In the winter of 1777-1778 the Continental Army faced one of its lowest points in the Revolutionary War. British troops under the direction of General William Howe were in control of Philadelphia. George Washington’s soldiers were coming off major defeats...
Christian nationalism
Christian nationalism lectures at Derry Presbyterian Church in Hershey
Learn more here. Also some interesting church history:...
What the heck is Rick Santorum talking about?
Please do not get your American history from my former U.S. Senator. Here is part of a recent lecture to the Young America’s Foundation: Let’s just get some facts straight: Some, but not all, Europeans came to North America to...
South Carolina will consider a bill that would require schools to use Trump’s 1776 Commission Report.
Here is Rob Way and Jared Kofsky of WCSC TV: South Carolina lawmakers are considering a bill that would require “instruction in United States foundational history” for all public middle and high school students in a way that is consistent...
Christian nationalism on display in the Tennessee General Assembly
Earlier this week I wrote a post on the Tennessee Historical Commission’s 24-1 vote to remove the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest from the Tennessee State Capitol building in Nashville. Some members of the Tennessee General Assembly oppose this decision....
Tim Keller on the evangelical embrace of Christian nationalism: “We brought it on ourselves”
Evangelical pastor and theologian Timothy Keller recently reviewed Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry, Taking America Back to God: Christian Nationalism in the United States. Here is a taste: . . . Second, we must recognize that Christian Nationalism in its...
Christian nationalism and populism on January 6, 2021
“I’m probably going to lose my job as a pastor after this.” Tyler Ethridge was days away from starting a new job as a youth pastor at an evangelical church in Florida. But before the former Texas high school football...
Can God use really bad history to trigger a spiritual revival?
Eric Metaxas is back in his studio. Today he interviewed former child television star and Christian activist Kirk Cameron. For 100 days, Cameron has been sitting in his backyard at a firepit talking with guests about America’s “providential history.” He...
Should Congress be in the business of discerning the will of God?
Conservative Christians are irate about what happened recently on the floor of the House of Representatives. During a debate on the Equality Act, Florida congressman Greg Steube argued against the act by reading Deuteronomy 22:5 and a passage from a...
CBS news asks: “Is America a Christian nation?
Glad to help CBS with this documentary:...
Webinar: “Understanding Religion and Populism”
I am happy to join journalist Kalpana Jain of The Conversation and Ann Peters of The Pulitzer Center for this conversation at Georgetown’s Berkeley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs. The webinar is open to the public. March 5,...
Evangelicals condemn Christian nationalism at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021
Evangelicals are coming together to condemn the role Christian nationalism played in the January 6, 2021 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol. Here is the letter: As leaders in the broad evangelical community, we recognize and condemn the role Christian Nationalism...
Patriot Churches
This extended NPR piece does a nice job of covering the divisions in the evangelical community right now. The GOP is not the only group that is divided in the wake of the Trump era. Listen: You can listen to...
More thoughts on the Springsteen/Jeep Super Bowl commercial
I think most Americans liked it: But there have been critics and some of them have found their way to my social media feeds. 🙂 Some do not like the ad’s Christian nationalism. (The chapel has a flag and a...
It appears we have a direct connection between Seven Mountain Dominionism and the insurrection on the U.S. Capitol.
“I’m probably going to lose my job as a pastor after this.” Here is a guy named Tyler Ethridge at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. For those who cannot access the video, here is the transcript: I don’t...
Martin Luther King Jr’s Christian nationalism
This is a piece I wrote in 2011 when I was doing a column at Patheos: When we think of the defenders of a Christian America today, the Christian Right immediately comes to mind. We think of people like Glenn...
For most of U.S. history, Americans were Christian nationalists. Or were they?
I hear a lot of people talking about “Christian nationalism” these days, but I don’t hear a lot of deep historical thinking on the subject. In the first four chapters of my book Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?,...
The evangelical lost cause is alive and well in Chino Hills, California
Evangelical pro-Trumpers were roundly defeated in November. They hitched their hope–both politically and ethically–to one of the most corrupt and immoral presidents in American history. Most of Trump’s diehard evangelical supporters believe that evil forces stole the election. preventing four...
New video: January 6 insurrectionists pray in the Senate chamber
The New Yorker just released new footage taken January 6, 2020 from inside the U.S. Capitol. Watch the entire video here. A group of rioters, led by Jake Angeli, the so-called “QAnon Shaman,” said a public prayer from the desk...
Franklin Graham “shames” the ten Republicans who voted to impeach Trump
Evangelicalism is an activist faith. Historically, evangelicals have preached a life-changing gospel. They have done amazing acts of service and justice in the world. We can’t ignore these things. Evangelicals have been a source of good. At the same time,...