America’s National Origin Myth

APPENDIX 2: Christian Nationalism?

A brief word on the phenomenon of “Christian Nationalism”—effectively: the confluence of Evangelical (esp. Millenarian) Christianity and U.S. Exceptionalism (esp. “Manifest Destiny”).  This ideological synthesis leads to a toxic cocktail of religious fundamentalism (one kind of collective pathology) and ethno-nationalism (another kind of collective pathology).  The former involves cult activity; the latter involves a militant, ethno-centric, imperialist mindset (characterized by what sociologists dub “super-patriotism”).  Each is comprised of two key elements: virulent tribalism and institutionalized dogmatism.

Both religious fundamentalism and ethno-nationalism engender their own kind fanaticism.  Indeed, all the agit-prop and bombastic pageantry belies a slew of neuroses.  When merged, these fanaticisms end up being mutually re-enforcing.  (Different forms of delusive thinking tend to be symbiotic.)

Today, we see this odious phenomenon most flagrantly with Revisionist Zionism in Israel and Juche in North Korea.  In most cases, the goal is a theocratic ethno-State.  This is a reminder that fascism is cultic in nature—be it tied to a traditional religion or the latest demagogue du jour.  Such cult activity is not just dogmatic and tribalistic; it is highly superstitious and downright racist.  America’s “Christian Dominionism” is simply the latest manifestation of this malignant cultural tumor.

When it comes to the strain found in the U.S., the pathology takes on a signature brand whereby American-ness is equated with Christian-ness (to the point where they become indistinguishable).  Insofar as such an ethnocentric regime becomes militaristic and authoritarian, we call it “fascism”.  Behold Christian Nationalism.  Just replace the swastikas with stars and stripes; and the “Volk” with WASPs (or with sycophants of the Roman Catholic Church, as the case may be); militarize the police; and we’re there.

Recall George Steinbrenner’s demand that everyone stand for the national anthem at each baseball game at Yankee stadium, threatening to ARREST anyone who had the audacity to so much go to the bathroom as it played.  It’s right out of the Stalin / Kim Il-Sung / Mao Tse Tung playbook.

As I showed in my essay: “The Many Faces Of Fascism”, one need simply insert ANY ethno-nationalist vision into the “Make X Great Again” slogan, and one finds myriad analogues.  (Hence platitudes like “take our country back”, “make America great again”, and “America First”.)   This entails the propagation of alarmist claims that the in-group is “under siege” by some vilified out-group (an enemy at the gates), and the utterance of exhortations to restore the nation to its former glory: a chimerical Golden Age that exists only in the minds of the propagandists.

As is usually the case, the pathological degree of false pride is predicated on a deep-seated insecurity.  Hence the prevalence of various neuroses—from the siege mentality to a persecution complex.

Christian fundamentalism in North America goes back to the Great Awakening in the 18th century, with proselytizers like John Wesley and George Whitfield: charismatic leaders who brought the movement across the Atlantic from England, subsequently establishing Puritanism-based theocracy in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.  The signature American strain of Christian Nationalism, though, was pioneered in the 1930’s by the German Anabaptist, Gerald Winrod (with the Defenders Of The Christian Faith) and Gerald L.K. Smith (with the Christian Nationalist Crusade; as well as the political “America First” party).  At the time, the go-to periodical for the movement was “The Cross And The Flag”.  (Also notable at the time was William Dudley Pelley and his “Silver Legion”.)

Christian Nationalism has had a rather meandering history.  A Roman Catholic incarnation was pioneered by the radio celebrity, Charles Coughlin in the 1930’s.  Non-denominational incarnations were promoted by the likes of Frank Buchman and Charles Lindbergh in the 1930’s and 40’s.  A Calvinist incarnation was pioneered by R.J. Rushdoony in the 1950’s.  A Mormon incarnation was pioneered by Willard Cleon Skousen in the 1960’s.  And the movement was put into overdrive in the 1970’s by Paul Weyrich (a Roman Catholic) and Jerry Falwell (a Southern Baptist), both of whom rode a wave of religious fervor—largely in the form of Christian Re-constructionism.  This led to such organizations as “The Moral Majority”.

The admixture of religious zealotry and super-patriotism was a toxic cocktail of pathologies.  Each version of this ideology was successful because it appealed to the universal predilection for tribalism and dogmatism.  This super-charged religiosity was fused with American Exceptionalism to form a perfidious theocratic ideology: Christian Dominionism (which germinated within the nexus of tribalism, racism, and delusive thinking).  It was Christian Dominionism that would serve as the theocratic foundation for Christian Nationalism vis a vis the United States.

All this had grave implications for both domestic (esp. regarding abortion) and foreign policy (esp. regarding Israel).

It comes as no surprise that those who subscribe to America’s Christian Origin myth are far more likely to abide ethnocentric attitudes (“America is a [white] Christian nation!”)  Proponents of Christian Nationalism are obdurately Reactionary—which means that they are vehemently anti-intellectual, extremely dogmatic, virulently tribalistic, and stridently contemptuous of human rights.  Cosmopolitanism, secularism, humanism, and even democracy itself are anathema to such ideologues.

The marriage of corporatism (esp. the fetishization of capitalism; which has operated under the aegis, “neo-liberalism” since the 1970’s), militarism (under the aegis of “national defense”), and Christian fundamentalism (under the aegis of Providentialism) eventually led to:

• Think-tanks like the Heritage Foundation
• Cold Warriors with Biblical pretensions like John Foster Dulles
• Dim-witted heads-of-State like Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush
• Political hacks like Newt Gingrich and Mitch McConnell

Today’s preachers have inherited this reprobate ideological mantle—most notably: Robert Jeffress and John Hagee.  Buffoonish demagogues like Donald Trump—as he awkwardly holds a bible aloft in one moment and hugs an American flag the next—demonstrate that this is largely about theatrics; and remind us how easily manipulated this segment of the polis really is.

The allure of Christian Nationalism is undeniable.  This is largely attributable to the standard assortment of enticements found in ANY cult activity—from false hope to false pride; and, of course, false certainty.  The targets are—as is always the case—those who are insecure, credulous, and existentially disoriented.  It appeals most to simple-minded people who are easily hoodwinked by a captivating narrative; and are looking for something solid to hold onto.

To make the ideology enticing, measures are taken that SEEM TO give it moral ballast, and provide the beguiling illusion of historical precedent.  Those who partake in this charade often employ an Orwellian vernacular: provocative yet vacuous locutions that sound meaningful to the untutored ear…yet lack any solid, lexical content (“Christian Nation”, “family values”, “unborn child”, “Second Amendment rights”, etc.)  Platitudes lend a veneer of credence to what is nothing but jingoistic balderdash.

The trick is to ramble on and on and on about “religious freedom” while refusing to recognize that such freedom entails a separation of church and state.  This required eliding the fact that “freedom OF” has a logical corollary: “freedom FROM”.  Hence, “freedom of religion” is taken to mean something other than what it actually means.  For Christian theocrats, the catch-phrase entails an array of dubious entitlements—notably: tax exemption for ostensibly “religious” operations, as well as the license to use public resources in the service of ostensibly “religious” activities.  To deny them publicly-subsidized religion (or the ability to enact legislation based on Christian doctrine) is seen by them as an infringement on their (religious) “liberty”; hence the name of the “Christian Liberty Party”.

This deranged treatment of “religious freedom” also involves being obsessed with American Exceptionalism—asserting that god is on our side (with paeans to a “shining city on a hill” and all the rest).  The claim, then, is that “WE are the chosen; so WE are a beacon for the rest of the world.”  This is not a novel trope; it goes back to the Judaic conceit: “Or La-Goyim” (Light unto the Gentiles) and the Nazi “Gott mit Uns”.  I explore such conceit in my essay: “Genesis Of A People”.