The term "Christian Nationalism" is a new term in our society, but what does it mean? Hear from Paul Basden on how it is affecting our culture. prestontrail.org
That is theologically and historically false. If what you say is true...there could only be individual no Christian families, or communities. If Jesus Christ is Lord. Then is good and necessary to pass laws in accordance with this end.
@@felixguerrero6062 It is not historically false. Nations are on a much bigger scale then small communities. And operate differently. Lots of people, lots of different POVs lots of thoughts (even if many of sheepified minds).
@@felixguerrero6062 “there has never been a literal Christian nation in this world. The only Christian nation is the gathered communities of Christian believers all over this world” Alexander Campbell American reformer.
By this logic he can't even call the church Christian. Also, he uses heuristics all the time. It's impossible to get through life without them, so his challenge at the end isn't truly a fair one.
The point is a church is a construct. You can't baptize a church. It cannot learn, confess, or reason. It's an idea. The people inside that church is what makes it christian. A person can be Christian, a church is a concept/name, based on what this PEOPLE believe.
As a devout Christian I really appreciate this vid..great job! I honestly think far too many American Christians have replaced the Gospel with politics, & it pains me to see so-called Christian leaders promoting politics, it dilutes the Gospel!
Thank you for your reply. There's no doubt that politics is with us to stay, and we have to learn as Christ-followers how to be good citizens and good patriots, while still seeking first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness.
They have taken Jesus right out of their beliefs and have replaced Jesus with themselves and their insatiable hunger for power. Christian Nationalism is so anti-Christ its not even funny. Any Christian who believes that they deserve a privileged position in the public space by virtue of being a Christian is following something, but it's not Jesus. Christian Nationalism fear and despise Sharia Law for example, yet seem to have absolutely no problem pushing Christian dogma into Government. I mean, what's it gonna be? You can't have it both ways. In my opinion, the greatest threat to the US right now is the rise in Christian extremism.
@@zZavies wasn’t there somebody that said something about give to Caesar what is Caesar’s? At least to that person religious piety and political participation seemed to be separable. If the suggestion though is that a particular religious morality should be enforced via political power, how do we go about deciding what that looks like exactly? Should we go with Catholicism since this is the largest sect of Christians, and force you and your family to go to mass every Sunday by threat of prosecution? Or should we dissolve the military wholesale and outlaw self-defense in accordance with the Sermon on the Mount teaching that we are not to resist evil with violence?
It is so refreshing to hear someone speaking the truth about American history. Our country is not and never has been a Christian nation even if the majority is Christian. You are indeed right, a country can not be Christian but people can. The Puritans and the Pilgrims wanted to create a theocracy but they were not among the Founding Fathers. Neither were the Native Americans, the Spaniards in the Southwest, the French in Louisiana, nor the Russians in Alaska. The Founding Fathers founded our nation with no state religion or an establishment of religion of any kind. It is scary to hear people proclaim that we were always a Christian nation because the Founders were devout Christians who founded America on the Bible. It is scary because it is not true but apparently millions think it is true and they feel persecuted that they can not force their version of Christianity on the rest of us. Thank you from a lifelong student of history.
Thank you so so much. Your video brought me to tears. Part of the reason I left the church was due to what I now understand as Christian Nationalism. I don't understand all the hatred and demonization of anyone who isn't exactly the same, and I am heartbroken.
I agree that the attitudes many Christian groups have towards anyone not like them is a major turn off. However, Christian Nationalism is another discussion entirely.
Thank you so much! I’m your friendly American atheist. I’m the person that keeps her mouth shut to try to get along with my neighbors. I am American too. My parents and grandparents fought against fascism and communism. I value democracy too. I very much appreciated this video. I wish I saw more Christians who believed this way. Thank you for bringing up social media. It’s unfortunate that some people believe almost anything. I like that you gave some useful advice. Thank you.
Jayne, thank you so much for responding to my talk. Thank you also for seeking to be respectful to those who disagree with you (and vice versa). America needs a lot more of that right now. I have several friends who are atheists or agnostics. I respect their viewpoints, but of course I wish they could find a reason to believe in God. Speaking of ... I have 9 brief talks on RU-vid for those who don't believe in God, but are willing to re-consider. The talks are 5-7 minutes long and are entitled "Really Big Questions." I address issues such as why does suffering occur, why believe the Bible, why are Christians hypocritical, etc. I don't appeal to the Bible, assuming that those who watch don't believe it is trustworthy. Instead I appeal to reason. If it sounds interesting, I hope you'll watch one or two and let me know what you think. My best, Paul
I’m an atheist who also thanks you for your honesty. I use to be silent but now proudly say I’m an atheist when I’m asked or if the subject comes up. As a senior I’ve just met too many immoral Christians and too many moral humanists to buy in.
Fair enough, but odd that you would use the word “moral” and give weight to it as a persuasive power. Without God what makes morality moral anyway? Being persuaded by a subjective idea may be. Good enough for you, but the very idea of some kind of objective morality im would indicate some grounding or concrete idea of the concept of good and evil. Without God , I don’t see how good or evil objectively exists . So to accept that morality exists as an objectively reality involving good and evil proves GOD . If it’s subjective , we’ll then who cares it’s just a matter of opinion
Jayne: I am also a friendly American atheist. I agree with you on everything you said. As far as social media, my opinion is that if the cellphone had never been invented, we would not have all of this vitriol and hatred today. I think what most Christians do not understand is that we were once believers, but reason, logic, facts, and evidence led us to obtain better critical thinking skills and, therefore, reject the claims of the supernatural. ☮
Paul! Thank you for this. More churches should do this and speak out against Christian Nationalism. I will be honest. The WORST thing for the Christian message has been the rise of Christian nationalism. It is one of the things that made me start questioning my faith and eventually losing it. Again thank you for this and it is great to see more and more church leaders speaking out about the fallacy of Christian Nationalism.
Irish man here, so no dog in this fight but when a man makes a historical argument and tries to back it up with “I’ve got an advanced degree IN THE AREA of history”…be suspicious and when he doesn’t respond to logical critiques of his position (see comments) be even more suspicious.
Quite true. America was not founded as a Christian nation. But neither was it founded as a nation neutral towards religion…and most certainly not as a secular nation. It was founded as a theistic nation. Or basically, as we would describe it today, a Judeo-Christian nation. So, of your two tales, the former is indeed mythological, but the latter is outright historical revisionism. Our founding was far closer to aligning with Christian Nationalism than Secular Nationalism. It’s just a fact.
If founded as a Christian nation (ie. Tribalism) - then why did they treat the Native Americans so poorly? Why wouldn't those founders have wanted to treat them with love and compassion under Christ? I cannot see a nation (ie. physical land-mass tribal construct claiming natural resources for themselves) try to base laws on religion at all. I just don't get the aspects of how Christian and Jewish are all based on land (controllable resources) when isn't the glory to be found in Heaven based on how we treat each other here? Currently "Christian" Nationalists (ie. simply Nationalists) want to put up walls, lock people out and take away rights and base it on writings of sometimes one man who was inspired to write 2000 or less years ago. If Jesus didn't say it - I sometimes don't want to hear it. I am wondering where Jesus said "put up walls, own the land, keep others out and use armed services to ensure tribal success and be sure to tax everyone as much as possible to pay for it all (and don't forget to give 10% to your church as well)."
@@johnmcvicker6728. Your reply, while outwardly appealing, seems unnecessarily naive. Every single country (and semi-autonomous territory) on the face of the earth either has a standing army or is protected by a colonial power or military alliance (like NATO). Everyone has borders, many of them with fences or walls. Pretty much everyone keeps certain people out and prioritizes its own citizens. This is how the world is run. And it is how it has always run.
@@johnmcvicker6728. And my guess is that you are a Christian “Familiyist.” And by that I mean that you have a fence around your house (or a lock on your door). Certain people are let in and others are kept out. If this is not so, publish your address, and my family and I will come squat in your house. But don’t worry, we will thank you profusely for your marvelous personal model of Christian charity!
@@hanssvineklev648 It's great if we like tribalism and that helps us keep economy growing (defending and supporting nationalism times 160 countries). Will this planet ever evolve into a one-tribe world?
@@johnmcvicker6728. My goodness! Would you want it to?? Such a scenario scares me more-much more-than some goofy, redneck white supremacists taking over our country. There would be literally nowhere to flee. A One World government is going to have a particular worldview in order to be stable. And woe to them who think differently! I’m not sure I can think up anything worse than such an eventuality.
🤔 so are you arguing that an entity/corporation cannot be a Christian, and only individuals? Ok , but an organization can build upon the precepts of Christ or Christianity as they understand it and can be called a “Christian organization” just as much as Saudi Arabia can be considered a “Muslim” nation. It’s splitting hairs. This national founders understood that inalienable rights must have ontological grounding beyond the epistemic limitations of state or human assertion , that grounding was declared to be endowed by our “Creator”. To suggest that the founders believed this creator to allah , Buddha or harryKrishna would be laughable. Whether someone believes in Christ or not , I cannot imagine Christian nationalists disregarding the rights of others when the rights of the atheist , Jew, or otherwise have rights grounded and given by God .
It’s actually a mix of both stories really. This nation was undeniably founded by both Christians and some who where on the fringes of fundamental Christian beliefs (but still viewed Christian morality in high regard) BUT none the less founded country on Christian principles. Just because some didn’t claim Christianity (overwhelmingly most did) doesn’t mean we were founded on principles that are divorced from biblical foundations. They established our government so we didn’t have a particular denomination on purpose as the head of government in order to avoid another catholic church style situation in England. This allowed for denominations and religious liberties to thrive (even non Christian religions). It boils down to this.. government makes laws - do we want a government founded on morality found in scripture? Or a morality found in …something… else? It’s not about turning all of the US Christian and rewarding only Christian’s but returning foundations of government to Christian principles so religious liberties can thrive. The countries with the most freedoms today were founded on Christian beliefs. It’s a no brainer.
I'm just a high school graduate and I love history.I took 4 years out of my life to study all the american presidents from Washington to Eisenhower. I love my Lord and savior Jesus and wanted America to be a christen nation, but I came to the same conclusion as you. Thanks for agreeing with me...lol a lot of my friends didn't. Thanks again Grace and Peace to you.
“We have abundant reason to rejoice that in this Land the light of truth and reason has triumphed over the power of bigotry and superstition. ~George Washington
You can also find proof of this simply by looking at the reasons why some of the early settlers came to the United States and the governments that existed in Europe at that time. Some of the first settlers that came to America were coming here due to religious persecution, simply put their version of Christianity wasn't the predominant version that controlled the government. So why would anyone think that they would be okay with the government of their new land following that same path? On top of that the English King that our Founding Fathers were fighting had his position due to the belief of divine right, it was literally the case that he was King because God chose him to be King. And the church was so powerful that they could literally take a person's land simply by excommunicating them. They would never set up a government where any one religion had that much influence or control over the new government. The sad thing is all we have to do is look at Iran and see what happens when a specific religion gains too much power in a secular government. And now these Christian Nationalists want to do the same thing with the United States, just with a different religion.
Great overview of the facts of American religious history. It should be re-released now, in time for the 2024 election system. Christian nationalist should also read 1 Sammuel Chapter 8.
There’s a third story, Pastor Paul. A community of Christians who aren’t ashamed of their nationality (ethnos), who love their country and their countrymen, and who seek to vote and act for the health and well-being of their own people, and who desire to see their own nation, along with all nations, recognize the Authority and Love of Christ in all things, for the good of all people. What should we call that?
You should check this video out… it counters his points perfectly. More like fills in the holes in his logic. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7dN5KQGEuI8.html
Stop conflating with constructive criticism of america and calling out the racism and intolerance with being ashamed of America. There’s always been that in American history lol. When u say you love your fellow country men and women then why is taxes to fund socially beneficial programs seen as unfair or irresponsible but when corporations or military gets billions and mismanage their finances not a single complaint? Last point enforcing the authority of Jesus Christ is laughable in its own. If Jesus is God then why does he need you as a sinner to speak for him. Last I checked if Christianity is truly a personal relationship with God God will reveal himself to them. I mean if u truly believe God is all powerful like the fact u can’t even see the irony in that statement in itself is wild
@@Lightlinefisherman It doesn’t sound like you are truly informed on either the idea of Christian Nationalism or what having a relationship with Jesus looks like. I take it from your last paragraph you also don’t have an understanding of the Biblical God… No condemnation here-I was there too, just lots of basic fallacies in your comment that would be cleared up with some reading.
@@Lightlinefisherman Have you read the Bible? The New Testament specifically? Have you read any “real” literature on Christian Nationalism? Not crackpot ideologues, but true believers.
Let me preface my comment by stating that I am a relatively "novice" Christian... I have only been attending church as an adult for the past two years, and there is a lot I still need to learn about scripture. One of our pastors recently gave a sermon warning about nationalism and idolatry, that it is basically a zero-sum game in terms of honoring Christ versus loving one's country, for example. And that got me thinking, it is really a zero-sum game? Can we not fully honor Christ while still honoring our mother and father, and by extension our family, our community, and our nation? Did the Great Commission not command Christians to literally disciple the nations of the world? Some would argue that nations themselves can't be "Christian nations" since they don't have immortal souls and cannot be Christian... if that is true, why did Jesus tell us to do it? Pastor Doug Wilson makes a compelling argument along these lines. I am aware of the criticisms of the man that are floating around the Internet, but focusing simply on theology and ignoring that stuff, I'd be curious to hear a rebuttal to his theological argument on the matter, which seems very well reasoned. Thank you. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-z3xnRKs3CHY.html
Chris, great point. I agree that "either/or" thinking is not helpful for complex topics. In Luke 20:20-26, Jesus called out his enemies for offering him an "either/or" question when the topic was far too important to limit to a simple Yes or No. Keep up the good work, Paul
Hey, there, really glad to see more churches speaking out about this issue. I do think it's important to mention some of the more insidious aspects of Christian Nationalism such as racism and sexism. Still, lots of really salient points here. Thanks and God bless.
I appreciate your response. It reminds me of two things that are important. First, every "ism" is idolatry, i.e., we worship something other than God (e.g., secularism, liberalism, materialism, etc.). Second, idolatry always leads to dehumanizing others (read any of the Prophets in the Old Testament). Worshiping the Canaanite god Baal always led to injustice and violence. So, it's no surprise that as an "ism," Christian Nationalism can lead to racism and sexism.
@@fivebrosstopmos You are right that "ism" points to "belief in." What I'm saying is that every "ism" I know of goes beyond simple belief to a deep belief that leads to worship, meaning dedicating one's life to that entity. For example, Communism leads to worship of state-controlled economics; capitalism leads to worship of the free market; ditto for Marxism, humanism, Darwinism, etc. And by "worship," I mean building your life around something and finding ultimate meaning in it. Therefore, "nationalism" means building one's life around one's nation and finding ultimate meaning in it. Nationalism has happened throughout world history in countries on every continent. Since Jesus said, "Seek first God's Kingdom and his righteousness" (Matthew 6:33), I believe nationalism is dangerous and sinful, and must be avoided. We can love our country, but if we are Jesus-followers, we may not worship it ... or anything/anyone other than Jesus. Hope that makes sense. Thanks for commenting.
@@paulbasden8431 That's the way some isms go, in absence of a higher belief, but that is not the way they are required to go. Jesus says seek ye first, which means we may have something second, such as nationalism, especially when we are a prophesied nation.
I do have a deep sadness with how the indigenous people here were treated by many of our ancestors, and I know not all our ancestors were intentionally terrible , but nobody can deny that the indigenous peoples were largely treated terribly. Unfortunately some are still are treated terribly. I think we all have a responsibility to do our part to make sure we treat ALL people with dignity and respect. Period.
They treated one another horrendously. Before anyone got here, they are covered at one another’s land. They all had borders, and they didn’t warn you if you crossed into their border, they killed you. They didn’t build any schools or churches are hospitals, why feel sorry for them?
I have been a Christian for many years and am exploring the meaning of Christian nationalism. It was mentioned that a county cannot be Christian, only people can be Christians. Question: Is Israel a Jewish state? Is Sadie Arabia a Muslim county? Is China a Communist county? Etc.
I agree that a nation nor a business cannot be Christian and the push to make it so today comes out of fear and the desire to protect against the “anything goes” destructive immorality that’s gotten out of hand in our society.
Businesses are not the arm of the government unless owned by the government thus business can turn such places into living breathing profit making churches or a giant toilet seat.
I can’t rationally call America or Canada Christian nations knowing full well other peoples were here first. It spits in the faces of all First Nations and Native American peoples.
The proper duty of government is irrelevant to how such a government was founded. If you are confused that the purpose of the State should be to promote the role of the Church in a proper Church-State relationship, then you should probably read St. Justinian.
The work of the Gospel is to make peace between men and God, and wherever a heart surrenders to God the spirit of militarism and *nationalism* must go. {November 26, *1896* -- PTUK}
@@paulbasden8431 It was a Christian publication out of the UK. Also, plenty of Biblical evidence. Regarding militarism: We are called to be a witness (martyr). The Greek word for witness is martyrion. This is hardly known or respected. Also, Romans 12:9-21 is clear regarding our relationship to mankind. Love is harmless (Romans 13:10). On nationalism: Sadly, Israel failed to go to all nations and spread the gospel. They thought God was only about the nation of Israel, but Jesus showed them He was the Savior of the WORLD. We are told that we’re “strangers and pilgrims on earth” (Hebrews 11:13-16), and we are to have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5). Therefore our “kingdom is not of this world” and we are not to fight except to exercise the fight of faith (John 18:36; 1 Timothy 6:12). Blessings
I am a born-again Christian. Not bragging by any stretch. That is just me. This guy is right on target. My home in Heaven is not assured by my citizenship. Pilgrims came here for religious freedom. The separation of Church and State is important. For example, my heart is all for a Christian coach reading Scripture before a football game to his players. But...my blood would boil for a Muslim coach to read from the Koran. You get my point. I don't want teachers praying with my kids, but they better not keep my kids from praying over their noon meal. Mr. Basden is a smart dude. True story...in 1988 while providing security as a young Army NCO in the Honduras, my Food Service SGT came dragging a Catholic priest to me complaining about the priest stealing the garbage. The issue was the regulations state that trashed food remnants must not be consumed. The priest was taking our garbage 3 kilometers to his starving village. The priest left with my blessings to take all of our garbage, with some sacks of potatoes that were more than we could use, every day. Yes, I violated Amy Regulations. I think the priest was a true servant of God, even though I was a devout Baptist.
How about being a Christianized people? The Pilgrims as well as the Puritans had a profound impact upon the Colonization of the country. Your point is well made but it falls short because of the influence of Christianity in early America. Christian denominations came and flourished with their Protestant work ethic. What we have now is secularism, it’s getting hard for businesses to find help. We were a Christianized people, we are no more
So my take in things is the pilgrims did want to start a Christian nation. This was far before 1776. That background training in Holland and the Mayflower contract and more. So perhaps the uniqueness and exceptionslism of America is where I land in this. That Christian principles are required for a successful nation. And that God will bless a nation that follows him. This video may explain a bit where I stand. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1p-CnfnsxK8.html
Well, THAT wasn't what I expected! I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation, Sir. It wasn't hazy or maybe. It was verifiable. I'm not a Christian: it's a choice I've made. But it's disappointing to realize, from acquaintances, that so many Christians don't understand the New Testament is about the spiritual, not the corporeal.
Branson, I appreciate what you said. My goal is to speak the truth in love. I fail often, but I'd like to get it as right as possible on this crucial topic,
@Paul Basden. I actually found this to be a pretty misleading video. 1. What you’re describing is more accurately described as Christian Exceptionalism, and yes, it’s a common myth in conservative Christian circles. I agree that they do indeed exaggerate the Christian roots of the country. 2. But then, you are exaggerating the neutral roots of our country. There were no Muslim founders, no Buddhist founders, and not even any Jewish founders. George Washington was a member of an Episcopal church and most of the founders, including the Deists, were Christian-ish in their practice. Jefferson did not cut the Gospels out of his Bible. He did not cut Jesus out of his Bible. He was fond of Jesus, per se. He just excluded the supernatural. Kind of irrational if you ask me, but it is what it is. 3. There was very little “religious liberty” in either the colonies or the fledgling nation. There was Protestant denominational liberty. Jews and Catholics and Muslims were often second-class citizens. Remember, even a Baptist like Roger Williams had to leave Massachusetts due to religious intolerance. The Anti-Establishment Clause had only federal jurisdiction for a long time, and several of the states retained an Establishment church for quite some time. 4. You are also being rather mean spirited in characterizing Christian Exceptionalists as “Nationalists.” Nationalism is a loaded term in our current society. It implies Anti-Semitism, Anti-Immigrant sentiments based on race rather than legal status, freezing Muslims and Buddhists and Atheists out of the political process, a staunch tribalism of us (pure Americans) vs. them (ethnically and ideologically tainted Americans). It also tends toward advocating violence if things don’t go their way. Many of the folks you are tarring with your broad brush are Philo-Semitic, only oppose illegal immigrants, have no major difficulty with other religions running for office, and are almost too far from turning to violence in the face of tyranny (unlike our founding fathers). Most of them are kindly, patriotic, model citizens, who are incredibly passive if you ask me. They let the progressive crowd roll on over them most of the time. To be true to the facts (which you say you are), our current progressive activists are FAR more likely to be violent. To be fair, these fundamentalists are, quite frequently, more than a little racist in their day-to-day dealings with minorities. They are fairly tribalistic, and they tend toward toward being conspiratorial in their attitudes. I don’t care for their theology. Their hermeneutics run roughshod over clear biblical intent. They often lack basic critical thinking skills. What most of them are not…is dangerous. Those who could be rightly termed Christian Nationalists (such as White Supremacists and January 6th Insurrectionists) are not particularly devout in their “faith.” Often, they have only a very thin veneer haphazardly slopped on. So, no, I didn’t find this video to be fair minded in the least. You can do much better than this!
@@asdfasdf3989 I’m having trouble wondering why you’d even want to know. Best I can tell, the man is a silly little boy in deep need of some serious counseling. He’s sometimes linked with Michelle Malkin, who displays all the symptoms of someone who has gone through a psychotic break. These are thoroughly dysfunctional people way out on the far fringes of society. How are they relevant?
So two questions for you as you ask people not to pass on information that has not been verified. How did you come to know about Christianity? how exactly did you verify Christianity?
Thank you for this video. You give me hope for Christianity. I'm a strong Spiritual Christian Mystic, and it's my full unabashed Truth. I wish more authoritarian Evangelicals believed like you. It's infecting our great nation. Blessings.
You need to read the book "Total Truth". In it, there is a ton of discussion about the Sacred/Secular split. That's your problem right there. You're under the assumption that we can be Christian and vote secular...we can be Christian on Sundays, but when it comes to politics our decisions can be based solely upon "the common good." Whatever that is. Does Jesus have all authority in heaven and on earth or just authority in what we've deemed Christian areas of life?
That’s because this man is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He like many other Fabian socialists attacks in small areas and distorts the truth to win many small victories and further the Marxist, collectivist agenda.
Other countries do a very good job of keeping their religion out of their political life. We Americans seem to have a problem with it. American Christians think they know what’s best, so that’s how they justify forcing their beliefs in the rest of us.
Joel, thank you for your thoughtful reply. I don't think it's possible in this world to vote for truth (as revealed by Jesus) every time we cast a ballot. The human fall into sin means our choices are often not as simple as "good vs. evil," because even the good options have been compromised by our sinfulness in certain ways. Don't hear me saying I think all truth is relative - not at all. I believe that absolute truth is in Jesus, who called himself "The Truth." (John 14:6) I do not believe however that we can discern Jesus' absolute truth in every political issue. Paul
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
If anyone wants to read the Jefferson New Testament, it's available online for free. It's fascinating what Jefferson chose to remove , and chose to keep, if you're familiar with the bible. Whether you're a christian or not, Jefferson's deletions are a fascinating look into a truly odd, brilliant man's mind.
My first question is who identifies as a Christian Nationalist??? This is new to me. I just started learning about Christian Nationalism. The definitions are not even consistent. Ohhh man....I gotta start a series on Christian Socialism/leftism. This is painful. The speaker urges us to not share what we cannot verify. Well, then I can't share this video. Thomas Jefferson's views aren't anything new & that of Washington & or Adams. But, how many Founding Fathers were there. How many were members of a church? Was membership much harder to attain back then? Moreover, if a nation or university can't be Christian or have Christian roots then how can any group be Christian??? Ie a church (a body of believers) or a missionary group. In "Tactics" by Greg Koukl he notes "Founding Father's were a specific group of delegates to the Constitution Convention. 55 made up the core: 28 were Episcopalians: 8 Presbyterians: 7 Congregationalists: 2 Lutherans: 2 Dutch Reformed: 2 Methodists: 2 Roman Catholics: 1 unknown & 3 were deists." As for being a mixed bag, they seemed to be pulled from the same section.
Thank God. I'm not a theist, but I appreciate you speaking the truth. I'm terrified at the theocratic arm of the Right, and I'm hoping more moderate Christians speak up! I have a whole family of Christians who are pro-choice. Maybe you can talk about the history of abortion - how the clergy played a big role in opening up the first legal abortion clinic in New York! Really interesting how religious leaders helped women get abortions back in the day - they focused on showing compassion to women in troubling circumstances.
3:27 he also longs to bless all nations, and this blessing comes through Christ, properly. (remember that I am speaking in agreement with you that the church has its role and its role is not to bear the sword). You are correct that we should be more clearly teaching the two kingdom idea that the reformers finally understood was correct (although they took a while to get off the ground with it). The problem comes when you have Christians in government having to understand their role as Christians both within the church and in enforcing the law. That has got to be difficult no matter how theologically astute you are. And I would say the percentage of Christian people who are theologically astute is very small in the first place.
Can you be a fundamentalist without being Christian Nationalist? In all sincerity, I'm asking as a Progressive Democrat, and this isn't the first time this question has occurred to me, because of my former experience playing in the music ministry of the Charismatic Group in the Catholic Church. So, was I a Christian Nationalist (in today's terms) or a Fundamentalist (by membership, at least?
If I’m paying attention to vocal, progressive representatives, if you believe that, your rights are bestowed upon you by God instead of the state, then you are indeed a Christian nationalist if you live in America in this constitutional republic
I vote for progressive adminstrations because I believe in their political goals. If I'm a Christian Nationalist, then I'm not a very faithful one.@@jennyturner3174
"A nation cannot be Christian." But, it CAN be founded on Biblical principles. Thomas Jefferson is the one who wrote "endowed by our Creator." He capitalized the word "Creator" on purpose. Let's follow that logically..... Oh, I guess that makes most of the founders CHRISTIAN NATIONALISTS.
..... Thomas Jefferson wasn't even Christian. He was a deist, as were many of the others. That's when you believe there is a god, but reject organized religion. In fact, Thomas Jefferson is extremely famous for his rejection of Christianity. He believed that Jesus was a mortal man to the point that he edited the Bible to remove all of the miracles, the supernatural, and Jesus's divinity. That's right, America was founded on Heresy. Bet they didn't teach you that one in school.
I'm an atheist/agnostic who often wonders how this country is going to move forward under the yoke of religious fundamentalism on both the right (Christian nationalism) and left (what John McWhorter calls "The Elect"). Thank you for this video. I really appreciate your focus on truth.
Stop your false equivalency argument, it doesn't make sound like an intellectual. Both sides are not the same. Equivalent of conservative religious nuts does not exist on the left. Liberals never tried to overthrow an election.
@@zartosht06 No, leftists never tried to overthrow an election. But they've vastly succeeded in overthrowing education and "color-coding" people by race. We the see the violence taking place in our cities these days, largely a result of the left's promotion of wokeism. Sure, the extreme right is MORE dangerous, but that doesn't mean that the extreme left isn't dangerous as well.
It is true that we weren’t founded as a Christian nation, but I believe every elected official who claims to be a Christian has a moral obligation before God to carry out his word.
As well as non-Christians, because they are made in the image of God, and they are accountable to God as well. You’re not allowed to be an oppressor and deny peoples rights if you claim to be a non-Christian. You can’t get away with it because you claim not to be a Christian.
This needs to be heard by everyone. Especially MAGA House republicans who are entrusted with enormous decision making responsibility which affects all of us and our relationship with foreign nations.
Gary DeMar, America's Christian Founding. Or, Stephen Wolfe's The Case for Christian Nationalism- please let me know if you've interacted with these elsewhere.
Nonsense: Christian Nationalism can simply be a lover of Christ and country IN THAT ORDER. His position is puerile and he knows it which is why he’s leveraging is ‘degrees’ to bolster it. A sufficient number of individual Christians can make a Christian nation,just as Jesus Christ’s famous last words. Matthew 28 19-20.
They all seem to have forgotten that Jesus teaches us to hate the sin and love the sinner. If you hate the sinner they will never see the love of God. But that doesn't fit with their narrative, you can't love people and be a bully at the same time. For some reason that just doesn't work.
