By Peter J. Leithartm, First Things, April 12, 2024
Peter J. Leithart is president of Theopolis Institute.
Most of the ruckus about Christian Nationalism has focused on the first term of the phrase. What makes a nation “Christian”? Was America a Christian nation once upon a time? Can nations be Christian at all, or should we reserve that modifier for individuals or, perhaps, churches?
Let me stipulate: Nations can be Christian and the United States was once, in many respects, a Christian nation. A nation is Christian when a significant portion of the population is made up of practicing Christians, when the beliefs, texts, symbols, and ethical standards of Christianity are woven into the fabric of common life, when the Christian God is invoked in public declaration and rituals (constitutions, coronations, hand-on-Bible oaths), when law and institutions are shaped by Torah and the teachings of Jesus. Imperfect as they inevitably have been, the nations of Europe have unquestionably been Christian for centuries. What else would we call Great Britain or Poland, unless we choose to be persnickety and call them “Anglican” and “Catholic” instead? …