PC(USA) to consider policy rejecting White Christian nationalism
When commissioners gather for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A)’s 277th General Assembly this summer, they will consider a recommendation from the denomination’s Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) to “repudiate the ideology and practices of white Christian nationalism in all its forms.”The recommendation, COM-033, responds to the 226th General Assembly’s (2024) directive to “develop a new policy and study guide about white Christian nationalism, given (its) powerful and pervasive distortion of Christian faith and its urgent threat to values and freedoms in the United States in the twenty-first century.”
“It is important to distinguish between patriotism and nationalism,” ACSWP says. “Patriotism, which offers appreciation and support for the United States and [commitment] to its ideals, is appropriate for the believer.
By contrast, the belief that the nation has a unique relation to God that should grant Christians special power in the nation — or that the United States has been selected by God for supremacy over other nations because of its inherent goodness — is not [appropriate for the believer].”
The issue of Christian nationalism, particularly White Christian nationalism, has been addressed by the PC(USA) previously, “but not in a way that we have policy, clearly stated in something that the Office of Public Witness could specifically use as they were talking with legislators,” said ACSWP member Rick Nutt, a retired professor of religion and associate provost at Muskingham University, a Presbyterian-related university in New Concord, Ohio.
One of the specific reasons for asking for a full-blown policy statement two years ago was “the increasing manifestations of racism, particularly around the issue of voting rights, and voting restrictions” present in the wake of January 6, 2021, and the rhetoric of the 2024 presidential election, said Nutt, who led the ACSWP writing team.
This year’s proposal is a result of that 2024 recommendation.
Proposed actions for congregations, leaders and schools
In addition to adopting the proposed policy statement, “Standing Against White Christian Nationalism,” ACSWP recommends the General Assembly:
- Urges all leaders and members of the PC(USA) to familiarize themselves with the ideology, practices, and goals of White Christian nationalism and all who preach regularly to address the topics of Christian faith and the nation, the dangers of White Christian nationalism, and related considerations at least once in the coming year, especially as the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding.
- Directs [Presbyterian Life and Witness] to use this policy, its recommendations, and all attendant documents in responding to legislation, policies, or executive orders that embody or promote White Christian nationalism.
- Directs [Presbyterian Life and Witness] to support efforts to restore enforcement of the Johnson Amendment, which prohibits religious institutions and other tax-exempt charitable organizations from engaging in direct partisan political advocacy, endorsing or opposing candidates, or making political contributions.
- Recommends that congregations continue to refrain from making political contributions and endorsing candidates.
- Directs [Presbyterian Life and Witness] to make this policy, these recommendations, and all supporting documents available to all teaching elders, [Commissioned Ruling Elders], and presbytery staff, and other leaders of the PC(USA).
- Urges all congregations to examine national symbols displayed on church property and in worship spaces, national hymns sung in worship, and the propriety of national pride in relation to the primacy of God in Christian worship.
- Directs the Stated Clerk to use this policy and other statements of the General Assembly cited herein when relevant events or circumstances warrant a public response from the denomination.
- Urges our denominational seminaries and the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities to address White Christian nationalism in coursework and/or at campus events (lectures, workshops, etc.).
In addition to the ACSWP proposal, OVT-002, from the Presbytery of San Jose, seeks an amendment to the Book of Order that would prohibit the denomination from aligning with any theology that privileges one faith over another. The overture singles out Christian nationalism “in all its forms” in that it “seeks to privilege a singular religious-cultural framework in civic life,” making it “incompatible with the example and teachings of Jesus Christ, a theological error, a threat to faithful witness, and contrary to the church.”
Related reading: “Three churches, one focus: Uniting to confront Christian nationalism” by Haley Ballast
This overture would amend F-1.0404 in the Book of Order and would require a majority vote by the presbyteries if the GA moves it along. At the time of reporting, six other presbyteries have concurred: Boston, Cayuga-Syracuse, Albany, Miami Valley and San Francisco.
A long history of debate over church, state and national identity
The debate over Christian nationalism within Reformed circles dates back to John Calvin and John Knox, both of whom challenged the governments under which they lived.
Christian nationalism has gained support and notoriety in the United States in recent years and has been a growing sermon topic in many pulpits. It is not, however, a new issue for Christians, having existed in various degrees and nations since 313 CE when the Edict of Milan declared Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.
Neither has its influence in the United States just recently blossomed, especially among very conservative Christians. At the same time, many mainline churches, including the PC(USA), have repeatedly rejected the concept but have grown more vocal as several top government officials have advocated it.
For example, during the National Prayer Breakfast in February of 2024, then-candidate Donald Trump said, “No one will be touching the cross of Christ under the Trump administration. I swear to you, that will never happen.”
And in late January 2025, Vice President J.D. Vance said, “There’s this old school – and I think it’s a very Christian concept, by the way – that you love your family, and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country, and then after that, you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world.” Many, including the late Pope Francis, dispute this interpretation.
Related reading: “The church cannot be silent — but what should it say?” by Harriet Riley, Outlook reporting
More recently, a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives posted on social media saying, “Muslims don’t belong in American society,” and “Paperwork doesn’t magically make you American. Muslims are unable to assimilate; they all have to go back.” Criticism, especially from Republicans, has been muted.
Why ACSWP focuses specifically on White Christian nationalism
“This policy statement makes clear that White Christian nationalism is a political ideology that merges Christian and national identity in order to control social, cultural, judicial, and governmental systems and institutions,” the statement from ACSWP says.
“Asserting that the United States is a Christian nation privileges a particular form of Christianity over all other religious beliefs, and claims authority over the nation’s institutions in violation of the First Amendment to the Constitution.
“Further, [White Christian nationalism] denies basic human dignity and civil and human rights to those not considered ‘real Americans.’ Racism and xenophobia manifest themselves in attempts to demonize immigrants and those of different racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. We reject White Christian nationalism categorically as a denial of fundamental Reformed understanding of Scripture and theology and urge the whole church to join in repudiating this dangerous and harmful ideology.”
Nutt said the ACSWP focused on “White” Christian nationalism because that is the prevailing kind of Christian nationalism in the United States.
“In the United States, the overlap is so prominent and so prevalent right now,” Nutt said. “That’s the distinction between previous establishment traditions and the attempts at Christian nationalism today.”
The role of racism and power in White Christian nationalist movements
Acknowledging that there is a correlation with the Black church’s version of Christian nationalism and political activity, Aimee Moiso, the PC(USA)’s manager of social witness policy, also drew an important distinction between the two types of nationalism. “Black Christian nationalism doesn’t look like White Christian nationalism.
“White Christian nationalism is identified so much with nostalgia for a White past that was also Christian,” she said. “Well, that’s not going to be coming out of the Black church.”
“White Christian nationalism is not really about Christianity; it’s really about power,” Nutt added. “It’s trying to reach back to a day when there was White power and recapture that,” he said. “It’s more about power and control than it’s about religion.”
Those who argue there is biblical support for the idea of Christian nationalism often cite 1 Timothy 5:8: “And whoever does not provide for relatives, and especially for family members, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
Among the resources suggested by ACSWP is a 2021 statement from the National Council of Churches saying, “From the foundation of the United States, Christian nationalism has traditionally employed images that advocate an idealized view of the nation’s identity and mission, while deliberately ignoring those persons who have been excluded, exploited, and persecuted, such as Native Americans, enslaved African Americans and their descendants, and a cascading procession of others” including the Irish, Chinese, Italians, Jews and Muslims.
ACSWP asserts that Christian nationalists “are willing, if necessary, to use coercion and violence to maintain their dominant role in the nation. The ‘other’ is marginalized and their human and civil rights denied.”
Discerning the relationship between church and state
Another supporting resource ACSWP cites is a 2002 column in Presbyterians Today, the denominational magazine at the time, by Vernon Broyles III, a longtime pastor and denominational executive, much of which was spent in public witness ministries.
Broyles’ column was written in the wake of 9/11, which led to the appearance of many American flags in sanctuaries and the public square.
Related reading: “Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor” by Caleb E. Campbell, reviewed by Raymond Roberts
“These developments place before us the fundamental question of the relationship between our faith in Jesus Christ and our loyalty to our nation,” Broyles writes. “And that in turn is the foundation for discerning the relationship that ought to exist between the church and the state as institutions of society.
“The New Testament is perfectly clear in regard to the first issue. Those who speak of ‘balancing’ their faith in Jesus Christ with their loyalty as American citizens simply do not understand the gospel,” he said.
In conclusion, he says, “Strong allegiance to a person’s own country is a good and important virtue, but as Christian patriots we fulfill our proper responsibility in both roles when we are rooted in the knowledge that the Cross of Jesus Christ stands high above the flag of every nation, including our own. From that stance, we can challenge every earthly authority to remember that they serve at the pleasure of a God who is just and merciful and requires the same of them. In this way, we render our greatest service to both God and country.”
When and how the General Assembly will take up the issue
The ACSWP recommendation and OVT-002 have yet to be assigned to one of the 10 committees.
GA227 will convene on June 22 with online committee meetings through June 24. June 25 and 26 will be for travel and plenary preparation, with the plenary itself in session from June 27 through July 2, when the moderator election will take place.
