I’m proud to have signed the statement produced by Christians Against Christian Nationalism (CACN). I’m ashamed that such a statement is needed. I'm also ashamed by the reaction of many, probably most, white evangelicals to the statement. Well, that is by the relative few who are aware of it. Here’s a key portion of the statement:
Christian nationalism seeks to merge Christian and American identities, distorting both the Christian faith and America’s constitutional democracy. Christian nationalism demands Christianity be privileged by the State and implies that to be a good American, one must be Christian. It often overlaps with and provides cover for white supremacy and racial subjugation. We reject this damaging political ideology and invite our Christian brothers and sisters to join us in opposing this threat to our faith and to our nation.
And while that above portion of the statement triggers most white evangelicals, this one drives them to red-eyed rage:
Whether we worship at a church, mosque, synagogue, or temple, America has no second-class faiths. All are equal under the U.S. Constitution. As Christians, we must speak in one voice condemning Christian nationalism as a distortion of the gospel of Jesus and a threat to American democracy.
Here’s how the evangelical publication Charisma news reacted to the statement:
Along with six George Soros-funded religious groups and a variety of other non-Christian organizations, the BJC is co-endorser of "An Interfaith Statement of Principles," which stigmatizes candidates who appeal to voters based on faith as "inappropriate" and "divisive," and calls for religious appeals to be removed from political campaigns entirely.
To all appearances, the message conveyed here implies that "We shouldn't say that Jesus is the only way to heaven."
A simple reading of the statement reveals Charisma’s assertion to be completely bogus.
I’d challenge anyone possessed of a reasonable level of honesty, integrity, and intelligence to read the entire statement and assess whether it implies that "We shouldn't say that Jesus is the only way to heaven." (If you think religion in general is nonsense, then ignore the religious aspects and simply examine the statement to assess whether Charisma’s claim has any basis in fact.)
Notice, first, that Charisma seeks to prejudice its readers by associating CACN and its statement with George Soros. I know well from my years in Focus on the Family’s Public Policy division that the fastest, easiest way to whip up conservatives—especially Christian conservatives—is to invoke the name George Soros. The man is almost universally vilified among evangelicals as Satan’s chief ambassador to the entire planet. Most evangelicals honestly know little to nothing about George Soros, other than that when his name is mentioned, it’s time to narrow one’s eyes and hiss out a curse against the planet’s primary personification and purveyor of evil.
Next, Charisma laments that “the BJC [Baptist Joint Committee] is co-endorser of "An Interfaith Statement of Principles," which stigmatizes candidates who appeal to voters based on faith as ‘inappropriate’ and ‘divisive,’ and calls for religious appeals to be removed from political campaigns entirely.” Again, Charisma has taken statements so far out of context that their characterizations can be characterized as nothing short of outright lies.
The Interfaith Statement of Principles plainly states,
Candidates for public office are, of course, free to worship as they choose. And they should feel comfortable explaining their religious convictions to voters, commenting about their own religious beliefs, explaining, if they wish to do so, how those beliefs shape their policy perspectives, and how they would balance the principles of their faith with their obligation to defend the Constitution if the two ever came into conflict.
To say that the Interfaith Statement “calls for religious appeals to be removed from political campaigns entirely” can be plainly seen as an outright lie. But—as I also learned during my time at Focus on the Family—breaking biblical commandments such as the prohibition against lying is acceptable in the quest for culture war victories.
Now back to the first-mentioned statement, the one from Christians Against Christian Nationalism and Charisma’s reaction to it: “To all appearances, the message conveyed here implies that ‘We shouldn't say that Jesus is the only way to heaven.’” Again, whether one has any religious inclinations or not, a simple reading of the statement reveals Charisma’s assertion to be completely bogus. The CACN statement says nothing of the kind, explicitly or implicitly. It calls for the same thing our nation’s Founders called for in the U.S. Constitution—a separation between church and state. It warns against a state-sponsored, most-favored religion, just as our Founders warned against.
According to the Constitution—and the CACN statement—any American is free to proclaim his or her religious beliefs as the exclusive way to please God. Period. End of discussion. And any collection of Americans—such as a church, a synagogue, or mosque—is free to do the same. But the government is the one exception. The government needs to remain apart from religious preferences. One need only watch the footage of the January 6th insurrection at the nation’s Capitol building. Many of the rioters carried crosses and/or Bibles and chanted Christian slogans as they desecrated the building, beat law enforcement officials, and sought to kill Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
A government beholden to folks such as those who believed they were doing God’s bidding as they beat Capitol police officers with flagpoles would have more in common with the Taliban than with the United States of America our Founders envisioned. Sadly, however, all too many white evangelicals—such as those at Charisma News—would be happy to see the USA governed under a Christianized version of a Taliban-style theocracy.