may 9, 2023 - 2023: The Heritage Foundation: Arch-conservative organization rebukes characterization of "Christian nationalism"

Description:

The Heritage Foundation summarizes its argument against the term "Christian nationalism" with these primary points:

"The term is mostly used as a smear against conservative Christians who defend the role of religion in American public life.

Jared Yates Sexton likens the resurgence of “Christian nationalism” in America to that in Russia under Vladimir Putin and Hungary under Viktor Orbán.

Its lack of standard definition allows critics to bundle evils like white supremacy and racism with standard conservative views on marriage, family, and politics. "


...“Most Republicans Support Declaring the United States a Christian Nation,” reads one Politico headline. “Americans are Growing More Accepting of Christian Nationalism,” trumpets the Washington Post. A recent NPR headline warns: “More Than Half of Republicans Support Christian Nationalism….”

Who, then, are these Christian nationalists? One might expect critics to name writers like Stephen Wolfe, who seems to defend a Protestant confessional state in his recent book, The Case for Christian Nationalism. Or Catholic integralists, who advocate a subordination of political power to the Holy See. One can find truly dark elements among integralists. Look no further than Adrian Vermeule’s defense of “integration from within.”

But these thinkers don’t seem to figure in the typical tirades against Christian nationalism. Whitehead and Perry, for instance, don’t make a single reference to integralism in their book. Stephen Wolfe rarely appears in Politico or Washington Post stories warning of the threat posed by Christian nationalism.

Rather, such critics seem to be more concerned with movements and policies that fall under the banner of “Trumpism.” Whitehead and Perry have previously written that “voting for Trump was, at least for many Americans, a symbolic defense of the United States’ perceived Christian heritage.” In a 2021 Time article, Whitehead argued, “In its most extreme form [Christian nationalism] legitimizes the type of violence we saw on Jan. 6 and the recent flood of voting restrictions.” ..."

https://www.heritage.org/conservatism/commentary/the-dog-whistle-christian-nationalism?gclid=Cj0KCQjw_5unBhCMARIsACZyzS3ZuQd4bZ_nn0hSY3ScFQ2gHrS9dDjUzlncahZ91oQXNIqCAaue1TkaArsYEALw_wcB

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