In a recent article for 9Marks, Jonathan Leeman attempts to help Christians think through the Christian Nationalism debate by distinguishing those who believe Christianity should influence the nation and its laws (Influencers), and those who think the nation and government should identify as Christian (Identifiers). Leeman places himself in the former category and spends the bulk of his article critiquing the latter.
For Leeman, Identifiers want to formally establish Christianity as the nation’s official religion. He acknowledges that religious establishment operates on a dimmer switch, but generally includes state promotion and privileging of the religion and certain civil advantages for members. The dimmer switch is a helpful analogy that recognizes the role of prudence and wisdom in applying a basic principle in a variety of circumstances.
Like Leeman, I’m not beholden to the “Christian nationalism” label. I see the challenges and confusion that the term can foster. Thus, I more frequently talk in the language of historic Protestant political thought. And it’s on that basis that I’d like to offer a few critiques of Leeman’s position.
Some of my criticisms are basic. For example, Leeman argues that those promoting a Christian establishment (formal or informal) seek a “Muslimized Christianity” that
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