Mainline Protestants and Christian Nationalism
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Mainline Protestantism and Christian Nationalism
Mainline Protestantism occupies a complicated place in the history and contemporary debate surrounding Christian nationalism in the United States. Christian nationalism is generally used to describe beliefs that closely connect American national identity, political institutions, and public culture with Christianity. Although contemporary discussions frequently focus on conservative evangelical Christianity, the historical record assembled in research on mainline Protestantism shows that the relationship between Christianity and American national identity extends well beyond the evangelical right.
Historically influential Protestant denominations—including Presbyterian, Methodist, Episcopal, Congregationalist, Lutheran, Baptist, Reformed, and Disciples traditions—played important roles in shaping American public life. Mainline Protestant ministers participated in presidential ceremonies, public prayer, military chaplaincies, patriotic observances, and other institutions through which Christianity became associated with American national identity.
At the same time, many contemporary mainline Protestant denominations have become organized critics of Christian nationalism. Churches and denominational bodies have produced statements, resolutions, educational programs, sermons, conferences, and theological resources addressing nationalism, religious pluralism, democracy, racism, political violence, and church-state relations.
The resulting history is therefore not simply one of mainline opposition to Christian nationalism. It involves both the historical construction of American civil religion and contemporary efforts by many mainline Protestants to distinguish Christian faith from nationalist political identity.
Mainline Protestantism and American Civil Religion
One of the most important concepts for understanding this history is American civil religion. Sociologist Robert N. Bellah famously described a national religious tradition expressed through presidential rhetoric, public ceremonies, references to God, national holidays, founding documents, and symbols associated with the United States.
Civil religion is not necessarily identical to Christian nationalism. It can provide a broad religious language through which citizens interpret national history and public responsibility without formally establishing a particular church. Nevertheless, several sources in the research material examine whether historically Protestant forms of American civil religion helped create conditions in which Christianity and American identity could increasingly be treated as inseparable.
For much of American history, mainline Protestant institutions possessed considerable social and cultural influence. Protestant ministers regularly participated in civic ceremonies, political events, military observances, and government functions. Christianity could consequently appear not merely as one religious tradition among many but as part of the assumed cultural framework of American public life.
This influence was particularly significant when the United States was less religiously diverse and when Protestant elites occupied prominent positions in universities, government, business, journalism, and civic organizations.
From Civil Religion to Christian Nationalism
A major argument appearing throughout the research material is that modern Christian nationalism cannot be understood exclusively through the history of conservative evangelical politics.
Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood, particularly through their work Baptizing America, argue that mainline Protestants helped establish many of the rituals and assumptions that connected Christianity with American national identity. Their work points to presidential prayers, patriotic worship, religious language in government, national ceremonies, flags in churches, and other practices associated with American civil religion.
From this perspective, contemporary Christian nationalism represents partly an intensification or reinterpretation of older traditions rather than an entirely new phenomenon.
One frequently discussed example is the addition of the phrase "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954. Presbyterian minister George MacPherson Docherty publicly advocated adding the words, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower supported the change. The episode illustrates the historical role that prominent mainline Protestant clergy sometimes played in identifying belief in God with American citizenship during the Cold War.
The national motto "In God We Trust," presidential religious language, public prayer, patriotic hymns, and ceremonial invocations of divine favor provide additional examples of the broader interaction between religion and American national identity.
Researchers disagree over where civil religion ends and Christian nationalism begins. Some regard civil religion as potentially compatible with religious pluralism and democratic citizenship. Others argue that explicitly Christian interpretations of American identity can marginalize citizens belonging to other religions or no religion.
The Protestant Establishment
Mainline Protestantism once occupied a far more dominant position in American society than it does today. For much of the twentieth century, denominations now categorized as mainline Protestant constituted a major portion of American religious life.
Their influence extended beyond congregational membership. Protestant institutions shaped universities, charities, civic organizations, political networks, publishing, foreign missions, and elite social institutions. Scholars sometimes describe this network of cultural influence as the Protestant establishment.
The decline of this establishment beginning in the mid-twentieth century changed the relationship between Protestantism and American politics. Mainline denominations generally lost membership and cultural dominance while conservative evangelical political movements became increasingly visible.
This historical transition complicates narratives that equate Christian nationalism exclusively with evangelicalism. Many religious symbols and assumptions later adopted by conservative movements had precedents in a period when mainline Protestants exercised much greater cultural influence.
Mainline Clergy and Congregations
Contemporary mainline Protestantism is internally diverse. Survey research included in the collected material demonstrates important differences between clergy, congregants, denominations, geographical regions, and political identities.
The Public Religion Research Institute's 2022–2023 Mainline Protestant Clergy Survey examined clergy from seven major traditions: the United Methodist Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Episcopal Church, United Church of Christ, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and American Baptist Churches USA.
The survey found substantial differences between mainline clergy and churchgoers on questions involving national identity, religious pluralism, politics, and the role of churches in addressing social issues.
These findings are important because institutional statements issued by denominational leadership do not necessarily represent the views of every person attending a mainline Protestant congregation.
Mainline Protestantism therefore should not be treated as a politically or theologically uniform bloc.
Mainline Protestants in Christian Nationalism Surveys
National surveys consistently show substantial differences in Christian-nationalist attitudes among American religious traditions.
Research by the Public Religion Research Institute places white mainline or non-evangelical Protestants below white evangelical Protestants in support for Christian-nationalist beliefs. At the same time, a meaningful minority of white mainline Protestants express attitudes that researchers classify as sympathetic to or supportive of Christian nationalism.
These findings reveal an important distinction between denominational institutions and individual members. A denomination may formally criticize Christian nationalism while portions of its membership nevertheless hold beliefs associated with it.
Mainline Protestant churches consequently represent both a site of resistance to Christian nationalism and a religious environment in which debates about nationalism continue to occur.
Presbyterian Responses
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has become one of the most visible mainline denominations addressing Christian nationalism.
Presbyterian publications, educational programs, congregational events, and General Assembly discussions have examined Christian nationalism in relation to American history, race, religious identity, patriotism, democracy, and Christian theology.
Some Presbyterian discussions have also focused on the church's own historical participation in American civil religion. Rather than treating Christian nationalism solely as an external movement, these conversations have encouraged Presbyterians to examine the ways Protestant institutions historically contributed to ideas linking Christianity with American identity.
Recent Presbyterian debates have also examined patriotic worship, Fourth of July celebrations, national symbolism, preaching, racial justice, and the distinction between patriotism and nationalism.
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ has repeatedly addressed Christian nationalism through denominational statements, public events, theological discussions, and educational resources.
UCC leaders have generally framed Christian nationalism as a subject requiring public discussion within congregations while distinguishing such discussion from partisan candidate advocacy.
The denomination has also connected the issue with broader questions involving democracy, racism, religious pluralism, gender, immigration, and the relationship between Christianity and political power.
More recent UCC programs have placed American Christian nationalism within the wider international phenomenon of religious nationalism, emphasizing that the fusion of religion and national political identity is not unique to the United States.
Lutheran Perspectives
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has developed a substantial body of material examining Christian nationalism through Lutheran theology and history.
The Journal of Lutheran Ethics devoted a special issue to Christian nationalism and has published theological discussions, bibliographies, congregational study materials, and historical comparisons.
Particular attention has been given to the 1934 Barmen Declaration and the experience of German Protestant churches during the rise of National Socialism. These historical comparisons are generally presented as resources for examining the relationship among Christianity, political power, nationalism, and theological allegiance rather than as claims that contemporary American circumstances are identical to those of Germany in the 1930s.
Lutheran materials also examine biblical interpretation, patriotic symbols, Christian responsibility in public life, and the distinction between religious faith and national loyalty.
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church has addressed nationalism through denominational teaching, social principles, and educational material.
Methodist resources distinguish Christian discipleship from unconditional national allegiance and discuss religious liberty, political responsibility, human rights, peace, and democratic participation.
At the same time, historical research has encouraged Methodists to examine the denomination's earlier participation in American civil religion. Methodist institutions and ministers were influential throughout American history, meaning that contemporary opposition to Christian nationalism exists alongside a significant historical relationship with American national identity.
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has formally addressed Christian nationalism through General Assembly action and congregational resources.
Disciples materials emphasize religious liberty, ecumenism, pluralism, and the distinction between Christian identity and national political identity.
Writers associated with the denomination have also examined how preaching, patriotic worship, flags, national holidays, and other congregational practices can unintentionally reinforce assumptions connecting Christianity with the United States.
The denomination is particularly important to the historical discussion because researchers examining mainline complicity in American civil religion have emerged from within the Disciples tradition itself.
Episcopal and Reformed Perspectives
Episcopal resources addressing Christian nationalism frequently place the subject within broader discussions of democracy, racism, religious pluralism, reconciliation, immigration, religious freedom, and church-state relations.
Episcopal writers have also participated in debates about the historically privileged role of mainline Protestant institutions in American public life.
The Reformed Church in America has likewise considered Christian nationalism through denominational governance and theological discussion. Its actions demonstrate how the issue has increasingly moved from academic and journalistic debate into formal deliberation within Protestant church bodies.
International Reformed organizations further place the American discussion within global debates concerning religious nationalism, democracy, political authority, racial identity, and pluralism.
Mobilization Against Christian Nationalism
Mainline Protestant responses extend beyond official denominational statements.
Clergy and laypeople have participated in organizations and networks opposing Christian nationalism, including ecumenical initiatives involving Christians from multiple denominational traditions. Congregations have organized study groups, conferences, preaching programs, workshops, and public discussions.
Research on progressive Christian mobilization indicates that many activists involved in organized opposition to white Christian nationalism come from mainline Protestant backgrounds.
This activism represents a significant transformation in the historical relationship between mainline Protestantism and American national identity. Institutions that once helped construct elements of American civil religion are increasingly among the religious organizations questioning the close identification of Christianity with the nation.
Race and Christian Nationalism
Race is an important component of scholarship on American Christian nationalism.
The historical Protestant establishment developed within a society structured by slavery, racial segregation, Indigenous dispossession, immigration restrictions, and unequal citizenship. Mainline denominations were themselves divided over many of these questions.
Contemporary mainline discussions of Christian nationalism therefore frequently overlap with examinations of white supremacy, the Doctrine of Discovery, racial justice, immigration, and historical memory.
The term white Christian nationalism is often used when researchers specifically examine the interaction of Christian national identity with ideas about race and the historical political dominance of white Christians.
Not every expression of Christian nationalism is identical, however, and scholars continue to debate how race, religious belief, political identity, and nationalism interact.
Worship, Symbols and Congregational Practice
One recurring theme in the collected sources concerns ordinary church practices.
National flags in sanctuaries, patriotic hymns, Independence Day services, military observances, prayers for the nation, references to America as specially chosen by God, and other religious-patriotic practices can carry different meanings for different congregations.
Some mainline critics argue that such practices can blur the distinction between Christian faith and national loyalty. Others distinguish ordinary patriotism from nationalism and argue that appreciation for one's country does not necessarily imply that Christianity should receive political privilege.
This distinction between patriotism and Christian nationalism has become an important part of contemporary mainline discussion.
Debate Over Definitions
The meaning of Christian nationalism remains debated.
Some scholars define it primarily through measurable beliefs about whether the United States should be formally or culturally Christian. Others emphasize political power, national identity, racial hierarchy, historical mythology, or the privileging of Christianity within government.
Critics of the concept argue that it can sometimes be applied too broadly, potentially conflating Christian political participation, religious conservatism, patriotism, and Christian nationalism.
Other researchers respond that carefully constructed survey measures and historical research allow distinctions among these phenomena.
The material therefore presents Christian nationalism not as a universally agreed-upon category but as a developing field of historical, sociological, political, and theological research.
Historical Responsibility and Contemporary Resistance
Perhaps the most important theme emerging from the research is the tension between historical responsibility and contemporary resistance.
Many mainline Protestants today understand themselves as defenders of religious pluralism, church-state separation, democracy, racial equality, and interfaith cooperation. Their denominations frequently criticize attempts to identify American citizenship with Christianity.
Yet historical scholarship demonstrates that earlier generations of mainline Protestants often participated in building the cultural structures that connected Protestant Christianity with American national identity.
This does not mean that historical mainline civil religion and contemporary Christian nationalism are identical. Rather, it suggests that the development of Christian nationalism cannot be understood only by studying conservative evangelicalism.
The history also illustrates how religious traditions change. Institutions can reinterpret their histories, criticize earlier practices, and develop new theological understandings of citizenship, nationalism, and religious pluralism.
Conclusion
The relationship between mainline Protestantism and Christian nationalism is both historical and contemporary.
Mainline Protestant churches once possessed extensive cultural influence in the United States and contributed significantly to the development of American civil religion. Protestant clergy participated in national ceremonies, patriotic rituals, public prayer, and religious language that often connected Christianity with American identity.
As American society became more religiously diverse and the Protestant establishment declined, many mainline denominations moved toward stronger commitments to religious pluralism, civil rights, interfaith cooperation, and institutional separation between church and state.
Today, numerous mainline Protestant denominations formally criticize or examine Christian nationalism. Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopal, United Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ, Baptist, and Reformed communities have produced resolutions, educational resources, theological discussions, and congregational programs addressing the issue.
Survey research nevertheless demonstrates that denominational leadership, clergy, and churchgoers do not always hold identical views. Christian-nationalist attitudes remain present among a portion of mainline Protestants even as many mainline institutions organize against them.
The history therefore resists a simple division between Christian-nationalist evangelicalism and anti-nationalist mainline Protestantism. Mainline churches helped shape some of the religious traditions surrounding American national identity while also becoming important contemporary arenas for questioning, redefining, and challenging the relationship between Christianity and the nation.
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Mainline Protestantism and Christian Nationalism
| Courtney L. K. Haworth | Journal of Church and State | April 1, 2026
Academic review of Baptizing America assessing its argument that Christian nationalism has roots extending beyond conservative evangelicalism into mainline Protestant institutions.
| Stephen Healey | The Christian Century | February 12, 2025
Reviews Baptizing America and examines the argument that Protestant mainline participation in government ceremonies, public prayer, and civil religion helped create a framework later adopted by Christian nationalists.
| Charles Hoffacker | The Living Church | October 24, 2024
Episcopal review of Baptizing America inviting mainline Christians to examine their own traditions of church-state proximity and national religious symbolism.
| Mara Richards Bim | Baptist News Global | October 22, 2024
Surveys how thirteen U.S. mainline Protestant denominations have responded institutionally to Christian nationalism through resolutions, educational resources, public statements, and advocacy.
| Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood | The Revealer | September 5, 2024
An excerpt from Baptizing America examining how mainline Protestants historically helped construct ideas and practices identifying the United States as a Christian nation.
| Robert D. Cornwall | Ponderings on a Faith Journey | July 2, 2024
Extended review considering the historic role of Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Methodists, Disciples, UCC churches, Lutherans, and Baptists in American civil religion.
| Robert D. Cornwall | Word&Way | July 2, 2024
A Disciples of Christ pastor reviews Baptizing America and reflects on flags, patriotic worship, public prayer, and mainline Protestant civil religion.
| Mitchell Atencio | Sojourners | June 2024
Interviews Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood about the ways moderate and progressive churches can reproduce nationalist assumptions even while criticizing conservative Christian nationalism.
| Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood | University of Chicago Divinity School, Sightings | June 2024
Explores whether American civil religion, historically shaped by Protestant assumptions, can function as a gateway to Christian nationalism in an increasingly pluralistic country.
| Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood | Americans United / Church & State | May 29, 2024
Excerpt arguing that mainline Protestant support for American civil religion helped normalize the symbolic joining of Christianity and national identity.
| Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood | Religion & Politics / ARC | January 4, 2023
Examines how mainline Protestant clergy and institutions helped normalize the blending of Christianity with American national identity through public rituals, patriotic symbolism, and civil religion.
Surveys and Public Opinion
| Pew Research Center | Pew Research Center | May 14, 2026
Provides recent measurements of views toward Christian nationalism and Christian influence on government, including white non-evangelical Protestants.
| PRRI Staff | Public Religion Research Institute | February 4, 2025
Finds substantially lower Christian nationalist support among white mainline/non-evangelical Protestants than among white evangelical Protestants while documenting a significant minority of mainliners who qualify as adherents or sympathizers.
| PRRI Staff | Public Religion Research Institute | October 30, 2024
Focuses on Americans who reject or remain skeptical of Christian nationalism and identifies white mainline Protestants as an important component of that population.
| Pew Research Center | Pew Research Center | March 15, 2024
Examines American attitudes toward Christianity in public life and perceptions of Christian nationalism across religious and political groups.
| PRRI Staff | Public Religion Research Institute | February 28, 2024
National and state-level analysis comparing Christian-nationalist attitudes across religious groups, including white mainline Protestants.
| Yonat Shimron | Religion News Service | September 14, 2023
Reports PRRI findings showing significant differences between mainline Protestant clergy and congregants, including attitudes associated with Christian nationalism.
| PRRI Staff | Public Religion Research Institute | September 14, 2023
Major survey of more than 3,000 clergy from seven mainline denominations comparing clergy and congregational attitudes toward American identity, pluralism, politics, and Christian nationalism.
| PRRI Staff | Public Religion Research Institute | September 14, 2023
Summarizes significant political and cultural differences between mainline Protestant clergy and the churchgoers they serve.
| PRRI Staff | Public Religion Research Institute | September 2023
Full report of the Mainline Protestant Clergy Survey, including denomination-by-denomination measurements of Christian-nationalist-related attitudes.
| PRRI and Brookings Institution | PRRI | February 8, 2023
Major national study comparing Christian-nationalist attitudes across religious traditions and political groups.
| PRRI / Brookings Institution | PRRI | February 2023
Survey toplines providing detailed responses by religious affiliation, including white mainline Protestants.
| PRRI / Association of Religion Data Archives | ARDA | 2023
Provides the dataset and documentation for the 2022–2023 survey of clergy from the United Methodist Church, ELCA, PCUSA, Episcopal Church, UCC, Disciples of Christ, and American Baptist Churches USA.
| Pew Research Center | Pew Research Center | October 27, 2022
Examines whether Americans believe the Bible, Christian values, or popular will should influence law, with results broken down by religious tradition.
| Pew Research Center | Pew Research Center | July 5, 2018
Explains how Pew distinguishes white evangelical Protestants from white non-evangelical or mainline Protestants in survey research.
Mainline Protestant Mobilization and Resistance
| Lauren Horn Griffin, Charles McCrary and Jelani Ince | PRRI | August 3, 2026
Ethnographic research on progressive Christian organizing against white Christian nationalism, finding substantial participation from white mainline Protestants.
| The Christian Century | The Christian Century | September 19, 2024
Faith and Democracy program examining how Christians can respond to white Christian nationalism while supporting pluralism and democratic institutions.
| Jack Jenkins | Religion News Service / National Catholic Reporter | June 2022
Reports an appeal from religious leaders—including prominent Presbyterian, UCC, National Council of Churches, and other mainline figures—for investigation of Christian nationalism's role on January 6.
| Madison Muller | Sojourners | January 5, 2022
Describes clergy and congregational efforts to provide an alternative Christian witness to white Christian nationalism around the anniversary of January 6.
| Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty | BJC | Current
Describes the Christians Against Christian Nationalism campaign, which includes leaders and participants from numerous mainline Protestant denominations.
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
| Presbyterian News Service | Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | September 3, 2026
Examines preaching and church history in the context of Christian nationalism, including the historic role of the Protestant mainline.
| Jennifer Butler | The Presbyterian Outlook | July 24, 2026
Argues that Presbyterians and other mainline Protestants should recover traditions of public theology when confronting contemporary religious nationalism.
| Matthew B. Warren | The Presbyterian Outlook | July 15, 2026
Explores how Presbyterians might distinguish patriotism from nationalism while acknowledging both constructive and harmful elements of American history.
| John A. Bolt | The Presbyterian Outlook | July 1, 2026
Reports the PC(USA) General Assembly vote advancing language describing Christian nationalism and related supremacist ideologies as incompatible with the denomination's understanding of Christian teaching.
| Mary Mabry | The Presbyterian Outlook | June 30, 2026
Covers General Assembly disagreement over explicitly naming white Christian nationalism in Presbyterian racial-justice policy.
| Presbyterian News Service | Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | June 30, 2026
Reports General Assembly debate involving Christian nationalism, American history, patriotism, and Presbyterian public witness.
| Layton Williams Berkes | Presbyterian News Service | June 28, 2026
Reports Robert P. Jones's address to Presbyterian leaders on Christian nationalism, race, American identity, and democracy.
| John A. Bolt | The Presbyterian Outlook | June 26, 2026
Reports Presbyterian debate over whether celebrating the denomination's role in the American Revolution could unintentionally reinforce Christian nationalist narratives.
| Cindy Corell | Presbyterian News Service | June 11, 2026
Previews General Assembly proposals addressing Christian nationalism, migrant rights, the Doctrine of Discovery, and Presbyterian historical complicity.
| Presbyterian News Service | Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | May 7, 2026
Covers a Synod of the Covenant discussion defining Christian nationalism and distinguishing it from patriotism and ordinary Christian political participation.
| John A. Bolt | The Presbyterian Outlook | April 28, 2026
Explains a proposed PC(USA) policy formally rejecting white Christian nationalism and calling for education, preaching, public witness, and examination of patriotic symbolism.
| Harriet Riley | The Presbyterian Outlook | April 15, 2026
Reports historian William Yoo's discussion of white Christian nationalism, patriotism, race, and the responsibilities of churches.
| Mike Ferguson | Presbyterian News Service | March 26, 2026
Describes a PCUSA educational event addressing Christian nationalism, American identity, biblical interpretation, and nationalism inside churches.
| Mike Ferguson | Presbyterian News Service | April 4, 2025
Reports Amanda Tyler's presentation at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church explaining Christian nationalism and its relationship to Christian identity, race, and American history.
| David W. Congdon | The Presbyterian Outlook | January 10, 2025
Offers a theological critique of common claims that Christian nationalism can simply be dismissed as non-Christian or heretical.
| Presbyterian Outlook contributors | The Presbyterian Outlook | October 2024
Includes a discussion of Baptizing America and its argument concerning mainline Protestant civil religion and Christian nationalism.
| Haley Ballast | Presbyterian Outlook / Seattle Presbytery | August 16, 2024
Describes three Seattle-area Presbyterian congregations using the Book of Confessions to examine American exceptionalism, white supremacy, and Christian nationalism.
| Haley Ballast | The Presbyterian Outlook | August 16, 2024
Describes three Presbyterian congregations using the denomination's confessions to examine Christian nationalism, American exceptionalism, and white supremacy.
| Mike Ferguson | Presbyterian News Service | August 9, 2024
Discusses Brian Kaylor's argument that mainline Protestants must consider their own historic responsibility for the development of Christian nationalism.
United Church of Christ
| Renee DeLuca | United Church of Christ | April 14, 2026
Reports a UCC event placing American Christian nationalism within the broader global phenomenon of religious nationalism.
| United Church of Christ | UCC | April 12, 2026
Frames Christian nationalism as part of a wider international rise in religious nationalism and considers how churches should respond.
| Renee DeLuca | United Church of Christ | March 31, 2026
Previews a UCC discussion comparing American Christian nationalism with religious nationalist movements in other countries.
| David Langston | United Church of Christ | July 16, 2024
Discusses white Christian nationalism from a UCC perspective and reviews denominational efforts to address it.
| UCC Staff | United Church of Christ | April 18, 2023
Reports Dorhauer's Elmhurst University lecture on Christian nationalism and its implications for democracy, Christianity, pluralism, race, and gender.
| United Church of Christ | UCC | April 11, 2023
Describes a lecture by UCC General Minister John Dorhauer on Christian nationalism, democracy, and Christian faithfulness.
| Charles Jefferson Jr. | United Church of Christ | November 10, 2022
Covers UCC General Minister John Dorhauer's call for congregations and clergy to discuss Christian nationalism openly without turning pulpits into partisan campaign platforms.
| Hans Holznagel | United Church of Christ | March 23, 2021
Reports a UCC-hosted interfaith discussion addressing the political and religious influence of Christian nationalism.
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
| Living Lutheran Staff | Living Lutheran | August 12, 2026
Discusses Christian nationalism's foundations, politics, theology, and recommended scholarship from an ELCA perspective.
| William Rodríguez | Journal of Lutheran Ethics | June 2026
Extensive bibliography of scholarship and theological literature both critical of and supportive of Christian nationalism.
| Journal of Lutheran Ethics | Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | June 13, 2024
A full special issue devoted to Christian nationalism, the Barmen Declaration, biblical interpretation, and congregational discussion.
| Karl Allen Kuhn | Journal of Lutheran Ethics | June 2024
Examines nationalist uses of scripture and American founding documents through the "God Bless the USA Bible."
| Journal of Lutheran Ethics | ELCA | June 2024
Annotated collection of resources offering historical, theological, political, and international perspectives on Christian nationalism.
| Jennifer Hockenbery | Journal of Lutheran Ethics | June 2024
Provides a framework for Lutheran congregations to discuss Christian nationalism, politics, neighbor-love, and public responsibility.
| Jennifer Hockenbery | Journal of Lutheran Ethics | June 2024
Introduces the ELCA journal's special issue and explains why Lutheran history and the Barmen Declaration are relevant to modern Christian nationalism.
| Michael T. Grzonka | Journal of Lutheran Ethics | June 2024
Detailed historical study of the German Christian movement, Protestant nationalism under Nazism, and the theological resistance represented by the Barmen Declaration.
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
| Beau Underwood | The Proclamation Project, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) | June 2024
Advises preachers on language and worship practices that can unintentionally merge Christian faith with nationalism.
| Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood | A Public Witness | 2023
Discusses the Disciples of Christ response to Christian nationalism and introduces research into mainline Protestant contributions to American civil religion.
| Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) | General Assembly | 2023
General Assembly resolution calling on the denomination to oppose Christian nationalism and describing its implications for religious pluralism, racism, gender, and public policy.
| Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) | Disciples.org | Ongoing
Denominational material provides context for the Disciples tradition of religious liberty, ecumenism, and public witness.
United Methodist Church
| Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood | Religion News Service | May 1, 2024
Argues that Methodists criticizing contemporary Christian nationalism should also study the historic Methodist role in American civil religion.
| United Methodist Church | UMC Book of Resolutions | 2024
Calls United Methodists to resist extreme nationalism and place Christian commitments above national, political, and cultural allegiances.
| Ryan Dunn | United Methodist Church | 2023
United Methodist explainer defining Christian nationalism and distinguishing national identity from Christian discipleship.
| General Board of Church and Society | United Methodist Church | Ongoing
Presents Methodist teachings on peace, nationalism, war, and international responsibility.
| General Board of Church and Society | United Methodist Church | Ongoing
Explains Methodist commitments to civil and human rights that provide an institutional contrast to exclusionary concepts of Christian citizenship.
| General Board of Church and Society | United Methodist Church | Ongoing
Provides Methodist resources on democracy, human rights, church-state issues, religious freedom, racism, and nationalism.
| United Methodist Church | UMC.org | Ongoing
Summarizes Methodist teaching on government, citizenship, religious liberty, civil obedience, and political responsibility.
| United Methodist Church | UMC.org | Ongoing
Provides the larger theological framework through which the denomination evaluates nationalism, political authority, racism, and human dignity.
Reformed Church in America
| Brian Kaylor | Word&Way | June 16, 2026
Compares recent denominational actions by the Reformed Church in America and other Protestant bodies addressing Christian nationalism.
| Reformed Church in America | RCA | June 12, 2026
Reports the General Synod vote adopting a statement declaring Christian nationalism contrary to the denomination's interpretation of the gospel.
| Reformed Church in America | RCA | June 2026
Summarizes the RCA General Synod's Christian nationalism statement and its theological reasoning concerning church, state, political power, and national identity.
| World Communion of Reformed Churches | WCRC | Ongoing
Provides global Reformed resources concerning nationalism, justice, democracy, racism, religious pluralism, and church-state relations.
Mainline History and Civil Religion
| Greg Garrett | Baptist News Global | September 3, 2024
Interview discussing religion, democracy, race, and the central thesis of Baptizing America.
| Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood | Word&Way | August 27, 2024
Provides suggestions for congregations seeking to discuss Christian nationalism without reducing church life to partisan campaigning.
| Mike Ferguson | Word&Way / Presbyterian News Service | August 13, 2024
Reports a Presbyterian podcast discussion on how progressive and mainline Protestant practices have contributed to Christian nationalism.
| Brian Kaylor | Baptist News Global | June 14, 2024
Examines the role of Presbyterian minister George MacPherson Docherty and other Protestant leaders in adding "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance.
| Jeremy Fuzy | A Public Witness | May 21, 2024
Reflects from inside mainline Protestantism on the argument that progressive churches need to examine their own contributions to nationalist religious culture.
| Adriene Thorne / Word&Way | Word&Way | May 14, 2024
Presents the foreword to Baptizing America, emphasizing mainline Protestant responsibility for blending national and Christian identity.
| Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood | Religion Unplugged | April 2024
Uses President Harry Truman's endorsement of a Protestant Bible translation to explore earlier mainline Protestant forms of Christian nationalism.
| Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood | A Public Witness | 2024
Resource page accompanying Baptizing America with material for studying mainline Protestantism, civil religion, and Christian nationalism.
Scholarship on Christian Nationalism and Civil Religion
| David E. Campbell and Geoffrey C. Layman | Politics and Religion | July 13, 2026
Examines whether Christian-nationalist imagery associated with January 6 produced religious or partisan backlash among Americans.
Examines how race changes the relationship between Christian nationalism and progressive political identities and discusses mainline Protestantism in relation to the dominant white evangelical form.
| Esther Prins | New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education | 2025
Studies educational strategies confronting white Christian nationalism and specifically considers mainline Protestant churches as both historic contributors and potential sites of resistance.
| Political Behavior | Springer | 2025
Experimental research examining how political elite rhetoric can influence whether Americans identify explicitly as Christian nationalists.
| Sociology Quarterly researchers | The Sociological Quarterly | 2024
Studies clergy political activity across religious traditions and compares the political agendas of mainline Protestant and evangelical clergy.
Examines white evangelical aspirations for a Christian political order while contrasting those views with the lower average support found among mainline Protestants.
| Abigail Vegter, Andrew R. Lewis and Cammie Jo Bolin | Politics and Religion | January 26, 2023
Examines whether American civil religion remains unifying or has become structured by partisan divisions, while distinguishing it empirically from Christian nationalism.
| Sociological Quarterly | The Sociological Quarterly | 2023
Investigates how religious institutions, participation, beliefs, and political commitments contribute to Christian nationalist attitudes.
| Long Doan Li | Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion | 2023
Distinguishes religious traditionalism from Christian statism and places Christian nationalism in conversation with Robert Bellah's influential concept of American civil religion.
| Kristina M. Lee | Rhetoric Society Quarterly | October 21, 2022
Historical and rhetorical analysis of "In God We Trust" and its use as evidence in arguments portraying the United States as a Christian nation.
Debate and Critical Perspectives
| Megan Fowler | Christianity Today | July 30, 2026
Reports how Presbyterian, Lutheran, Reformed, Baptist, and other denominations are formally studying or responding to Christian nationalism.
| Steven Waldman | The Christian Century | June 16, 2026
Examines claims about America's Christian founding by comparing contemporary evangelical narratives with the historically dominant Episcopal and Congregational traditions.
| Cynthia R. Wallace | The Christian Century | March 10, 2026
Reviews recent Christian critiques of nationalism and explores distinctions among patriotism, nationalism, democratic citizenship, and religious allegiance.
| Christianity Today | Christianity Today | January 2026
Presents a skeptical interpretation of Christian-nationalism scholarship, arguing that conservative identity politics may explain some patterns attributed to the ideology.
| Mac Loftin | The Christian Century | December 2025
Theological analysis of the tension between nationalism and the universal claims of Christianity.
| Jonathan Tran | The Christian Century | July 2024
Questions the expanding and sometimes inconsistent use of the term "Christian nationalism" and urges greater conceptual precision.
| Russell Moore | Christianity Today | September 29, 2022
Evangelical theological critique arguing that Christianity should not be subordinated to national political identity.
| Paul D. Miller | Christianity Today | February 3, 2021
Provides a conservative evangelical definition of Christian nationalism and distinguishes it from patriotism, nationality, and conventional Christian political involvement.
| The Christian Century | The Christian Century | July 2020
Reviews investigative books concerning organizations and networks associated with contemporary white Christian nationalism.
Worship, Symbols and Congregational Practice
| Brian Kaylor | A Public Witness | June 30, 2026
Examines pressures on churches to incorporate patriotic imagery, national songs, flags, and themes around the United States' 250th anniversary.
| Russell Moore | Christianity Today | June 15, 2026
Discusses practical challenges congregations encounter when members disagree over nationalism, politics, Christian identity, and church unity.
| Mike Ferguson | The Christian Century | May 29, 2026
Reports a Presbyterian workshop examining how hymns, worship, memory, and liturgy can reinforce or challenge nationalist religious identity.
| T. Denise Anderson | The Christian Century | November 2024
Presbyterian theologian reflects on Christian nationalism through the biblical theme of Christ's kingdom and competing political allegiances.
Broader Protestant History and Context
| Paul A. Djupe and colleagues | The Washington Post | May 6, 2022
Places modern Christian nationalism within long-term changes in American Protestantism, including the decline of mainline denominations and growth of conservative evangelical political influence.
| PRRI Staff | Public Religion Research Institute | September 6, 2017
Documents the long-term demographic decline of white mainline Protestantism and the changing place of white Christianity in American society.
| Public Religion Research / ARDA | Association of Religion Data Archives | 2008
Archive of the Mainline Protestant Clergy Voices Survey, useful for comparing earlier political attitudes among mainline clergy with more recent Christian-nationalism research.
| Pew Research Center | Pew Research Center | June 25, 1996
Historical survey showing political differences between evangelical Protestants and the mainline Protestant population before "Christian nationalism" became a common analytical term.
Ecumenical and Interfaith Context
| Brian Kaylor | Word&Way | June 4, 2026
Reports an academic conference where scholars discussed Christian nationalism from Catholic, Baptist, and mainline Protestant perspectives.
| Interfaith Alliance | Interfaith Alliance | 2024
Conversation about religious power, Christian nationalism, evangelical politics, and the historical cultural influence of mainline Protestantism.
| Richard Ostling | Religion Unplugged | March 2022
Reviews competing definitions of Christian nationalism and notes participation by mainline Protestant leaders in organized opposition to the movement.
Reference and Research Resources
| Journal of Church and State Editors | Oxford University Press | Spring 2026
Journal issue containing an academic review of Baptizing America and related scholarship on religion, nationalism, church, and state.
| Robert D. Cornwall | Word&Way | October 7, 2025
Reviews Brian Kaylor's study of biblical interpretation in Christian nationalism and connects it to the earlier argument concerning mainline Protestant civil religion.
| Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood | A Public Witness | August 27, 2024
Longer newsletter version of guidance for congregations studying Christian nationalism and mainline Protestant complicity.
| Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood | Chalice Press / Google Books | July 9, 2024
Bibliographic entry for Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism, the major recent book devoted specifically to this topic.
| Christianity Today Editors | Christianity Today | Ongoing
Article archive providing evangelical perspectives useful for comparison with mainline Protestant responses.
| Christian Century Editors | The Christian Century | Ongoing
Topic archive collecting reporting, theological essays, reviews, and commentary on Christian nationalism from a publication historically associated with mainline Protestant thought.
| Journal of Lutheran Ethics | ELCA | Ongoing
Index of ELCA ethics issues including special material on Christian nationalism, democracy, nationalism, public theology, and church-state relations.
| Journal of Lutheran Ethics | ELCA | Ongoing
Archive gathering ELCA scholarship, book reviews, podcasts, and theological resources addressing Christian nationalism.
| Journal of Lutheran Ethics | ELCA | Ongoing
Searchable archive containing Lutheran theological and ethical studies relevant to Christian nationalism and democratic public life.
| University of Chicago Divinity School | Sightings | Ongoing
Academic commentary archive covering Christian nationalism and its relationships to civil religion, politics, ethics, and American Christianity.
Mainline Protestants, National Identity and Democracy
| PRRI Staff | Public Religion Research Institute | February 17, 2026
Updates national and state-level Christian-nationalism measurements and provides religious-affiliation comparisons useful for tracking changes among mainline Protestants.
| PRRI Staff | Public Religion Research Institute | February 27, 2024
Summarizes PRRI's fifty-state findings and compares Christian-nationalist support among evangelical, mainline Protestant, Catholic, Black Protestant, and other groups.
| PRRI Staff | Public Religion Research Institute | 2024
Examines relationships among Christian nationalism, authoritarian attitudes, religious affiliation, and political behavior, including results for white mainline/non-evangelical Protestants.
| PRRI Staff | Public Religion Research Institute | February 8, 2023
Summarizes the original PRRI/Brookings study and highlights large differences between white evangelical and white mainline Protestant attitudes.
Historical Comparisons and Protestant Nationalism
| Religion News Service | National Catholic Reporter | September 2018
Examines mainline Protestant reassessment of the Doctrine of Discovery, colonial Christianity, Indigenous dispossession, and related ideas of Christian national destiny.
Additional Recent Mainline Engagement
| Sojourners | Sojourners | July 2026
Provides historical background on mainline Protestant involvement in the military chaplaincy and its later displacement by more conservative Protestant traditions.
| Religion News Service | The Christian Century | 2025
Examines the renewed political activity of progressive and mainline clergy who describe Christian nationalism as a major concern.
Analytical Counterpoints
| Tim Orr | The Daily Declaration | September 17, 2025
Offers a conservative critique of the emphasis that many mainline churches place on opposing Christian nationalism, providing a useful contrasting perspective.
| Christianity Today | Christianity Today | September 2024
Conservative Protestant critique comparing contemporary Christian nationalism with earlier established and mainline forms of politically oriented Christianity.
Closing Comparative Sources
| PRRI Staff | Public Religion Research Institute | February 2025
Full downloadable report for the 2024 American Values Atlas Christian-nationalism study, including detailed charts by religious affiliation.
| PRRI Staff | Public Religion Research Institute | October 30, 2024
Shows that mainline Protestantism contains substantial Christian-nationalism skepticism as well as a smaller but important supportive constituency.
| PRRI Staff | Public Religion Research Institute | February 2024
Provides religious-group comparisons showing that white mainline Protestants occupy an intermediate position between strongly supportive white evangelical Protestants and highly resistant non-Christian or unaffiliated groups.
Episcopal and Anglican Perspectives
| Episcopal Church in Connecticut | Episcopal Church in Connecticut | February 25, 2026
Announces an Episcopal program examining where white Christian nationalism appears in American politics and Episcopal congregations and how churches might respond.
| Office of Public Affairs | The Episcopal Church | Ongoing
Provides Episcopal statements and public-policy resources concerning religious liberty, democracy, racism, political violence, and church-state relationships relevant to Christian nationalism.
| Office of Government Relations | The Episcopal Church | Ongoing
Collects Episcopal advocacy materials on religious freedom, voting, democracy, immigration, racial justice, and other issues frequently connected to Christian-nationalism debates.
| The Episcopal Church | The Episcopal Church | Ongoing
Provides historical and theological resources concerning racism and the church, useful for examining racial dimensions of American Christian nationalism.
| The Episcopal Church | The Episcopal Church | Ongoing
Provides material useful for comparing Episcopal understandings of Christian mission with nationalist definitions of Christian political identity.
| The Episcopal Church | The Episcopal Church | Ongoing
Offers resources promoting interreligious relations and pluralism, providing a mainline Protestant counterpoint to efforts to privilege Christianity in public life.
| The Episcopal Church | The Episcopal Church | Ongoing
Shows how mainline Protestant public theology frequently addresses social and environmental issues rather than advocating Christian control of government.
American Civil Religion
| Philip S. Gorski | Oxford University Press | 2017
Research associated with American Covenant examines the historical relationship among Protestantism, republicanism, civil religion, and American national identity.
| Martin E. Marty | Daedalus | 1967
Early scholarly discussion of American civil religion and the interaction between national identity and religious institutions.
| Robert N. Bellah | Daedalus | Winter 1967
Bellah's foundational essay "Civil Religion in America" describes a national religious tradition expressed through presidents, founding documents, public rituals, and references to God.
Protestant Establishment and American Identity
| Pew Research Center | Pew Research Center | February 26, 2025
Provides recent demographic context for understanding the changing place of mainline and evangelical Protestantism in American society.
| Pew Research Center | Pew Research Center | May 12, 2015
Documents the long-term demographic decline of mainline Protestantism and broader changes in American religious identity.
| E. Digby Baltzell | Random House | 1964
Classic sociological study of the Protestant establishment and the influence of elite Protestant institutions in American society.
| William R. Hutchison | Historical Scholarship | 20th century
Historical material useful for understanding the cultural authority once exercised by mainline Protestant institutions.
"Under God," the Pledge and Mainline Protestant Influence
| Dwight D. Eisenhower | American Presidency Project | June 14, 1954
Primary-source presidential statement describing the religious significance attributed to adding "under God" to the Pledge.
| United States Congress | U.S. Congress | June 14, 1954
Primary-source legislation adding "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance during the Cold War.
"In God We Trust" and National Religious Symbolism
| U.S. Department of the Treasury | U.S. Government | Historical
Provides historical background on the national motto and its appearance on American currency.
National Prayer and Presidential Religion
| American Presidency Project | University of California, Santa Barbara | Ongoing
Archive of presidential proclamations useful for studying National Days of Prayer, Thanksgiving proclamations, and civil-religious language across administrations.
Christian Nationalism, Race and Mainline History
| Mike Cummings | Yale News | March 15, 2022
Interviews sociologist Philip Gorski about white Christian nationalism, American history, race, religion, and January 6.
| Philip Gorski | Georgetown University Berkley Center | January 22, 2021
Places January 6 within a longer history connecting white supremacy, Christian identity, nationalism, and American political culture.
Christian Nationalism and Religious Pluralism
| Americans United for Separation of Church and State | Americans United | Ongoing
Collects research and reporting concerning Christian nationalism, religious freedom, church-state separation, and religious pluralism.
| Interfaith Alliance | Interfaith Alliance | Ongoing
Offers materials on religious freedom and pluralistic democracy relevant to mainline Protestant participation in opposition to religious nationalism.
| Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty | BJC | Ongoing
Provides educational resources explaining Christian nationalism and its implications for religious liberty.
Global and Comparative Religious Nationalism
| Chase Viscuse | University of Chicago Divinity School | February 4, 2026
Reports an international academic conference examining Christian nationalism across Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas.
| University of Chicago Divinity School | University of Chicago | January 28–30, 2026
Conference program brings together scholars studying Christian nationalism, democracy, history, identity, populism, and religious resistance around the world.
Historical Protestant Nationalism and Church Resistance
| Evangelical Church in Germany | EKD | Historical
Provides the Barmen Declaration, a major Protestant statement rejecting political efforts to subordinate the church to nationalist ideology.
Additional Comparative and Contextual Sources
| Pew Research Center | Pew Research Center | May 12, 2015
Provides demographic profiles of mainline Protestants and other American religious groups.
| Pew Research Center | Pew Research Center | May 12, 2015
Documents the declining demographic dominance of historically mainline Protestant denominations and the changing religious composition of the United States.
| Association of Religion Data Archives | ARDA | Ongoing
Provides denominational and religious-family data useful for studying differences among mainline, evangelical, Black Protestant, Catholic, and other traditions.
| Association of Religion Data Archives | ARDA | Ongoing
Large archive of surveys and denominational statistics relevant to the historical and sociological study of mainline Protestantism.
| Pew Research Center | Pew Research Center | Ongoing
Interactive data source useful for comparing mainline Protestant political, demographic, theological, and social attitudes.
