One of the tenets of “Christian Nationalism” is to put Christians in all positions of government, etc., creating a Christian Utopia. This idea appeals to many sincere believers, especially when all around us seems like chaos. The following are some thoughts that I wanted to share about the subject.
1. The idea of God coming down and creating a new society is biblical; however, according to Scripture, this will only occur when Christ returns.
2. For years before Jesus’ birth, the Jewish idea of a Messiah would be one who would sweep in and conquer the brutal Roman rule and set this son of David to rule. This was one of the reasons they did not recognize Jesus as Messiah: they had misunderstood God’s Kingdom and timing in establishing it, as well as the purpose of Messiah in God’s plan of redemption.
3. Over and over again, Jesus underscored His purpose: Coming as a servant, to seek and save those that were lost. The Jews wanted the “quick fix” that would re-establish self rule and Jesus’ words did not seem to fit into their pre-conceived plan. Jesus clarified before Pilate that “my kingdom is not of this world.” This is not taking the comment out of its context, because the Romans feared an uprising and brutally crushed any threat. The Kingdom of God is spiritual. Pilate did not perceive any threat from Jesus.
4. God’s plan was to “go and make disciples of every nation” from the beginning. Change would come from the inside out, not from the top down. As yeast permeates the dough little by little, individuals transformed by the Gospel would lead others to Christ through believing in Him as Savior and Lord, confession, repentance, and disciplining others in Christ’s teaching and permeate the society. Scripture never teaches to take over leadership and make laws that force Christian beliefs on the culture. Discipleship cannot be legislated.
5. God brings His kingdom in, we do not. We share the good news of the kingdom. His kingdom is not defined by Christians in control of everything, but when Christ returns and brings it in.
6. God can and has worked through leadership that does not know Him. Cyrus was moved by God: “the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia” [2 Chronicles 36:22], Nebuchadnezzar [Jeremiah 25:9], Pharaoh was moved to see how God worked through Joseph, and even Paul commanded to pray for those in power; remember those in power were Roman pagans and emperors who considered themselves gods. Early Christians obeyed the laws unless they violated God’s commands and willingly submitted to the punishment. To deny that God doesn’t use or cannot use leadership that does not know Him is to deny the absolute sovereignty of God.
7. Some groups today claim that they have a “further word from God.” Truly, God does continue to speak, however, any “further word” must be consistent with the full message from Scripture. God does not contradict Himself. The temptation of Satan to Adam and Eve was to [1] question what God said and [2] have the power to determine what is right and good. When groups say that they have a “further word from God” but contradict the teaching of Scripture, they are claiming the right to say what is right over the Word of God. God does still speak, but it is primarily from His Word and illumination from it. Any dream, prophecy, or vision from God must be consistent with the overall teaching of God’s Word. Any further word that is not consistent is not from God and is a deception from Satan.
9. Remember Satan’s temptation of Jesus was seeking shortcuts in accomplishing God’s plan, the twisting of Scripture, not a denial of it, and seeking control outside of God’s design and plan. All that is taught must be subject to the test of consistency of the truth of God’s Word, not on miracles, dreams, or any other authority outside scripture.
10. Discipleship has been God’s plan from the beginning, not a political takeover. Yes, Christians should be involved, but not for the purpose of control, but to share the Good News, and to be the example of the difference godly character makes. Culture changes when the nature of the people in that culture changes from within, not from external law. Constantine attempted mandating the worship of only Christ, but like other instances, it ended in thousands coming into the church with no discipleship, or knowledge, and was destined to fail. God’s plan was discipleship, not declarations.
11. Christian Nationalism implies that God is only in control when Christians are in “power.” But leadership is not “Christian” unless it reflects Christ’s nature and character. Satan would have us believe that “the end justifies the means,” that half-truths, and accepting a leader that does not reflect Christ does not matter as long as he/she will go along with the goal.
12. Just because someone is a Christian does not make them qualified to adequately accomplish a task, except the sharing of what God has done in their life through Christ. [I am Christian, but don’t ask me to work on your car; I am not qualified. In the same way, those that we elect must be qualified in the areas for which they will work or we will set them up for failure and tarnish the name and reputation of Christ.]
13. God has never relinquished His power and authority. Regardless of who carries the earthly title, God always has the last word. Sometimes God leaves someone in power who does not follow Him: Remember David was anointed king to replace Saul, however, he did not try to “make it happen,” but rather waited for God’s timing. David waited years, hiding in the wilderness and other places, and would not touch “the Lord’s anointed.” David waited saying that Saul would either die in battle or God would take him. David knew that Saul was out of the will of God, but it was more important to trust God to act than take the situation into his own hands to make the change, even though God had promised him the kingdom. Another example is found in the life of Abraham. When the promise of God seemed delayed in giving him and Sarah a child [over 14 years], Abraham agreed with Sarah that they needed to take things into their own hands and she gave Hagar to him so that he could have a child. Not waiting on God produced hate and strife in every generation afterward. We must not fall into the temptation to “make it happen” but wait on God, trusting in Him to act in His timing.
14. Satan is the author of all lies..” Satan is the author of deceit. We only deceive ourselves to think otherwise.
15. Sometimes decisions are made based on fear, especially fear of suffering. Yet Jesus said, “In this world, you will have tribulation.” [John 16:33] Paul, in Philippians 3:10 states: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”
The less we know of Scripture the more that we are susceptible to believing the deceptions. The ends do not justify the means. Christian leadership is only Christian if it reflects the very nature and character of Christ as He taught in Scripture. We must be wary of any leadership that claims to be Christian, but whose evidence of personal character is lacking.
