I am a Christian. I think those close would describe me as devout.

I believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I believe that the Bible is the infallible, unchanging word of God.

I believe that we show our love to God by being obedient to His word; specifically, that we treat others with the same grace, mercy and love the Lord bestowed on each of us through His work on the cross. We are to be a living testimony to our faith.

And, I believe that Christian nationalism is dangerous. It is a threat both to democracy and to the perceived integrity of witnessing Christians – integrity that is essential to lead the unenlightened to faith.

As I have voiced in prior posts, Christian nationalists have an agenda. For the vocal, it seems not to be an agenda of outreach, intended to bring the worldly to a fruitful love of the Lord. It seems instead designed to protect a pious culture.

Truthfully, many Christians have concerns about the manner in which the church’s traditional values are being trampled upon. I certainly do. Gender identity, marriage, expressions of faith and more have become battles in the war for salvation.

Christian nationalists, however, are fighting on the wrong front. The front they fight on is the legislative one. They do so in the belief that by codifying Christian morality as the law of the land, their values and their culture will be protected – not because doing so will bring more people to Christ.

They’ve got it wrong. The war will be won by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and obedience to His commands, the greatest of which are to love God and love your neighbor.

It is Time for Outreach, Not Condemnation

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

2 Timothy 3:1-4 (NKJV)

God gave us a heads-up. This is where most all Christians find common ground – that these perilous times are upon us. My personal belief is that this must also be a time of outreach. Nothing must stand in the way of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and serving as a living testimony to God’s love of His creation in an effort to change hearts and harvest souls.

Christian nationalism, however, stands in the way. Its most fervent adherents seek to close ranks and build a moat around their “righteous” morality as though by doing so they can change what God has said must happen. And they do so without regard for the collateral damage of such pursuit.

What is that collateral damage? It is the harm done to the integrity of witnessing Christians who, rather than trying to compel compliance with litigious moral dictates, seek to bring the unenlightened to Christ by compassionately sharing God’s word. And while that is not the intention of Christian nationalists, the targets of Christian evangelism are often unable to distinguish between those who desire to legislate morality and Christians who seek to bring them to faith through love and empathy.

God’s Chosen

“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

Exodus 19:5-6

In the Old Testament, Israel was God’s chosen nation – and would become His kingdom of priests if it would but keep covenant with Him. It did not.

Too many Christian nationalists – particularly the vocal ones – believe that their country is now God’s chosen nation. I believe they are wrong.

God promised a new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34) that was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. God’s chosen – His kingdom of priests, the true Israel – is embodied by those that believe Jesus is the Son of God and died for the salvation of His creation. It is the Church, not a country.

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

1 Peter 2:9-10

Eternal life is bestowed upon us by the grace of God through faith. It is conferred upon each of us individually as a result of that faith and obedience to God – not because we live in a particular country.

Our Citizenship is in Heaven

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

1 Corinthians 3:16

As a temple of the Holy Spirit, a follower of Jesus Christ having been made a kingdom and priest, we must be mindful of where our citizenship truly resides:

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

Philippians 3:20

Do I believe God cares about gender alteration, prayer, sexual purity, etc.? Of course He does. However, I believe He cares most about our hearts, reflected in the choices each of makes on these issues. Do we love Him enough to be obedient to His word? He wants to see that in us, does He not? I fear Christian nationalism endeavors to transform obedience to God’s word into obedience to governmental law.

It is not my intention to characterize Christian nationalists as nonbelievers. Most are, in fact, good people who simply fear where their country – and their world – is headed. Their response to that fear is to try to remove its cause root and stem. But God told us such times were to come. His plan cannot be altered by removing God-given free will – the free will to make good choices and bad.

Of course, we make bad choices all too often. But that is why Christ died for us. We can make choices that anger God – but as long as we make the choice to believe in Jesus, we are covered. But in their efforts to remove choice, Christian nationalists diminish the work of Christ on the cross.