Want to see what white Christian nationalism looks like?

In case you’re not sure what white Christian nationalism looks like, here’s a rather obvious example:

Following criticism “amid his escalating feud with Pope Leo, who has criticized the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran as inhumane,”1 the President says that he meant for the AI-generated image to portray him as a doctor, not as a Christ-figure.

Doctors, however, do not tend to wear flowing white robes, nor do shiny balls of light necessarily spring forth from their palms on a regular basis. As of this morning, when outrage heightened over the image, this time not just from his opponents but from a base of conservative religious supporters, Trump deleted the post from Truth Social altogether.

Further criticism aside, if you don’t yet know what white Christian nationalism looks like, let the image explain it for you:

• The blond-haired, blue-eyed President2 has become a stand-in for Jesus

• The American flag, the Statue of Liberty, two bald eagles, and a couple of constitutional buildings appear in the background

• Everyone that appears in (and benefits from) the image is white: a white man is healing another white man, both of whom are adoringly looked upon by four other white people (and additional white “laying-upon” hands)

• There is a heightened appreciation for the military, as seen by the several fighter jets, a host of heavenly Armageddon-like fighters, and the serviceman

• Fireworks, which are synonymous with (American) Independence Day, fly in the background

In How to End Christian Nationalism, Amanda Tyler defines Christian nationalism in the following way:

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.3

Further, Tyler writes that “Christian nationalism is a political ideology and cultural framework that seeks to fuse American and Christian identities,” suggesting “‘real ‘ Americans are Christians that ‘true’ Christians hold a particular set of political beliefs.” As a result, a narrow society that privileges some but not all, both “by law and in societal practice” happens in turn.4

Although I could continue to wax poetic about the merits of white Christian nationalism as this now-defunct computer-generated image shows, I also venture to guess that we can simply let the image speak for itself.

Because, it did.

Your thoughts?

c.

One more little thought:

Yesterday I preached on one of my favorite passages, John 20. Here, Jesus encounters a character affectionately known as “Doubting Thomas,” who in the circles I used to run in really got a bad wrap because, don’t doubt, just believe already! Thomas was everything we weren’t supposed to be, even if I think he’s a rather real, and, dare I say, relatable, figure now. Suffice it to say, I’ve preached this passage several times over the last couple of years, but it wasn’t until I read this commentary that I realized that Thomas doesn’t actually stick his fingers in Jesus’ sides — he simple utters an exclamation in response.5

One book I’m reading:

A lot of my work lately has delved further into white evangelicalism, racial justice, and now, white Christian nationalism. In addition to Tyler’s book above, I also really enjoyed Red State Christians by Rev. Angela Denker. Denker takes us on a journey across the contiguous United States to introduce readers to the famed 81 percent of white evangelical voters who voted Trump into office in 2016. “Red State Christians,” she writes, “consider America and American Christianity under siege, resulting in a defensive pushback. Churches today must defend not just Jesus but also America.” Highly recommend.

One tiny garden musing:

We had a very hot March, with temperatures in the low 80s on some days (and, subsequently, at the exact same time when the A.C. in my car decided to stop working — but that is another story). As it goes, I got the majority of my tomato plants into the ground, because hey! It’s hot! Tomatoes love heat! But this weekend, the Bay Area saw extreme wind and rain, so much so that all those tomatoes are very, very angry at me and threatening to drown in the cold, wet soil. Will they live? That is the question.

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