Are American Christians Christian Nationalism: Are Believers Really Under Threat?

Endure, Don't Fight

This article argues that Christians should expect opposition and persecution, but not respond with fear, nationalism, vengeance, or force. Instead, faithful believers are called to distinguish spiritual endurance from worldly power, resist the temptation to build God’s Kingdom through political domination, and follow the example of Jesus by loving, witnessing, refusing evil, and enduring hardship with peace.

The central warning is that using Christ’s name to justify violence, hatred, or coercion is itself a betrayal of the faith Christians claim to defend.

Introduction

American Christian Nationalism believes that Christians are under threat of persecution. According to a recent national survey, there appear to be conflicting thoughts on whether America should be a tolerant, pluralistic nation open to religious diversity or not. Those questioned on both sides of the nationalistic view seem confused, as they both tend to poll as tolerant, according to an article in The Conversation.

The article stressed that a sense of threat is what fuels nationalism. It is interesting that there is still a sense of apathy toward other religious minorities and racial and ethnic minorities, which are lumped together as part of the threat. For Christians to address these concerns from a mature level of belief, they must reckon with the teachings of Jesus and his disciples to get a grip on truth and the perception of truth, which are often different.

Are Christians Under Threat?

Absolutely yes! There are many salient threats to those who genuinely believe and attempt to live the lifestyle of true believers. This teaching is intrinsic to the fundamental teachings of scripture, and the rising threats are well documented. The extraordinarily strong reality of growing threats is why scripture insists that true believers endure until the end.

The assumption of persecution is a given, as our Lord was persecuted. The disciples were martyred as well due to their testimony about Jesus. Scripture teaches persecution as a badge of righteousness and a sign you are truly walking with Jesus (2 Timothy 3:11–12; 2 John 15:19–20; Matthew 5:10–12; Mark 10:29–30; Revelation 2:10–11; 2 Corinthians 12:9–10; Galatians 4:29; 1 Thessalonians 3:3–4; Matthew 10:16–18; 1 Peter 4:12–14; and Philippians 1:29).

There is no avoidance of threat and persecution, and if, in fact, Christians are not suffering, that may be a sign of worldly compromise and not walking with Christ.

It is unsound to seek not to be persecuted if one genuinely wants to walk with Jesus, as he told us the Kingdom of God is not part of this world. This alone suggests that to make the world the Kingdom of God is an error of judgment. To make a nation a so-called Christian nation is filled with folly and is not at all the will of God. In fact, it goes against God’s predetermined plan that this world will become more corrupt over time, leading to the return of His Son, our Lord.

The corruption of the nations of the world is foreordained, and sinners will become more sinful. Why do Christians praise the Rapture concept if they think they can stabilize the world for God using political and forceful means? Can riots, civil wars, and the casting out of undesirable peoples make the world in God’s image? I need not go on, as these facts should be well known among believers. Must these types of things continue to be spelled out as if we refuse to grow up and seek to remain infants in the faith?

Learning to Love and Endure

We are not called to hate or to resist evil and corruption that rise in the world. We are called to love and endure. It is far harder to love and endure threats and persecutions than to take up arms and fight against them. To fight is human; to resist in anger is flesh. The Spirit tells us to love, be calm, and be accepting of all. This doesn’t say to enjoy evil or participate in it, but to not go to war trying to eliminate sin.

To fight fire with fire burns everyone, and it will not spare the good.

These are fundamental teachings of the scriptures, which again highlight immaturity and worldly characteristics. To cry out like infants when hardships come is to behave like infants in the faith. We cannot avoid walking the steps that Jesus prepared for each of us.

Hating Sin

Now, those led by the Spirit of God do not take joy in or approve of sinful behaviors—even our own. We take no delight in seeing others sin, and for that reason, we are to share the gospel. However, we have no control over how others receive or reject it. If we attempt to preach the word and it fails to turn an unbeliever, there is nothing in scripture instructing us to pick up the sword and slay the unrepentant person.

We are not their judge, and we too will face the true judge like the unrepentant one in the end.

The real question for believers isn’t intolerance, but how to exist in a world destined for destruction. How do we go about our days in this horrible place in peace, awaiting our rescue? We do what we are commanded to do: live as citizens of heaven should, preach and teach those who will listen, and not participate in the evils of everyday life.

We do not gather among sinners to participate in their sins. If we do, we are there to represent the light and the truth. We expect to be rejected, and we work to keep the peace when and where possible. Jesus ate and was seated with sinners in his ministry, but he never participated with them in their acts of sin.

He was accused and named among sinners as a rebellious criminal, but he never did evil toward anyone. I give you a mystery: Jesus told his disciples toward the end of his ministry to obtain swords. Many today question that order, but in truth, it was so he could be accused of violence according to scripture; he was to be named among the criminals. It was never to lead to violence, which is why he healed the high priest’s servant after Peter attacked him.

He again told Peter that to live by the sword was to die by the sword—the teachings he started with. The swords were symbols and were never meant to be used. Today, there are absolutely no reasons for a true believer to attack or seek to instigate a rebellion or force violence on another because of their differences. These things are for Jesus to sort out, and he alone.

Using the Name of Jesus in Vain

True believers must strive not to use the name of the Savior in vain. That is, to live as an unbeliever while claiming to be his disciple, or to seek to provoke violence and separation while also claiming to be a follower of Christ. These should be elementary teachings for true believers, but something has gone terribly wrong for some of our fellow professed believers.

To be a believer in mouth and not control our actions is living a falsehood that will result in giving an account before the throne.

Such lessons should not have to be repeated often, as the true Spirit within should teach you when your conduct is inconsistent with the ways of Christ. We seek laws and rules to tell us we are on the right path, when the only true commandment of Jesus is that we love one another, that we do not seek vengeance for ourselves, and that we are not going to change the course of history, nor should we. We know what fate the world has in front of it, and we are here as witnesses.

As witnesses, the world will hate us, as we won’t participate in the sinful, deceptive acts of fallen humanity. If we are true to Jesus, we will have to make choices in our actions and dealings with society and humanity as a whole. When asked to falsify, cheat, steal, hide evil secrets, or get involved in plots that work to hurt another human, we must refuse.

This may cost a job, status, income, and even those we love may depart from us. There will be consequences to rejecting the ways of this world.

Conclusion

I stress these things to prepare the true believer to adjust to the Spirit and make way for the Lord by living as a true example of Jesus. Get out of protests and resistance efforts that create violence; stop the flow that feeds worldly objectives, leading to further escalating cruelty and denial. Resist building stockpiles for evildoers while denying the poor and those who become victims as resources are shifted away to the greedy.

The current world order is built on violence and manipulation of many types. It is getting much harder to avoid, whether in politics, civil affairs, governance, religion, or unfair supply and demand. All of these face corruption to the point that now it seems we can only seek the least violent outcome as the goal, as true peace is practically impossible.

I can’t stress this enough—prepare for persecution as a normal outcome of religion! Stop the stonewalling and blaming of others; these affairs are spiritual and above our intervention, other than to do as Jesus commands and endure!

© A Voice

First published in The Dove on Medium.

If this piece resonated, these two dig deeper into the same conversation:

✝️ Christian Nationalism and the Defining of Christianity in the End Times — A look at how corrupted definitions of "Christian" could one day cast true believers as enemies of the faith, drawing on Revelation 13 and the warning buried in Constantine's vision of the cross.

⚖️ Do You Want a Christian Nation or a Feared Nation Wearing a Cross? — Joel Sarfraz asks the hard question: if your nation grew more obedient to Christ but less feared, would you call it faithfulness or decline?

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