Dr. Michael Brown Breaks Down ‘Healthy,’ ‘Unhealthy’ and ‘Boogie Man’ Christian Nationalism: ‘Only Jesus Can Save America’ By Billy Hallowell for Faith Wire
What is “Christian nationalism?” The term is being thrown around quite a bit these days in secular media and some church circles. But while several argue its meaning is easy to discern, others aren’t so sure.
Apologist Dr. Michael Brown, author of the new book, “The Political Seduction of the Church: How Millions Of American Christians Have Confused Politics with the Gospel,” broke down three definitions of Christian nationalism, noting the meaning can differ depending on whom you ask.
“Let’s just say that there’s a healthy Christian nationalism, there’s an unhealthy Christian nationalism, and there’s the boogie man Christian nationalism that the left has kind of exaggerated,” Brown told CBN’s Faithwire.
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He went on to differentiate between these three understandings of Christian nationalism, starting with the beneficial or positive form.
“Healthy Christian nationalism would be, ‘I love Jesus and I love my country. Our country has strong Christian roots. Let’s recover those, because that’s in the best interest of the country,’” he said. “I don’t find a contradiction between loving America and being a Christian.”
Watch Brown explain Christian nationalism:
Brown then went on to juxtapose this against what he dubbed “unhealthy Christian nationalism,” a concept he writes about in “The Political Seduction of the Church.”
“Unhealthy Christian nationalism … is the merging of American identity with Christian identity … the idea that America is kind of like ancient Israel, with a special covenant with God,” he said. “And, therefore, we must be Christian, that it’s a certain destiny and that…you want to make Christianity the religion of the nation.”
He said this form of nationalism can become “dangerous” if it is unfettered, especially if it takes the form of people wanting to impose Christian values on the nation. He cautioned against the “blurring of politics with the Gospel,” especially when the two become indistinguishable.
