I want to talk about something that’s gotten tangled up in American Christianity, and I’ll be honest, it’s going to make some people uncomfortable. That’s okay. Discomfort is the first step toward seeing something more clearly.
Here it is: Nationalism is not Christianity. And America is not the Kingdom of God.
Patriotism, being grateful for your country, loving its beauty, appreciating its ideals, and most importantly loving its people, is one thing. But nationalism is different. Nationalism takes the nation and puts it at the center of your heart, even the center of your faith. And that’s where things go wrong. Nationalism is also anti-thetical to Patriotism. You can’t call yourself a Patriot if you hate half the people in your country.
When Jesus was tempted in the desert, the devil offered him “all the kingdoms of the world.” Jesus said no. Today, plenty of Christians are tempted to say “yes,” and want to ensure that the kingdom in question is the one they’ve invented in their heads, with all others, including all people with differing views, even from their own homeland subjugated. This “kingdom” looks less like the Body of Christ and more like a fascist political movement wrapped in a flag.
That’s when people start talking about the President as if the office were spiritual. You hear things like “God put him there” or “he’s anointed” or “God’s Chosen, ” but strangely, you rarely hear that when the other party is in power. Which tells me this isn’t really about God’s will. It’s about our guy being in charge. And if we only believe in divine appointment when our candidate wins, that’s using the language of faith to manipulate people. If God chose our leaders, why have elections, right? We could just draw a name from a hat.
The presidency is an important office. It’s worthy of respect and prayer, no matter who holds it. But it’s not a high priesthood. It’s not a sacred anointing. And confusing it for one is a sign our faith may be bending in ways that make it serve politics, instead of the other way around.
It’s also worth being clear: the United States is not the church. The Constitution is not the Gospel. And the Founding Fathers were not apostles. They were human beings, brilliant in some ways, deeply flawed in others. They disagreed with each other. Some of them owned slaves. They lived in a specific time and place and wrote documents for that time and place. Those documents are not sacred. They can and should be reformed when justice demands it.
When we treat them as if they came down from Mount Sinai, we stop ourselves from admitting when our systems are broken, incomplete, or needs updating with the times. We resist change even when people are being hurt. We scream about the absolute nature of the Second Amendment while children are mowed down at school. (Ironically, the second amendment is itself an update to the constitution) Idolatry doesn’t just distort worship, it keeps us from growing.
And if we’re going to claim that America is “God’s anointed nation,” then we have to face a hard truth: America cannot be the Kingdom of God if everyone isn’t welcome here. You cannot claim God’s special favor and then lock the doors to those in need. You cannot hold up the flag as a symbol of divine blessing while excluding refugees, immigrants, people of different faiths, or those whose identities make you uncomfortable, you should be encouraging people to run to it. You cannot build walls in the name of the One who broke them down. If you claim that this is God’s Annointed Nation but then cheer for the State of Texas gerrymandering away the voice of any dissent, particularly voices that call for us to feed the hungry, care for the sick, set captives free, and care for the widow, then you blaspheme.
The Kingdom of God doesn’t operate on fear of the outsider and the poor. It draws the outsider in and cares for the poor. It doesn’t fortify borders; it invites people to the table. And if we want our country to reflect the values of that Kingdom, it won’t happen through exclusion or dominance. It will happen when we choose justice over comfort, mercy over prejudice, and truth over propaganda. The Kingdom of God has only spiritual billionaires, not literal ones.
At the end of the day, we are citizens of the Kingdom of God before we are citizens of any nation. That Kingdom has no borders, no flag, no anthem, only a King who rules through love, not force. Invitation, not brutality. So maybe the question for all of us is this:
Is the Jesus I follow shaped more by the flag I salute and the news sources I consume, or by the Beatitudes He preached?
As always, these words are an invitation to you if you have gotten involved in “christian” nationalism… to return, to repent and believe in the Gospel. There is no process, no schedule, every time is the right time to leave the life of sin represented by this perverted political-spiritual movement and restore yourself to life in Christ Jesus.