Psalm 33 and Christian Nationalism

I’ve struggled with this post. Frankly, I’ve struggled with it because it’s such a hot button issue in our culture today, especially in Christian culture. Personally, I used to enjoy discussing politics, but now it turns my stomach. I used to enjoy good debate and a free exchange of ideas about real issues that had a wide variety of possible answers. I used to enjoy these things while understanding that, even if we were not able to come to an consensus or even an agreement on how the problem should be solved, we could part ways as friends and simply agree to disagree. But, frankly, that’s no longer an option. At least not in our current climate. And, Christian readers, this is not only a symptom of the Left. In many ways, the Right is worse. I cannot tell you how many times as pastor of my (now former) church where I overheard discussions where folks were unwilling to listen to an objective argument or where someone would simply claim the opposing party was not a believer – all because their politics differed.

So, I’ve struggled to write this because, while I do not claim to be an expert on political culture, I do have an interesting perspective coming from “the trenches” of ministry – especially in the rural south. I know that I am not alone in some of the thoughts I’m going to share here, and I also know that there will be better theologians and pastors than I who will come to a different conclusion on this. That’s fair. Currently, we can still exchange ideas in a public forum without fear of breaking Christian fellowship (even if we cannot do so without fear of being #cancelled). So, let me try to muddle through this post with the understanding that, like many others at this point, this is just the beginning of the conversation.

I had a bit of an epiphany a few weeks ago while my wife and I were doing our morning Scripture reading together. As the title of this particular post suggests, it had to do with the Psalm we read and the even more recent developments of the plague that is Christian Nationalism. As always, let me define the term of our discussion for those who may not understand what I mean by “Christian Nationalism.”

Defining Terms

Christian Nationalism is defined as: “Christianity-affiliated religious nationalism. Christian nationalists primarily focus on internal politics, such as passing laws that reflect their view of Christianity and its role in political and social life.”

At face value, this term seems like it would be a good thing among Christian circles, doesn’t it? I mean, shouldn’t we as Christians be concerned with the state of our nation and culture as well as concerned with its future? Especially with an eye towards a biblical worldview? Sure! Absolutely. However, there is a major difference in being concerned and letting that concern take a Great Commission perspective, or allowing that concern to blend your patriotism with Christian ideology. And that’s why we need to have a good handle on these terms, and the striking difference that we need to understand as Christians.

There is a major difference between Christian Nationalism and Patriotism. Patriotism can be defined simply as “a love of country.” Whereas, building upon the definition above, Christian Nationalism is an argument on how to define our country. While the difference may seem slight, it is there. So, let’s discuss.

Psalm 33 and Christian Nationalism

Unless you have completely cut yourself off from the news over the last few months (which I wouldn’t blame you if you had), you’re probably very aware of the atrocity that was the January 6th Capitol riot. Let me say that you are more than entitled to your own opinion on this – but, having watched the riot coverage live (from different news sources of different worldviews), there is no denying that this was an act of the plague of Christian Nationalism.

Working on our definitions above, I want to approach this topic as a pastor, and… honestly, as a Christian. Christian Nationalism is not biblical. Christian Nationalism is not of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Try as you might, but all you are doing is manipulating the text of Scripture to meet your worldview instead of allowing the text to shape your worldview. And here is where Psalm 33 comes in, specifically verses 10-12:

The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
    he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
    the plans of his heart to all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
    the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

Let’s be honest, most of us who were raised “traditional” Southern Baptist read verse 12 and say “Now there’s a 4th of July Sermon!” (I have major issues with patriotism in the church, but that’s a later post for a different time). But, let me finally get to my point, and it’s based on verse 10 (the first two lines) – For “Christians” who have blended their concern for politics with an apparent concern for the Gospel – do you think that maybe, just maybe, you have been placing your hope wrongly?

This has nothing to do solely with Trump (though, I personally think that he is a big part of the issue). Rather, it has everything to do with being more concerned with political power and political influence than with the true message of the Gospel. Last year, during an attempt to help some of my church members come to terms with the idea that Christianity was never promised political influence and power, I had one attendee of the discussion say: “Christianity will not survive without America.”

While not attempting to mock this person, I know that he’s not alone in his thinking. But, some obvious questions come to mind here: If Christianity needs America to survive, how did the Christian faith get from A.D 30-36ish to 1776 without America? Furthermore, and more profoundly, how do we justify such a statement against Jesus’s own promise that Hell itself will not prevail against the church? The assumption that Christianity needs America (or that America needs Christianity) is a false dichotomy that has crept into the pews and theology of the church in the US. This is nothing less than satanic, and I challenge you to biblically argue otherwise.

So, let’s go back to Psalm 33:10 – could it be that, because some “Christians” have placed their hope in a false Christ (Trump) and a False Gospel (Republican politics/nationalism) that God maybe just decided to “frustrate the plans of the peoples”? We have national “Christian” leaders and pastors filling the pulpits of our churches who are tainting the name of Jesus and damaging the witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by placing their hope for the future on a man who has never once exhibited the Gospel character that we should desire in anyone, much less someone who demands the kind of loyalty that he does. No, we’re not electing a “pastor in chief” but character matters (1 Tim 3:1-7) and if character matters, then leaders in whom we place our trust should exhibit the kind of Christlike character that matters. Especially when our banner is Christ and the Gospel.

I won’t deny that the embracing of sins like abortion, gender dysphoria, homosexuality and others are not a plague upon the nation and the church. They absolutely are! But, you know what else is? The willing acceptance from the church of other sins that just don’t seem as “bad” to us in our human brokenness. Sins such as divorce, extra-marital affairs, living together prior to marriage, sex before marriage, cheating on taxes because “everyone does it” or “the loopholes are there for a reason,” gossiping about others in the church, treating church like a buffet instead of the holy bride of Jesus… need I go on?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let’s not pretend for a moment that what we see as negative cultural shifts are the reason why our nation is falling apart. Not when we have intentionally blinded ourselves and intentionally turned a blind eye to sins among our congregations for decades all for the sake of high attendance numbers or political power.

If our banner is the Cross of Jesus, if our Hope is truly in the Gospel, then why is our hope only in the Gospel when the Democratic party ends up in power? Why are Democrats evil, but guys who boast about sexual misconduct against women (image bearers of God) aren’t? Let’s not kid ourselves… tying our political agenda to the Gospel is demonic. Especially when our Kingdom is the Kingdom of God, not the kingdom of man. Which leads me to where I want to take this discussion for this particular post, and then leave it to stew and marinate for awhile.

Kingdom vs. kingdom

Where is our true hope? Is it in political power in this world or in the Kingdom of God? I spent the second half of 2020 walking my church through the letter of 1 Peter. Which means I spent the better part of 6 months reading, rereading, and rerereading that letter and then preparing sermons from that letter for the building of up my church. Throughout that entire letter, Peter is calling churches who are living throughout the Roman Empire to embrace their hope in Jesus, not in their influence in the world. We belong to Christ, not the GOP or the Democratic Party. We belong to Christ, not the USA. We belong to Christ, not the Constitution. Yes, for those of us who have enjoyed the freedoms that come from living in a democratic republic, we should praise God that we have had the freedom to worship without government interference or government control. But, we should also recognize that we are an anomaly in the history of Christianity.

By aligning ourselves to some kind of Christian Nationalistic ideology, what we are saying is that our hope is in politics more than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. By arguing that we need to pass laws to protect the Christian faith says that our hope is in fallen governments more that in the protection that God has promised us. Friends, we are not promised political protection under the kingdom of man – because the kingdom of men fails completely. The Kingdom of God is an eternal kingdom. The Kingdom of God is one that will endure – even if the United States crumbles and falls.

By aligning ourselves to some kind of Christian Nationalistic ideology, we ignore the commands of Scripture that God has given us through the Apostle Paul (Romans 13:1-7) and the Apostle Peter (1 Peter 2:13-17). The posture of the faithful is to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16), not guns and ammo. Placing our faith in conspiracy theories like QAnon tells the world that we have more trust in falsehoods than in the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The church of Jesus Christ is better than this. It must be. It was designed to be by Jesus himself. Do you want to know why “blessed is the nation who’s God is the Lord” (Ps 33:10)? Because the only blessed nation is the nation that has been purchased by the blood of the eternal Son of God – the Kingdom of God. That’s why that nation is blessed. We can plaster “In God we Trust” all over our currency and have prayer in schools all day long from now until the end of time and the USA will never be more than a kingdom of men. The Kingdom of God is eternal because it is the Kingdom bought and paid for by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. and that Kingdom is better than any form of Christian Nationalism that is at work in our earthly kingdoms today.

If the church in every human drawn nation would come to a biblical understanding of what nation truly deserves our allegiance and devotion, we would be more about the business of making disciples as commanded in Matthew 28:19-20 than about making disciples of the false Gospel of political power.

Christian Nationalism has no place in the life of a biblically minded and gospel minded Christian or church. Anything less than Jesus Christ is hopeless.

Recommended Reading:

• The Bible
• The Wisdom Pyramid – Brett McCracken
• Live Not by Lies – Rod Dreher
• The Benedict Option – Rod Dreher
• The City of God – St. Augustine