Combating Christian nationalism to protect democracy

In 1790, then-President George Washington wrote a letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, RI in which he shared his vision for building a nation that embraced people of all faith traditions. Washington insisted that no tradition, including Protestant Christianity, had a privileged status in America. Instead he wrote that “all possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship,” assuring the congregation that the government would “give bigotry no sanction, and to persecution no assistance.”

Two and a quarter centuries after Washington wrote these words, we continue to fight for the vision he cast as our democracy faces a serious threat posed by the insidious claims and power hungry goals of Christian nationalism.

Christian nationalism is a new name for an old and dangerous ideology that conflates American identity with religious identity. Unwilling to acknowledge that America was always meant to be a country that respects people of all beliefs, adherents of Christian nationalism believe they enjoy special favor from God, and are guided by the belief that America is a nation for and by Christians. Deeply entangled with strains of authoritarianism, white supremacy, and xenophobia, the ideology privileges the religious claims of the few above the vast majority of religious and non-religious Americans who believe in church-state separation and democracy for and by the people -- ALL the people.

In recent years, far-right activists and politicians have worked to bring Christian nationalism into the mainstream. The most salient manifestation was the attack on our nation’s Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, where many of the insurrectionists waved Christian banners and wooden crosses after holding impromptu prayer sessions in Jesus’ name, aiming to undermine our democracy and the will of the people.

Florida has, unfortunately, become among the most fertile grounds for the spread of Christian nationalism, with statewide and local officials making increasingly overt appeals to Christian nationalist voters. Ahead of the midterm elections, Governor Ron DeSantis released an ad in which he cast himself as a “fighter” sent by God. From championing book banning of any literature mentioning LGBTQ+ characters or themes, prohibiting the African American Studies AP Course, to orchestrating legislative attacks on LGBTQ+ youth like the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, DeSantis has gradually transformed his state into a laboratory for some of the policies most avidly supported by Christian nationalists.

According to Florida teachers, state officials are even inserting Christian nationalist ideology into public school curricula. The state recently held training seminars where teachers who attended said they were imparted with “very strong Christian fundamentalist” interpretations of American history, including denials that our Founding Fathers ever sought a separation between church and state.

The Christian nationalist movement is also invading local politics, including in Southwest Florida. A newly elected Christian nationalist on the Collier County School Board, representing the ideology’s quest for power and control, has advocated for bringing back physical abuse in school, using corporal punishment on kids with disabilities, and stripping away rights from LGBTQ+ students.

In Sarasota County, the founder of the conspiracy-laden ReAwaken America Tour Michael Flynn has formed a Christian nationalist training ground, which one former educator described as an aspiring “infrastructure to further the attack on American democracy.”

However, as in times past when Christian nationalism has tried to infect American politics, the broad public is rising up and offering a way forward towards a truly welcoming and inclusive nation for all. Interfaith Alliance has continued to sound the alarm on the pernicious influence of Christian nationalism, including at a Capitol Hill briefing ahead of the midterms. However, the efforts of the grassroots in communities nationwide will be decisive.

This Wednesday, Feb. 15, Interfaith Alliance, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Greater Naples will join together for a lecture on this very topic for the 20th anniversary year of the Progressive Voices Series. Interfaith Alliance is seeking to add a Southwest Florida affiliate to our organization and we’d love to have individuals from all faiths and none join us in defending democracy and advocating for true religious freedom.

By using faith as a bridge, not a bludgeon, we have a shared opportunity to cast our own vision of religion in America that reflects that of George Washington so many years ago, ensuring all people are treated with dignity and equality under the law, no matter their background or belief.

Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, a Baptist minister, is president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance, a national organization championing an inclusive vision of religious freedom. Rev. Dr. Sharon Harris-Ewing is a UCC minister and resident of Naples. 

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Combating Christian nationalism to protect democracy