Daniel Webster , Vol . I ( Boston : Charles C . Little and James Brown , 1851 ), 44 . 6 . According to CBN News , the “ My Faith Votes ” organization estimated that 15 million professing Christians were not registered to vote in 2019 . The Pew Research Center also reported the number of professing Christians registered to vote in 2019 had dropped 15 percent since 2008 . See https :// cbn . com / cbnnews / politics / 2019 / september / 15m-christians-arent-registered-to-vote-churchesacross-us-participating-in-voter-registration-sunday . See https :// christianpost . com / news / percentage-ofchristian-voters-drops-15-since-2008-pew . html . 7 . “ Trans-speciesism ” falls under the umbrella term of “ Otherkin .” That is , “ people who identify as not entirely human .” See https :// en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Otherkin . 8 . According to a recent study published by Arizona Christian University , only 37 percent of American pastors currently have a biblical worldview . See https :// arizona christian . edu / 2022 / 05 / 12 / shocking-lack-of-biblicalworldview-among-american-pastors . 9 . See Dr . Christian Overman ’ s interview with Os Guinness on YouTube at https :// youtu . be / XnVECZSMs34 .
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