This week, a new flashpoint in the Christian nationalism debate came after Texas state Rep. James Talarico responded to comments made on a podcast featuring Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s pastor. In a clip that spread online, Pastor Brooks Potteiger appeared to pray that Talarico would be “crucified with Christ,” language Talarico publicly rebuked while framing his response around the difference between Christianity and Christian nationalism. “Jesus loves. Christian Nationalism kills,” Talarico wrote on X. Potteiger later said he was referring to spiritual death and rebirth, not a literal threat.
The exchange landed because it tapped into a larger argument that’s been building for years: whether Christianity is being used as a witness to another kingdom or as a tool for political power. Talarico’s response didn’t create that debate, but it did put it back in front of a wide audience and underline how quickly faith language can be folded into ideological combat.
Many Christians, including some here at RELEVANT, have written extensively about the growing threat of Christian nationalism and why Christians in America should oppose it. Potteiger’s remarks, and Talarico’s response, didn’t emerge in a vacuum. They reflect a wider trend in certain corners of the right, where the line between Christian conviction and political identity keeps getting blurrier and where warnings about Christian nationalism are often dismissed as overreaction.
A few things are going on here, but one point still needs to be said plainly: Christian nationalism is bad. There was a time, fairly recently, when that wouldn’t have been a controversial thing to say. The fact that it now feels politicized is only more reason to say it clearly. Nobody, least of all Christians, should support Christian nationalism. If it’s having a moment on the extremist fringes, Christians should lead the way in rejecting it and building guardrails so the Church understands this ideology is beyond the pale.
One of the ways Christian nationalism gains ground is through redefinition. Some people insist it’s nothing more than patriotism plus traditional values, and if that were true, it wouldn’t be especially alarming.
Christian nationalism has never meant merely loving your country or holding conservative political views. It takes biblical teaching and mixes it with constitutional democracy until the distinction starts to disappear. In that framework, being a good American begins to look like part of being a good Christian and vice versa, so that anyone who isn’t American is seen as somehow not living the Christian life as fully as they could be, and anyone who isn’t a Christian is seen as somehow less American too.
“Christian Nationalism is not the same thing as patriotism or being patriotic,” Amanda Tyler told us in 2018. “I am a patriot. We can be patriotic and still understand that we don’t need to minimize our religious convictions or somehow make those fit into a particular political affiliation or nationalistic affiliation.”
Tyler is the executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee, and she’s helped mobilize a diverse group of Christians to take on Christian nationalism. According to her, combating Christian nationalism isn’t just good for democracy. It’s good for the Church too.
“Whenever the state gets too cozy with Christianity, Christianity is the one that gets compromised,” she said. “Our radical Christian values are not in line with the powers and principalities of this state. Jesus taught us that we are citizens of two kingdoms, an earthly kingdom ruled by our governments and God’s kingdom. We have to work out what we render to which kingdom.”
It may be true that some slightly trigger-happy critics use “Christian nationalism” too broadly, hurling the label at any elected official who prays before dinner or mentions God in a speech. That’s unfair, but it’s also beside the point. Christian nationalism is a real issue. Nearly a third of Americans say being a Christian is a key part of being truly American, according to Pew Research. Just because some people use the term sloppily doesn’t mean the actual threat should be ignored.
Christians should reject the label and oppose the ideology behind it. Jesus didn’t come to make the kingdom he was born into more Christian. He pointed the way to another kingdom that isn’t of this world. He resisted political power when it was offered to him. Christians should do the same.
