Ep. 11: Christian nationalism during the coronavirus pandemic

The dangerous political ideology of Christian nationalism is a persistent problem in our country, and continues to be during the COVID-19 pandemic. This week, Amanda and Holly talk about how Christian nationalism often contributes to confusion about religious liberty in our public discourse at this time, conflating legal and religious understandings. They review troubling rhetoric from political leaders and how to train your ears for telltale signs that someone is using religion for their own political purposes.

Segment 1: What is Christian nationalism? (starting at 00:40)

There are 10 episodes in our podcast series on the dangers of Christian nationalism. They are all available on this website page.

To read the statement and learn more about the movement of Christians calling out Christian nationalism, visit ChristiansAgainstChristianNationalism.org.

Segment 2: Recent examples of Christian nationalism (Starting at 14:47)

Read about President Trump’s March declaration that he wanted to have full sanctuaries on Easter Sunday in this article from Politico.

Read about the recent call with President Trump and Catholic leaders in this story from Crux.

Read about several “culture war” issues in the coronavirus pandemic, including the comparison between the treatment of mosques and churches, in this article from The New York Times.

BJC often has spoken out about the National Day of Prayer. Here is a link to a 2010 article written by Holly on the topic.

When you post on social media about Christian nationalism, Amanda recommends using the hashtag #ChristianNationalism. You can see recent tweets on the topic at this link.

Segment 3: Where did we see religion respected in our world? (starting at 33:15)

Amanda mentioned an article by Adelle Banks for Religion News Service: Black church leaders urge churchgoers to continue to ‘tele-worship’

Holly mentioned an NPR story by Tom Gjelten: Black pastors say they have trouble accessing SBA loan program

Episode 7 of this podcast series included a longer conversation on the CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program. It is available at this link.

Amanda mentioned an article by Michelle Boorstein in The Washington Post: Church donations have plunged because of the coronavirus. Some churches won’t survive.

Respecting Religion is made possible by BJC’s generous donors. You can support these conversations with a gift to BJC.