Pastor Foltz is Pastor Emeritus of Saint James Lutheran Church in Gettysburg, PA and author of the the Frontline Study content.
When I began this series on the church and politics about 3 months ago, I am not sure I even knew the term “Christian Nationalist.” As the media has recently discovered this group, more and more people have become concerned about their activities. So many, in fact, that I have never had so many people […]
Just about every time I’ve spoken about Christian Nationalism, people ask how are we ever going to heal the political divisions afflicting our society? They are especially concerned because many believe it cannot be done without violence. Some even talk of civil war. I found myself wondering about that question at the annual Martin Luther […]
I was about to move on to something else when some of you asked more questions about Christian Nationalism. Thankfully, it has become a hot topic as people are finding it is a greater threat than we imagined. At the same time, Fred and Myron sent two articles that are very helpful. The first identifies […]
I was drawn into this series primarily to see what to was going on with Christian Nationalists. These people seem to be breaking the rules pertaining to the separation of church and state. I found this cherished separation depended on practical agreement more than political theory. The government controlled the numerous religious communities by granting […]
Any talk about church and politics after the Enlightenment has to look at the expectation that governments will protect freedom of religion. You get an idea how important this became when the founders of the US made their first amendment to our constitution the right to freedom of speech and religion. Since then, the role […]
The esteemed Pew Research Center reports 45% of Americans think we should be a Christian nation. Admittedly, there is a variety of ideas about what this means. However, it is especially significant against the background of American Exceptionalism. This is the belief that the USA is superior to other nations and called to lead them […]
Three weeks ago, I included conservative Roman Catholics in a list of Christian Nationalists. I want to take that back. At the time, I had no idea how outlandish and dangerous these new groups are. Conservative Roman Catholics are responding to the same social changes and also challenge the way our democratic government is trying […]
Surprisingly, I had the same experience exploring Christian Nationalism in Evangelical churches as I did the New Apostolic Reformation in Pentecostal churches. In both, I began wondering from where these people came and found they were groups with whom I had contact in the past. I thought they had disappeared because they were so outlandish. […]
This is probably the most extreme form of Christian nationalism. Like all the others, it assumes the church is under attack, and it calls for much more aggressive reaction. Christians must take over every area of society by replacing those presently in control with true believers. In fact, it claims this is necessary to pave […]
The separation of church and state that historically has been a cherished principle of the USA is being severely threatened. The media pictures Church leaders laying hands on political candidates and popular pastors speaking prominently at campaign rallies. Election committees regard religious groups as critical voting blocks. Then Pew Foundation’s recent study of religion in […]
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