Christian Nationalism in the United States: An Overview
Christian Nationalism in the United States
Christian nationalism is a term used to describe a range of beliefs connecting Christianity with American national identity, political institutions, public culture, or government. The expression has become increasingly prominent in academic research, journalism, religious debate, and American politics, but there is no single universally accepted definition.
Some scholars describe Christian nationalism as an ideology or political theology that seeks a privileged role for Christianity in American public life. Social scientists often study it through survey questions concerning whether the United States is fundamentally a Christian nation, whether the federal government should formally recognize Christianity, whether American laws should reflect Christian or biblical principles, and whether being Christian is important to being considered truly American.
Other writers argue that the term is sometimes used too broadly. They distinguish Christian nationalism from patriotism, conventional Christian political participation, religious conservatism, civil religion, or the belief that Christianity historically influenced American institutions. Supporters of forms of Christian nationalism likewise differ among themselves over what the concept should mean and how far government should promote Christianity.
Because of these disagreements, Christian nationalism is best understood not as a single organization or uniform political program but as a contested family of ideas concerning Christianity, national identity, political authority, and American public life.
Definitions and Measurement
Academic research has increasingly attempted to distinguish Christian nationalism from ordinary religious belief or political conservatism. Researchers have developed survey scales asking respondents about Christianity's relationship to government, national identity, public education, law, and American history.
The Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), for example, uses five questions concerning Christianity, government, and American identity to divide respondents into categories it calls Adherents, Sympathizers, Skeptics, and Rejecters. In its 2025 American Values Atlas, based on more than 22,000 interviews, PRRI reported that approximately 11 percent of Americans were classified as Adherents and 21 percent as Sympathizers, while 37 percent were Skeptics and 27 percent Rejecters.
Other researchers have questioned whether Christian nationalism can adequately be represented by a single scale. Studies have proposed distinctions between religious traditionalism and Christian statism, examined Christian nationalism as a social identity, and identified different varieties of Christian nationalism with different political and theological implications.
Some critics of the terminology argue that surveys risk grouping together people who hold substantially different beliefs. For example, believing that Christianity influenced American history is not necessarily equivalent to supporting an officially Christian government. Researchers therefore continue to debate how Christian nationalism should be defined and measured.
Historical Roots
Ideas connecting Christianity and American national identity have appeared throughout United States history. They have taken different forms in different periods and should not be treated as one continuous movement.
Early debates concerned whether the new United States should be understood as fundamentally Protestant or Christian despite constitutional protections concerning religious establishment and religious tests. Nineteenth-century ideas such as Manifest Destiny sometimes combined Protestant Christianity, national expansion, and beliefs about America's providential role.
During the Civil War, both Union and Confederate religious leaders sometimes portrayed their respective societies as Christian nations. Later disputes over immigration, Catholicism, public schools, racial hierarchy, and national identity frequently included arguments about the country's religious character.
During the twentieth century, revivalist Christianity, anticommunism, conservative Protestant activism, and American patriotism became interconnected in several political movements. The rise of the modern Christian Right beginning in the late twentieth century created additional organizations and networks seeking greater Christian influence over public policy.
Researchers also examine Christian Reconstructionism, civil religion, the Christian Right, Project Blitz, Catholic integralism, and contemporary national-conservative movements when studying the intellectual and organizational background of modern Christian nationalism. These traditions overlap in some respects but remain distinct.
Religion, Patriotism, and National Identity
One of the central debates surrounding Christian nationalism concerns the difference between religious faith, patriotism, and nationalism.
Many Christian writers distinguish ordinary affection for one's country from making national identity a central element of religious faith. Some evangelical, Baptist, Catholic, Presbyterian, and other Christian writers argue that Christianity should remain independent of national political identity and warn against treating the United States as having a uniquely sacred status.
Other Christian thinkers defend stronger connections between Christianity and national life. Some argue that American political institutions developed within a predominantly Christian moral culture and that government should acknowledge this heritage or encourage Christian moral principles.
Still others reject the Christian-nationalist label while supporting substantial Christian participation in politics. They contend that political involvement by Christians, religiously informed voting, or public expressions of Christianity should not automatically be categorized as nationalism.
The result is an extensive theological debate within American Christianity rather than a simple division between religious and secular Americans.
Public Opinion and Geographic Patterns
Survey research shows substantial differences in Christian-nationalist attitudes according to religion, political affiliation, geography, education, age, and other demographic factors.
PRRI's 2025 American Values Atlas found that Christian-nationalist attitudes were more prevalent among white evangelical Protestants and Hispanic Protestants than among many other religious groups. Frequent religious attendance was also associated with higher scores on PRRI's Christian-nationalism scale.
Political affiliation is another major dividing factor. Under PRRI's measures, Republicans were substantially more likely than Democrats or independents to fall into its Adherent or Sympathizer categories. Geographic differences were also visible, with comparatively high levels recorded in parts of the South and Midwest.
At the same time, Christian nationalism is not confined to a single racial, religious, or political population. Research in the uploaded material examines Christian-nationalist attitudes among Black, Hispanic, white, Catholic, Protestant, LGBTQ, and other populations and cautions against assuming that all people identified by survey scales have identical motivations or political beliefs.
Pew Research Center surveys demonstrate another distinction: Americans may support some forms of Christian influence in public life while rejecting others. In April 2026, Pew found that 17 percent of American adults favored declaring Christianity the country's official religion, while larger numbers favored promoting Christian moral values without establishing an official religion. At the same time, 54 percent said the federal government should enforce separation of church and state.
These findings illustrate why researchers often distinguish individual attitudes rather than treating Christian nationalism as a simple yes-or-no identity.
Race, Immigration, and National Belonging
A substantial portion of the academic literature examines relationships among Christian nationalism, race, immigration, and perceptions of who belongs within the American political community.
Studies have investigated associations between Christian-nationalist attitudes and white racial solidarity, attitudes toward interracial marriage, perceptions of racial discrimination, policing, immigration, and national boundaries.
Some research finds that Christian-nationalist ideas can interact differently with racial identity among white, Black, Hispanic, and other Americans. For this reason, scholars increasingly caution against assuming that Christian nationalism is exclusively a white phenomenon or that its political consequences are identical across racial groups.
Research has also examined whether Christian-nationalist attitudes correlate with perceptions that demographic or cultural changes threaten American identity. Immigration has consequently become an important area of study, including attitudes toward borders, citizenship, deportation, and cultural assimilation.
Historical research adds another dimension by examining earlier narratives in which Protestant identity, racial hierarchy, citizenship, and American nationhood were closely connected.
Democracy, Political Power, and Political Violence
One of the most debated areas of contemporary scholarship concerns the relationship between Christian nationalism and democratic institutions.
Researchers have studied correlations between Christian-nationalist attitudes and views of political authority, willingness to support strong political leaders, distrust of institutions, conspiracy beliefs, perceived political victimhood, and attitudes toward political violence.
Several studies report statistical associations between stronger Christian-nationalist attitudes and greater acceptance of political violence under certain circumstances. Research following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol particularly examined relationships among Christian nationalism, racial identity, conspiracy beliefs, perceived victimization, and support for the attack.
Other research emphasizes that correlations do not mean every person holding Christian-nationalist beliefs supports authoritarian government or political violence. Scholars continue to investigate the conditions under which religious-national identity becomes politically activated.
The democratic implications of Christian nationalism therefore remain an important subject of political science, sociology, religious studies, and public debate.
Public Policy and Social Issues
The research literature connects Christian nationalism with a wide range of policy questions.
Studies in the uploaded material investigate attitudes toward government spending, economic inequality, organized labor, taxation, universal health care, charitable obligations, environmental protection, pronatalism, vaccination, education, abortion, gun regulation, immigration, and racial policy.
Gun politics has received particular attention. Several studies examine relationships among Christian nationalism, gun-owner identity, opposition to gun regulations, conspiracy beliefs, and attitudes toward political violence.
Education is another major area of debate. Researchers and advocacy organizations have studied disputes concerning Bible instruction, religious displays, curriculum, parental authority, public-school governance, and competing interpretations of American history.
Economic studies suggest that Christian nationalism can interact with income, class, and political identity in complex ways rather than producing one uniform economic ideology.
These studies generally identify statistical relationships rather than proving that Christian nationalism alone causes particular political attitudes.
Christianity, Churches, and Internal Religious Debate
Christian nationalism has generated substantial disagreement inside American churches.
Some Christian leaders argue that combining Christianity too closely with national political identity risks subordinating religious commitments to political power. Baptist, evangelical, Catholic, Presbyterian, and other Christian organizations have held conferences, issued reports, and developed educational material addressing the subject.
Other theologians and religious writers contend that Christianity has legitimate public and political implications and that critics sometimes misuse the Christian-nationalist label to marginalize conservative Christian participation in public life.
Still others openly defend versions of Christian nationalism. Their arguments commonly emphasize national tradition, public morality, Christian cultural inheritance, and the belief that political communities inevitably reflect particular moral or religious assumptions.
Denominational disputes demonstrate that the controversy is not simply Christianity versus secularism. Significant disagreements exist among Christians themselves about patriotism, nationalism, religious establishment, pluralism, civil government, and the meaning of Christian political responsibility.
Church, State, and Religious Liberty
Questions about Christian nationalism frequently intersect with the constitutional relationship between religion and government.
The U.S. Constitution prohibits religious tests for federal office, and the First Amendment prevents Congress from establishing religion while protecting free exercise. Debate continues over how these principles should apply to government religious displays, public education, legislation, political speech by churches, and government recognition of religious traditions.
Supporters of strong church-state separation argue that government neutrality protects Christians as well as religious minorities and nonreligious citizens.
Critics of some interpretations of church-state separation argue that neutrality should not require excluding religious expression or religiously informed arguments from public life.
Christian nationalism adds another question: whether government should merely protect religious participation or should affirm Christianity as having a distinctive relationship to American national identity.
Survey research shows that Americans themselves distinguish among these possibilities, with different levels of support for an official Christian religion, promotion of Christian values, biblical influence on law, and enforcement of church-state separation.
Race, Gender, and Social Identity
Recent scholarship increasingly treats Christian nationalism as an identity that intersects with other social identities rather than as an isolated religious belief.
Researchers have examined its relationships with race, gender, masculinity, sexuality, education, socioeconomic status, religious affiliation, and partisan identity.
Studies examining white respondents frequently find connections between Christian nationalism and particular understandings of racial solidarity or racial inequality. Other work demonstrates that Christian-nationalist attitudes also exist among racial minorities and may produce different political outcomes depending on social context.
Research concerning gender includes studies of masculinity, femininity, reproductive politics, pronatalism, and perceptions of traditional family structures.
This intersectional research complicates descriptions of Christian nationalism as representing a single demographic group or uniform political constituency.
Criticism, Defense, and Disagreement Over the Term
Christian nationalism is both a scholarly concept and a politically contested label.
Critics argue that certain forms of Christian nationalism can threaten religious pluralism, minority rights, church-state separation, or democratic institutions. Some Christian critics additionally argue that nationalism can distort Christianity by making political power, national identity, or cultural dominance into religious priorities.
Defenders argue that Christianity has historically influenced American political culture and that acknowledging this influence does not necessarily require theocracy or discrimination against other religions. Some writers explicitly defend Christian nationalism, while others reject the label but advocate a significant Christian role in public institutions.
A third position questions whether the term itself is sufficiently precise. Critics of the concept argue that it can combine theological conservatism, Republican political identity, patriotism, opposition to secularism, and actual support for religious establishment into a category that may obscure important differences.
Academic research reflects this debate by developing alternative measurements, multidimensional models, and competing classifications.
Christian Nationalism in Comparative Perspective
Although American debates receive considerable attention, religious nationalism is not unique to the United States.
Comparative research examines relationships between dominant religions and national identity in countries around the world. Similar questions arise where Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, or other religious traditions become closely connected with definitions of national membership and political authority.
Comparative analysis helps distinguish features specific to American Christianity and constitutional history from broader patterns of religious nationalism.
The American case is distinctive in part because strong traditions of both religious participation and constitutional religious liberty have existed alongside recurring claims that the United States is fundamentally a Christian nation.
Conclusion
Christian nationalism in the United States is a complex and contested phenomenon involving religion, national identity, history, political power, and competing understandings of American citizenship.
The term covers ideas ranging from cultural identification with America's Christian heritage to explicit proposals for government recognition or promotion of Christianity. Scholars therefore increasingly emphasize the importance of distinguishing among different beliefs rather than assuming that everyone described as a Christian nationalist holds the same political or theological views.
Historical research shows that arguments connecting Christianity and American nationhood predate contemporary political movements. Modern survey research, meanwhile, demonstrates significant differences by religion, political affiliation, geography, race, age, education, and other characteristics.
The subject remains deeply debated within Christianity as well as in American politics and academia. Supporters, opponents, and critics of the terminology disagree about the proper relationship among Christianity, government, religious liberty, pluralism, and national identity.
Understanding Christian nationalism consequently requires attention not only to political organizations and elections but also to history, theology, sociology, constitutional principles, public opinion, race, immigration, education, economics, and the changing meaning of American national identity.
Definitions, Concepts, Measurement & General Overviews
1. On Christian Nationalism | Jesse Smith and Jonathan Tran | Religious Studies Review | September 5, 2026
Reviews recent scholarship and debates surrounding Christian nationalism, including disagreements about its definition, measurement, theology, racial dimensions, and political significance.
2. Christian Nationalism as a Social Identity | Brooklyn Walker, Paul A. Djupe, Anand E. Sokhey, and Donald P. Haider-Markel | Public Opinion Quarterly | July 4, 2026
Examines Christian nationalism as a social identity rather than only a collection of policy attitudes, investigating who adopts the label and how identification relates to political behavior.
3. Confused about Christian nationalism? I was, too | Brandon Showalter | The Christian Post | May 23, 2026
Reflects on competing definitions of Christian nationalism and explains why journalists and Christians may use the term in substantially different ways.
4. What Is Christian Nationalism? The Complete Guide | Scott A. Leadingham | Freedom Forum | May 21, 2026
Provides an extensive overview of definitions, historical development, constitutional questions, polling, and contemporary controversies surrounding Christian nationalism in the United States.
5. Not Everything Is Christian Nationalism | Chris Butler | Christianity Today | May 5, 2026
Butler argues for greater precision in use of the term, distinguishing Christian nationalism from ordinary religious participation, patriotism, and Christian political engagement.
6. What Is the Meaning of Christian Nationalism? | Lisa Loraine Baker | Christianity.com | March 5, 2026
Provides a Christian-oriented introduction to the meaning of Christian nationalism and discusses theological arguments concerning Christianity, patriotism, and political power.
7. CNN’s Pamela Brown Reports in "The Rise of Christian Nationalism" | CNN Press Room | CNN | February 17, 2026
Describes a documentary investigation of Christian nationalist organizations, activists, churches, and political influence in contemporary America.
8. It’s Not "Christian Nationalism." It’s Conservative Identity Politics. | George Yancey | Christianity Today | January 22, 2026
Yancey questions whether Christian nationalism is always the most useful explanation for observed political attitudes and proposes conservative identity politics as an alternative framework.
9. Time to retire the phrase "Christian nationalism" | Michael Sean Winters | National Catholic Reporter | November 21, 2025
Winters argues that the term has become overly broad and politically polarizing and proposes describing specific beliefs rather than relying on the label.
10. Correcting Common Misconceptions About Christian Nationalism | Greg Carey | Word&Way | September 10, 2025
Reviews competing definitions of Christian nationalism and addresses what the author regards as common misunderstandings about the concept, its supporters, and its critics.
11. My summer quest to learn more about Christian nationalism | Daniel Holcomb | Baptist News Global | August 28, 2025
Describes the author's effort to understand Christian nationalism through reading and discussion and considers competing definitions within American Christianity.
12. The varieties of American Christian nationalism | Nilay Saiya | Politics and Religion | May 13, 2025
Argues that American Christian nationalism is not a single uniform phenomenon and develops a framework for distinguishing different forms and political implications.
13. What We Are Getting Wrong About Christian Nationalism | Josiah R. Daniels | Sojourners | May 6, 2025
Explores disagreements over how Christian nationalism is defined and measured and considers the implications of treating diverse conservative Christians as a single political category.
14. Not all conservatives are Christian nationalists, Tyler explains | Mark Wingfield | Baptist News Global | April 14, 2025
Discusses distinctions between political conservatism and Christian nationalism and emphasizes the importance of defining the concept more narrowly than conservative Christian politics generally.
15. Religious nationalism conference tackles "most important conversation" of the day | Catherine M. Odell | National Catholic Reporter | March 28, 2025
Reports on a University of Notre Dame interdisciplinary conference examining Christian nationalism and other forms of religious nationalism.
16. Faith over fear? Christian nationalism and cultural fears in the United States | Joseph O. Baker | Nations and Nationalism | November 17, 2024
Investigates relationships between Christian nationalism and perceptions of cultural, social, and demographic threats in the United States.
17. Christian Nationalism, Civic Republicanism, and Radical Secularism in Contemporary American Politics over Time | Corwin E. Smidt | Religions | November 10, 2024
Compares Christian nationalism with civic republican and strongly secular orientations and examines how these political-cultural frameworks have changed over time.
18. Axios Explains: Christian nationalism on the march | Axios | Axios | June 24, 2024
Provides an introductory overview of Christian nationalism, its political supporters, its critics, and its growing prominence in U.S. political discourse.
19. The Myth of White Christian Nationalism | Kenneth L. Woodward | First Things | May 1, 2024
Woodward challenges aspects of the concept of White Christian nationalism and questions whether media and academic discussions sometimes combine distinct religious and political phenomena.
20. What is Christian nationalism and why it raises concerns | Laura Barrón-López | PBS NewsHour | February 1, 2024
Introduces Christian nationalism, its contemporary political significance, and concerns raised by scholars and religious leaders about pluralism and church-state separation.
21. Sociology and Its (Limited) Publics: The Case of "Christian Nationalism" | Samuel L. Perry | The American Sociologist | 2024
Examines how sociological scholarship on Christian nationalism enters public debate and discusses difficulties involved in communicating academic concepts to broader audiences.
22. Creating Conceptual Clarity Around "Christian Nationalism" | Jake Meador | Mere Orthodoxy | October 27, 2023
Meador argues for clearer distinctions among nationalism, patriotism, religious conservatism, political Christianity, and Christian nationalism to improve public debate.
23. What is Christian nationalism, anyway? | Bob Smietana | Religion News Service | May 17, 2023
Provides an accessible overview of Christian nationalism, competing definitions, survey research, historical context, and disagreements among scholars and Christians about the term.
24. The Dog Whistle of "Christian Nationalism" | Gillian Richards Augros | The Heritage Foundation | May 9, 2023
Augros argues that the label Christian nationalism is sometimes applied too broadly to conventional Christian political beliefs and can stigmatize religious conservatives.
25. What Is Christian Nationalism Exactly? | John Stonestreet and Timothy D. Padgett | Christianity.com / Breakpoint | May 2023
Discusses several definitions of Christian nationalism from a conservative Christian perspective and distinguishes the concept from patriotism and legitimate Christian political participation.
26. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Christian Nationalism | Patrick Schreiner | The Gospel Coalition | April 27, 2023
Schreiner separates several ideas commonly grouped under Christian nationalism and assesses them from an evangelical theological perspective rather than treating the movement as uniform.
27. How Christian Is Christian Nationalism? | Kelefa Sanneh | The New Yorker | March 27, 2023
Reviews books and debates about Christian nationalism while examining disagreements concerning its definition, religious content, history, racial dimensions, and political significance.
28. Once More re: the Uselessness of "Christian Nationalism" | Jake Meador | Mere Orthodoxy | February 13, 2023
Meador questions whether the term Christian nationalism has become too ambiguous to clarify political disagreements and calls for more precise language.
29. Who are the Christian nationalists? A taxonomy for the post-Jan. 6 world | Bob Smietana | Religion News Service | January 6, 2023
Explains several different groups and ideological tendencies that have been described as Christian nationalist rather than treating all supporters as a homogeneous movement.
30. The Duality of American Christian Nationalism: Religious Traditionalism versus Christian Statism | Li | Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion | 2023
Proposes separating Christian nationalism into religious traditionalism and Christian statism and finds that these dimensions can have different relationships with social and political attitudes.
31. The Psychometric Properties of the Christian Nationalism Scale | Nicholas T. Davis | Politics and Religion | July 11, 2022
Critically evaluates the widely used six-item Christian nationalism scale and argues that scholars should take greater care in matching measurement with theory.
32. What Is Christian Nationalism? | Paul D. Miller | Christianity Today | February 3, 2021
Offers a detailed definition of Christian nationalism from a Christian political theorist and distinguishes it from Christianity, patriotism, and ordinary political conservatism.
33. Religions Series: "Christian Nationalism in the United States"—Ebook Introduction | Mark Edwards | Religions | May 13, 2017
Introduces a scholarly collection examining American Christian nationalism historically, theologically, culturally, and politically.
History, Founding, Civil Religion & Christian-Nation Narratives
34. "Christian nationalism" already failed America once | Mikale Olson | The Christian Post | September 3, 2026
Olson argues that episodes in earlier American history illustrate dangers that can arise when national identity and a particular interpretation of Christianity become closely intertwined.
35. The roots of Christian nationalism | Richard Conville | Baptist News Global | June 25, 2026
Presents an opinion-based historical interpretation connecting contemporary Christian nationalism to earlier American struggles over race, national identity, and political religion.
36. In 19th-Century America, Two "Christian Nations" Took Up Arms | Daniel N. Gullotta | Christianity Today | February 20, 2025
Reviews historical scholarship on competing Northern and Southern forms of religious nationalism during the Civil War era.
37. Christian nationalism's role in the presidential oath's "so help me God" | David B. Parker | National Catholic Reporter / The Conversation | January 20, 2025
Reviews the history of adding "so help me God" to presidential oaths and considers how historical myths can contribute to Christian-nation narratives.
38. The internal conflicts and contemporary dilemmas of America’s national characteristics | Shaoqing Zhou | International Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology | January 13, 2025
Examines tensions within American national identity, including religion, ethnicity, immigration, civic nationalism, and the role of evangelical nationalism.
39. From Christian Reconstruction to Christian Nationalism: What the Media Need to Know about the 75-Year Effort to Establish Theocracy in the U.S. | Julie Ingersoll | Journal of Media and Religion | November 19, 2024
Traces intellectual and organizational connections between Christian Reconstructionism and later Christian nationalist movements while discussing how journalists cover these networks.
40. We tried Christian nationalism in America. It went badly. | Bob Smietana | Religion News Service | October 30, 2024
Reviews historical episodes involving Protestant political dominance and argues that these experiences offer lessons for contemporary debates over Christian nationalism.
41. The Genesis of Christian Nationalism | Phoebe Petrovic | ProPublica / Wisconsin Watch | October 26, 2024
Investigates historical and organizational roots of modern Christian nationalism, connecting contemporary activism to longer-running religious and political movements.
42. What Christian Nationalism Looked Like in Practice | William Horne | TIME | October 17, 2024
Horne uses the Jim Crow era as a historical case for examining relationships among Christianity, racial hierarchy, nationalism, and political institutions.
43. Civil Religion as a Gateway to Christian Nationalism | Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood | University of Chicago Divinity School | June 20, 2024
Examines connections and differences between American civil religion and Christian nationalism, focusing on patriotic rituals, religious symbolism, and national identity.
44. "Christian nation" ideology came early and has stayed late in American history | Jeff Brumley | Baptist News Global | February 27, 2024
Reviews historical arguments over America's Christian identity and traces how Christian-nation narratives have persisted through several periods of U.S. history.
45. American evangelical nationalism: history, status quo, and outlook | Shaoqing Zhou | International Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology | December 6, 2023
Provides a historical and sociological examination of American evangelical nationalism, including its development, political role, cultural foundations, and future trajectory.
46. Which civil religion? Partisanship, Christian nationalism, and the dimensions of civil religion in the United States | Abigail Vegter, Andrew R. Lewis, and Cammie Jo Bolin | Politics and Religion | January 26, 2023
Examines multiple dimensions of American civil religion and how those dimensions relate differently to political partisanship and Christian nationalism.
47. The Search for a Christian Nation: Christian Nationalism and the American Founding | Brad Littlejohn | Mere Orthodoxy | October 4, 2022
Examines debates over whether the American founding should be understood as Christian and considers competing historical interpretations used in contemporary nationalist arguments.
48. Historical Fundamentalism? Christian Nationalism and Ignorance About Religion in American Political History | Samuel L. Perry, Ruth Braunstein, Philip S. Gorski, and Joshua B. Grubbs | Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion | December 7, 2021
Tests whether Christian nationalist attitudes are associated with inaccurate beliefs about religion's constitutional and political history in the United States.
49. The Christian Nation | Kathleen Wellman | Oxford Academic | November 18, 2021
Examines how narratives portraying the United States as fundamentally Christian have been constructed and used in conservative accounts of American history.
50. The 1776 Report: Mind the (Religion) Gap | Joel A. Brown | University of Chicago Divinity School | February 25, 2021
Critiques the 1776 Commission's treatment of Christianity and argues that selective historical narratives can contribute to Christian nationalist understandings of American history.
51. The "Right" History: Religion, Race, and Nostalgic Stories of Christian America | Ruth Braunstein | Religions | January 30, 2021
Examines nostalgic narratives about America's religious past and how stories of Christian nationhood intersect with race and contemporary political identity.
52. Our Country Is Destined to be the Great Nation of Futurity: John L. O’Sullivan’s Manifest Destiny and Christian Nationalism, 1837–1846 | John D. Wilsey | Religions | April 17, 2017
Examines how religion and national destiny were combined in John L. O'Sullivan's nineteenth-century arguments for Manifest Destiny.
53. William Apess, Pequot Pastor: A Native American Revisioning of Christian Nationalism in the Early Republic | Ethan Goodnight | Religions | January 27, 2017
Studies Native American minister William Apess and his challenge to dominant nineteenth-century narratives connecting Christianity, race, and American national identity.
54. How the Constitution Became Christian | Jared A. Goldstein | Hastings Law Journal | 2017
Traces the development of claims that the U.S. Constitution established or presupposed a Christian nation and examines their historical and legal foundations.
55. Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God or for America? Christian Nationalism, the Christian Right, and the Contra War | Lauren Frances Turek | Religions | December 18, 2016
Examines evangelical activism surrounding U.S. policy toward Nicaragua and how religious mission, anticommunism, and American nationalism became intertwined.
56. Beyond Christian Nationalism: How the American Committee on Religious Rights and Minorities Made Religious Pluralism a Global Cause in the Interwar Era | David Mislin | Religions | December 16, 2016
Examines interwar efforts to promote religious pluralism as an alternative to forms of national identity privileging Protestant Christianity.
57. Revivalist Nationalism since World War II: From "Wake up, America!" to "Make America Great Again" | Daniel Hummel | Religions | November 1, 2016
Traces the interaction of revivalist Christianity and American nationalism from the postwar period through twenty-first-century politics.
Public Opinion, Polling, Geography & Demographics
58. I am a Christian nationalist | Brooklyn Walker and Paul A. Djupe | Religion in Public | July 6, 2026
Discusses survey research on Americans who explicitly identify themselves as Christian nationalists and compares identity-based measures with conventional Christian nationalism scales.
59. How Americans Feel About Religion’s Influence in Government and Public Life | Chip Rotolo and Gregory A. Smith | Pew Research Center | May 14, 2026
Presents national survey data on religion in public life, Christian nationalism, church-state issues, and Americans’ views about Christianity's appropriate role in government.
60. Pew: "Christian Nationalism" Is Becoming a Household Term | Jack Panyard | Christianity Today | May 14, 2026
Reviews new Pew findings showing growing public familiarity with the term Christian nationalism while examining differences in how Americans understand and evaluate it.
61. Where Christian nationalism is most dominant in the U.S. | Axios | Axios | February 18, 2026
Uses recent survey data to illustrate geographic and partisan differences in Christian nationalist attitudes across the United States.
62. Mapping Christian Nationalism Across the 50 States: Insights from PRRI’s 2025 American Values Atlas | PRRI Staff | Public Religion Research Institute | February 17, 2026
Maps measures of Christian nationalism throughout the United States and compares patterns by state, party, religion, demographics, and attitudes toward contemporary political issues.
63. New 50-State Survey Finds Majority of Republicans (56%) Qualify as Christian Nationalism Supporters | PRRI Staff | Public Religion Research Institute | February 17, 2026
Summarizes PRRI's 2025 American Values Atlas findings about Christian nationalism, including partisan, religious, demographic, and geographic differences in its survey measures.
64. Christian Nationalism Across All 50 States: Insights from PRRI’s 2024 American Values Atlas | PRRI Staff | Public Religion Research Institute | February 4, 2025
Provides state-level survey estimates of Christian nationalist attitudes and analyzes relationships with political affiliation, religious identity, demographic characteristics, and public-policy views.
65. Resistance to Christian Nationalism in All 50 States | PRRI Staff | Public Religion Research Institute | October 30, 2024
Uses national and state survey data to examine Americans who reject or express skepticism toward Christian nationalist ideas and compares them with supporters.
66. Christianity’s place in politics, and "Christian nationalism" | Chip Rotolo, Gregory A. Smith, and Jonathan Evans | Pew Research Center | March 15, 2024
Presents survey findings on Americans' preferences regarding religion in politics, government support for Christianity, the Bible, and attitudes toward Christian nationalism.
67. The overlap of Trumpism and Christian nationalism | Philip Bump | The Washington Post | February 29, 2024
Uses polling to examine overlap between support for Donald Trump and Christian nationalist attitudes while noting that the two constituencies are not identical.
68. The threat of Christian nationalism in all 50 states, illustrated in eight charts | Robert P. Jones | Baptist News Global | February 28, 2024
Interprets PRRI state-level polling through charts showing geographic, religious, partisan, racial, and demographic patterns in Christian nationalist attitudes.
69. First of Its Kind Survey Maps Support for Christian Nationalism Across All 50 States | PRRI Staff | Public Religion Research Institute | February 27, 2024
Summarizes PRRI's first comprehensive state-by-state survey estimates of Christian nationalism and reports substantial differences across geography, religion, party, and demographics.
70. Most US Republicans sympathetic to Christian nationalism, survey finds | Maya Yang | The Guardian | February 9, 2023
Reports findings from PRRI's survey of Christian nationalist beliefs, including differences by political party, religious affiliation, race, education, and other demographic factors.
71. Survey: Two-Thirds of White Evangelicals, Most Republicans Sympathetic to Christian Nationalism | PRRI Staff | Public Religion Research Institute | February 8, 2023
Summarizes PRRI survey findings concerning Christian nationalism among religious traditions, political parties, racial groups, age groups, and other segments of the U.S. population.
72. Views of the U.S. as a "Christian nation" and opinions about "Christian nationalism" | Pew Research Center | Pew Research Center | October 27, 2022
Measures how Americans understand the phrases "Christian nation" and "Christian nationalism" and demonstrates that respondents attach substantially different meanings to these terms.
73. 45% of Americans Say U.S. Should Be a "Christian Nation" | Pew Research Center | Pew Research Center | October 27, 2022
Reports national polling on whether Americans view the United States as a Christian nation and what respondents mean when they endorse that description.
74. In their own words: How Americans describe "Christian nationalism" | Pew Research Center | Pew Research Center | October 27, 2022
Analyzes open-ended survey responses to show the wide variety of meanings Americans associate with Christian nationalism, including both favorable and unfavorable interpretations.
Theology, Churches, Denominations & Christian Responses
75. Al Mohler signs on to Christian nationalism | Mark Silk | Religion News Service | September 11, 2026
Silk discusses Southern Baptist theologian Albert Mohler's increasingly favorable treatment of Christian nationalism and the debate it has generated within Baptist circles.
76. What Wendell Berry Can Teach Us About Christian Nationalism | Russell Moore | Christianity Today | September 9, 2026
Moore uses Wendell Berry's writings to explore distinctions among love of place, patriotism, community attachment, nationalism, and Christian political identity.
77. Christian Nationalist Doublespeak | Russell Moore | Christianity Today | August 17, 2026
Moore critiques arguments for giving government a role in defining Christian identity and discusses religious liberty from an evangelical perspective.
78. The Summer of Taking Christian Nationalism Seriously | Megan Fowler | Christianity Today | July 30, 2026
Examines how churches and denominations are responding to Christian nationalism, including efforts to define the movement and determine how congregations should address it.
79. Cooperative Baptists Challenge Christian Nationalism, Advocate for Loving Neighbors | Baptist News Global | Baptist News Global | June 25, 2026
Reports on Cooperative Baptist discussions emphasizing religious freedom, democratic participation, neighbor-love, and opposition to fusing Christian identity with government authority.
80. How to Have a "Patriotic" Worship Service Without Making America the Point | Russell Moore | Christianity Today | June 24, 2026
Considers how churches can acknowledge national holidays while maintaining a theological distinction between Christian worship and American national identity.
81. When Denominations Address Christian Nationalism | Brian Kaylor | Word&Way | June 16, 2026
Reviews decisions by several Protestant denominations to study, criticize, or formally respond to Christian nationalism.
82. The PCA’s Unfinished Business on Christian Nationalism | Robert Hasler | American Reformer | June 15, 2026
Presents a conservative Presbyterian perspective on denominational debates about Christian nationalism and the proper relationship between Christianity and civil government.
83. What Do You Do When Christian Nationalism Comes to Church? | Russell Moore | Christianity Today | June 15, 2026
Addresses pastoral questions about political nationalism inside congregations and discusses how churches might maintain unity without treating national identity as a theological commitment.
84. America Needs a Better Gospel Than Christian Nationalism | Russell Moore | Christianity Today | May 20, 2026
Moore critiques attempts to merge Christian faith with American nationalism and argues for distinguishing Christian religious commitments from national political identity.
85. The Case for Christian Nationalism | R. R. Reno | First Things | March 5, 2026
Reno presents an affirmative conservative argument for Christian nationalism and discusses national identity, public morality, Christianity, and political authority.
86. National Prayer Breakfast or Christian Nationalism Breakfast? | Robert P. Sellers | Baptist News Global | March 2, 2026
Offers a critical theological interpretation of rhetoric at the 2026 National Prayer Breakfast and compares it with earlier approaches to religion in American civic life.
87. Christian Nationalism’s Power Rests On a Simple Proposition: No Questions | Amar D. Peterman | Sojourners | December 5, 2025
Peterman presents a theological critique of Christian nationalism, arguing that religious certainty and political authority can become mutually reinforcing within the movement.
88. Your letters: "Christian nationalism" and the bishops' political leanings | NCR Staff and Readers | National Catholic Reporter | December 5, 2025
Collects contrasting reader responses over whether Christian nationalism remains a useful concept and how Catholic leaders should address it.
89. Listener Question: Should We Call Christian MAGA "Christian"? | Russell Moore | Christianity Today | October 13, 2025
Discusses terminology used to describe Christian political movements and the distinction between theological identity and political self-identification.
90. Erika Kirk offers an antidote to Christian nationalism | Meagan Kohler | Deseret News | September 22, 2025
Kohler contrasts Christian nationalism with a Christian message centered on faith, family, forgiveness, and individual discipleship.
91. "Martin Luther was fine with blasphemy laws": Lutheran theologians debate Christian nationalism | Ian M. Giatti | The Christian Post | September 4, 2025
Reports a theological debate over religious establishment, blasphemy laws, Lutheran political thought, and contemporary Christian nationalism.
92. Is America a Christian nation? Recent CNN interview with pastor Doug Wilson reignites debate | Mariya Manzhos | Deseret News | August 16, 2025
Reviews renewed debate about whether the United States should be described as a Christian nation and presents competing interpretations of Christianity's political role.
93. When Identity Becomes Idolatry | Justin Giboney | Christianity Today | August 2025
Giboney argues that racial, national, political, or other identities can become theologically distorted when treated as ultimate sources of moral authority.
94. The Apolitical Politics of Christendom | Peter J. Leithart | First Things | May 30, 2025
Leithart discusses Christian political theology and the idea of Christendom, presenting a perspective that differs from many contemporary critiques of Christian nationalism.
95. I Confessed My Sin with a Christian Nationalist Pastor | Clarissa Moll | Christianity Today | April 17, 2025
Moll reflects on worshiping in a church led by a pastor she later identified with a Christian nationalist organization and considers Christian unity amid political division.
96. Different images of God predict religious nationalism among Christians | Joseph A. Wagoner et al. | Political Psychology | February 28, 2025
Studies whether differing theological conceptions of God are associated with varying levels of religious nationalist attitudes among Christians.
97. Christian nationalism distorts the faith, says Lexington Bishop John Stowe | Heidi Schlumpf | National Catholic Reporter | October 25, 2024
Reports Catholic Bishop John Stowe's theological criticism of Christian nationalism and his arguments concerning Christianity, political power, and pluralism.
98. How Christians Can Counter Christian Nationalism | William J. Barber II et al. | Sojourners | September 2024
Presents perspectives from Christian leaders who oppose Christian nationalism and suggests theological, civic, and community-based responses to the movement.
99. Dreams of American Christendom: White Evangelicals’ Political Pursuit of a Christian Order without Christ | Jessica Wai-Fong Wong | Religions | August 29, 2024
Analyzes evangelical political aspirations for a Christian social order and considers tensions between those aspirations and Christian theological commitments.
100. Cultural Influence, Political Decline | Dan Hitchens | First Things | August 27, 2024
Discusses changing Christian cultural and political influence in the United States and provides a conservative Christian perspective on secularization and political engagement.
101. Christian nationalism: A Baptist evaluation and response | Ronald S. Cava | Baptist News Global | July 2, 2024
Evaluates Christian nationalism from a Baptist theological perspective and discusses religious liberty, government authority, church-state relations, and Baptist history.
102. Baptists and Christian Nationalism | Hunter Baker | American Reformer | June 20, 2024
Presents a Baptist and conservative perspective on Christian nationalism and discusses how Baptists might understand Christian political influence and national identity.
103. Americans are worried about Christian nationalism. The church should take that as a wake-up call. | Kathleen Bonnette | America Magazine | May 9, 2024
Bonnette argues that public concern about Christian nationalism should encourage Christians to examine how political behavior affects perceptions of Christianity and religious freedom.
104. On the "Nation" of Christian Nationalism | Peter J. Leithart | First Things | April 12, 2024
Explores theological understandings of nationhood and questions how the term "nation" should function within debates about Christian nationalism.
105. Why Christian Nationalism makes American Christians less Christlike | Andrew L. Whitehead | Religion News Service | August 18, 2023
Whitehead summarizes research and argues that stronger adherence to Christian nationalism can be associated with attitudes he views as inconsistent with Christian ethical teachings.
106. A Christian’s Thoughts on the Problem of Christian Nationalism | Bill McKibben | The New Yorker | April 18, 2023
McKibben offers a Christian critique of nationalist political theology and considers conflicts between nationalist power and teachings he associates with Christianity.
107. A Tale of Two Books, One Podcast, and the Contest over Christian Nationalism | Paul D. Miller | Christianity Today | December 20, 2022
Reviews competing Christian arguments about nationalism and contrasts differing visions for the relationship among Christianity, nationhood, political authority, and liberal democracy.
108. Christian Nationalism Cannot Save the World | Russell Moore | Christianity Today | September 29, 2022
Moore critiques Christian nationalism from an evangelical perspective and argues against making political power or national identity central to Christian faith.
109. "This World Is Not My Home": Richard Mouw and Christian Nationalism | Aaron Pattillo-Lunt | Religions | December 27, 2016
Examines theologian Richard Mouw's thought concerning nationalism, evangelical political engagement, pluralism, and Christian identity.
Politics, Elections, Government, Organizations & Mobilization
110. Ben Sasse dismisses some Christian nationalism as impractical | Jon Brown | The Christian Post | July 18, 2026
Reports former senator Ben Sasse's criticism of some Christian nationalist proposals and his views on Christianity, constitutional government, and political power.
111. The full armor of god: The mobilization of Christian nationalism in American politics | Paul A. Djupe, Andrew R. Lewis, and Anand E. Sokhey | University of Colorado Boulder | June 17, 2026
Studies how Christian nationalist identity can be politically activated and how religious and political messages influence mobilization.
112. Thousands flocked to the National Mall in Washington for an America-themed prayer rally | Tiffany Stanley | Associated Press | May 18, 2026
Reports on a large Christian prayer gathering in Washington and places the event within ongoing debates about religion, patriotism, politics, and Christian nationalism.
113. Mike Johnson dismisses "Christian nationalism" as label | Jon Brown | The Christian Post | May 18, 2026
Reports Speaker Mike Johnson's rejection of the Christian nationalist label and his explanation of how he understands Christianity's role in public life.
114. Trump-backed Christian nationalist rally falls flat on National Mall | Freedom From Religion Foundation | FFRF | May 18, 2026
Presents FFRF's critical assessment of a Washington prayer rally and its relationship to Christian nationalist politics.
115. The New Faces of Christian Nationalism | Rachel Monroe | The New Yorker | March 15, 2026
Profiles contemporary Christian nationalist activists and organizations while examining how the movement is evolving politically, culturally, and institutionally.
116. Trump uses National Prayer Breakfast to push Christian nationalist agenda | Freedom From Religion Foundation | FFRF | February 5, 2026
Presents FFRF's criticism of religious and political themes in President Trump's National Prayer Breakfast remarks.
117. Tilled fields for Christian Nationalism: Project Blitz and the evolution of the Christian Right | Kimberly H. Conger | Politics and Religion | January 14, 2026
Analyzes Project Blitz and efforts to enact state-level legislation emphasizing Christianity's symbolic place in American civic and political life.
118. The Christian nationalist worldview behind America’s new security posture | Jennifer Butler | Religion News Service | December 18, 2025
Butler argues that Christian nationalist ideas can be identified in contemporary national-security rhetoric and examines the religious concepts she believes inform that worldview.
119. Department of War quotes Bible on social media. Some link it to Christian nationalism. | Fiona André | National Catholic Reporter / Religion News Service | September 10, 2025
Reports debate over official military social-media posts combining biblical passages with military imagery and whether such messaging reflects Christian nationalist themes.
120. At NatCon, an effort to make Christian nationalism a more inclusive movement | Jack Jenkins | National Catholic Reporter / Religion News Service | September 8, 2025
Reports on National Conservatism Conference participants attempting to articulate a Christian national identity that includes Catholics and Jewish allies.
121. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth belongs to an archconservative church network. Here's what to know | Tiffany Stanley and Peter Smith | Associated Press | August 13, 2025
Examines the beliefs and institutional network of churches associated with Doug Wilson and explains their relationship to debates surrounding Christian nationalism and political theology.
122. When Progressive Foundations Fund Evangelism | Megan Basham | First Things | July 2, 2025
Basham critiques philanthropic involvement in evangelical institutions and discusses how debates over Christian nationalism intersect with broader conflicts inside American evangelicalism.
123. In Texas, Christian right grows confident and assertive | Robert Downen | The Texas Tribune | March 17, 2025
Reports on Christian conservative organizations and activists in Texas and their involvement in legislation concerning schools, religion, abortion, and church-state issues.
124. Beyond campuses and churches, can Charlie Kirk turn out votes for Trump? | Lisa Hagen | NPR | October 24, 2024
Examines Turning Point's growing outreach to churches and religious voters and discusses Christian nationalist themes within some of its political organizing.
125. The Christian Nationalism We Need | Josh Hawley | First Things | September 4, 2024
Hawley defends a form of Christian nationalism centered on what he describes as America's Christian political and moral inheritance and distinguishes it from racial nationalism.
126. The Washington insiders helping Sean Feucht spread Christian nationalism in Congress | Jack Jenkins | National Catholic Reporter / Religion News Service | July 10, 2024
Reports on musician and activist Sean Feucht's relationships with members of Congress and his use of worship events in political organizing.
127. Speakers pull out of prominent activist group’s pro-Christian nationalist conference | Kayla Guo and Juan Salinas II | The Texas Tribune | June 13, 2024
Reports on controversy surrounding a Texas political conference described by its organizers as supportive of Christian nationalism and reactions from invited political figures.
128. The Terrifying Christian Nationalist Crusade to Conquer America | Chris Lehmann | The Nation | March 13, 2024
Reviews books and political developments concerning Christian nationalism from a strongly critical perspective, focusing on organizations, political strategy, and religious-right activism.
129. Trump, Christian Nationalism, and Issue Polarization: The Attitudes and Activism of Iowa Clergy in the 2020 Caucuses | Kedron Bardwell | Politics and Religion Journal | December 2, 2022
Uses a survey of Iowa clergy to examine Christian nationalism, political activism, candidate preferences, and issue polarization during the 2020 caucuses.
130. Christian nationalism on the rise in some GOP campaigns | Peter Smith and Deepa Bharath | Associated Press | May 29, 2022
Reports on candidates openly using Christian nationalist language and examines how religion, nationalism, electoral politics, and conservative activism intersected during the 2022 campaign.
131. Make America Christian Again: Christian Nationalism and Voting for Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential Election | Andrew L. Whitehead, Samuel L. Perry, and Joseph O. Baker | Sociology of Religion | January 25, 2018
Analyzes national survey data to test whether Christian nationalism independently predicted support for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.
Democracy, Pluralism, Religious Liberty, Violence & Constitutional Issues
132. Christian nationalists’ professed support for religious pluralism is often drowned out by perceptions that Christians are under threat | Paul A. Djupe and Brooklyn Walker | Religion News Service | August 21, 2026
Discusses research examining tensions between stated support for religious pluralism and perceptions among Christian nationalists that Christianity faces cultural or political threats.
133. The only humanist in Congress on Christian nationalism, privilege and protecting democracy | Katherine Stewart | Religion News Service | August 18, 2026
Interviews Rep. Jared Huffman about his book and his perspective on Christian nationalism, religious privilege, pluralism, and democratic institutions.
134. Judgement by Fire: The Rapid Anti-Democratic Turn of American Christian Nationalism | Paul A. Djupe, Jacob R. Neiheisel, Anand E. Sokhey, and Brooklyn E. Walker | University of Colorado Boulder | June 17, 2026
Examines changes in Christian nationalist political attitudes and analyzes relationships between perceived threats, group identity, and support for democratic norms.
135. Americans still favor state/church separation despite Christian nationalist push | Freedom From Religion Foundation | FFRF | May 14, 2026
Interprets contemporary polling on religion and government from a church-state separation advocacy perspective.
136. Christian Nationalism, Gun Owner Identity, and Support for Political Violence | Donald P. Haider-Markel, Abigail Vegter, and Brooklyn Walker | Religion in Public | April 30, 2026
Summarizes research examining how Christian nationalist beliefs and gun-owner identity interact in attitudes toward political violence.
137. An Army for God: Gun Ownership, Christian Nationalism, and Support for Political Violence | Donald Haider-Markel, Brooklyn Walker, and Abigail Vegter | Social Science Quarterly | April 2, 2026
Analyzes how gun ownership and Christian nationalist attitudes interact in association with support for political violence.
138. The weakness of anti-Christian nationalism: when religiously inclusive orientations can’t increase tolerance | Paul A. Djupe and Brooklyn Walker | Politics and Religion | March 26, 2026
Studies whether religiously inclusive attitudes operate as an effective ideological counterweight to Christian nationalism and how these orientations relate to political tolerance.
139. FFRF emphasizes Christian nationalism’s threat to democracy on insurrection anniversary | Freedom From Religion Foundation | FFRF | January 6, 2026
Presents the organization's argument linking Christian nationalism with issues raised by the January 6 Capitol attack and church-state separation.
140. FFRF to State Department: Stop promoting Christian nationalism | Freedom From Religion Foundation | FFRF | September 10, 2025
Presents FFRF's objections to government communications it argues improperly privilege Christianity in U.S. foreign-policy institutions.
141. The Gospel Comes for a Neo-Nazi | Caleb Campbell | Christianity Today | May 2025
Campbell recounts his movement away from racist extremism and discusses how Christian communities might engage people attracted to nationalist or extremist ideologies.
142. "Reactionary nihilism": how a rightwing movement strives to end US democracy | Adam Gabbatt | The Guardian | January 19, 2025
Interviews and discusses author Katherine Stewart's analysis of Christian nationalism, political organizations, donors, and conservative institutional networks in the United States.
143. How dangerous is Christian nationalism? | Jeffrey Salkin | Religion News Service | January 16, 2025
Salkin considers competing interpretations of Christian nationalism and discusses concerns about religious establishment, democracy, pluralism, and American Jewish-Christian relations.
144. Christian Nationalism and Violence Against Religious Minorities in the United States: A Quantitative Analysis | Nilay Saiya | Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion | 2024/2025
Uses quantitative analysis to investigate whether Christian nationalism is associated with hostility or violence directed toward religious minorities in the United States.
145. The Clash of Liberties: Religious Freedom, Human Rights, and the Ascendance of Christian Nationalism in the United States | James William Kusumawikan | Global Strategis | 2025
Examines tensions among competing understandings of religious liberty, human rights, pluralism, and Christian nationalism in contemporary U.S. politics.
146. Is a Multireligious Democracy Possible? A Conversation with Past Presidents of the AAR | Harvard Divinity School | Harvard Divinity School | September 27, 2024
Scholars discuss religious pluralism, democratic citizenship, and Christian nationalism within a religiously diverse United States.
147. One Leader Under God: The Connection Between Authoritarianism and Christian Nationalism in America | PRRI Staff | Public Religion Research Institute | September 10, 2024
Analyzes survey relationships between Christian nationalist attitudes and measures involving authoritarian leadership, political violence, democracy, and partisan identity.
148. Ex-US air force specialist with Christian nationalist ties leads combat trainings | Jason Wilson | The Guardian | August 14, 2024
Reports on private combat-training activities involving a former military specialist and examines organizations and individuals the article associates with Christian nationalism.
149. Lay down your sword? Christian nationalism, race, and opposition to requiring gun permits | Christopher H. Seto and Samuel L. Perry | Ethnic and Racial Studies | July 5, 2024
Examines relationships among Christian nationalism, racial identity, and opposition to permit requirements for gun ownership.
150. The strange world of Catholic "integralism" — and Christian nationalism | Jack Jenkins | Religion News Service | April 3, 2024
Explains Catholic integralism, its relationship to liberal democracy, and similarities and differences between integralist political theology and Protestant Christian nationalism.
151. What does it mean to claim the US is a Christian nation, and what does the Constitution say? | Peter Smith | Associated Press | February 17, 2024
Explains competing meanings of the phrase "Christian nation" and reviews constitutional provisions concerning religious establishment, religious tests, and free exercise.
152. Christ, Country, and Conspiracies? Christian Nationalism, Biblical Literalism, and Belief in Conspiracy Theories | Brooklyn Walker and Abigail Vegter | Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion | May 8, 2023
Examines whether Christian nationalism and biblical literalism are independently associated with belief in political conspiracy theories.
153. Under God and Under Threat: Christian Nationalism and Conspiratorial Thinking as Links between Political Orientation and Gun Ownership | Christopher H. Seto and Laura Upenieks | Justice Quarterly | April 5, 2023
Uses national survey data to examine whether Christian nationalism and conspiracy beliefs help explain relationships between political orientation and gun ownership.
154. A Christian Nation? Understanding the Threat of Christian Nationalism to American Democracy and Culture | PRRI Staff | Public Religion Research Institute | February 8, 2023
Introduces PRRI's Christian nationalism scale and analyzes how adherents, sympathizers, skeptics, and rejecters differ on democracy, race, immigration, religion, and political issues.
155. Understanding the threat of white Christian nationalism to American democracy today | Brookings Institution | Brookings Institution | February 8, 2023
Presents scholars and researchers discussing the history, sociology, political influence, and democratic implications of White Christian nationalism in the contemporary United States.
156. Christian Nationalism Is "Single Biggest Threat" to America’s Religious Freedom | Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons and Maggie Siddiqi | Center for American Progress | April 13, 2022
The authors argue that Christian nationalism threatens religious freedom and pluralism and discuss policy disputes involving church-state separation and minority religious communities.
157. Christian Nationalism and Political Violence: Victimhood, Racial Identity, Conspiracy, and Support for the Capitol Attacks | Miles T. Armaly, David T. Buckley, and Adam M. Enders | Political Behavior | January 4, 2022
Uses survey data to examine associations among Christian nationalism, perceived victimhood, racial identity, conspiracy beliefs, and support for the January 6 Capitol attack.
158. Christian Nationalism Is Worse Than You Think | Morgan Lee, Ted Olsen, and Paul D. Miller | Christianity Today | January 2021
Discusses definitions of Christian nationalism, its relationship to American evangelicalism, and debates following the January 6 Capitol attack.
159. Gun Control in the Crosshairs: Christian Nationalism and Opposition to Stricter Gun Laws | Andrew L. Whitehead, Landon Schnabel, and Samuel L. Perry | Socius | 2018
Examines the relationship between Christian nationalism and opposition to stricter gun-control policies, connecting religious-national identity with understandings of guns, freedom, and national identity.
Race, Immigration, Gender, Identity & Social Boundaries
160. Religion, republicans, and white racial boundaries: Christian nationalism and white republicans’ preference for same-race marriage | Samuel L. Perry | Social Problems | June 2, 2026
Examines associations between Christian nationalism and attitudes about interracial marriage, particularly among White Republican respondents.
161. In God We Trust: Christian Nationalism, Political and Ethno-Racial Identities, and Distrust of Immigrants | Christopher H. Seto | Sociology of Religion | May 24, 2026
Investigates connections between Christian nationalism, political and racial identity, and attitudes toward immigrants, emphasizing how several identities may operate together.
162. Partisan and Racial Sorting of Christian Nationalism, 1996–2022: Backlash and Counter Backlash on the (White) Secular Left and Religious Right | Jesse Smith | Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion | December 26, 2025
Uses long-term survey data to examine how Christian nationalist attitudes have become differently distributed across racial, religious, and partisan groups.
163. Religion Is Sometimes Raced: Christian Nationalism as In-Group Protection | Brooklyn Walker, Paul A. Djupe, Brian R. Calfano, Andrew R. Lewis, and Anand E. Sokhey | Perspectives on Politics | October 14, 2025
Investigates when Christian nationalism operates as a racialized form of group protection and how racial context changes political responses.
164. White or Woke Christian Nationalists? How Race Moderates the Link Between Christian Nationalism and Progressive Identities | Samuel L. Perry, Allyson F. Shortle, Eric L. McDaniel, and Joshua B. Grubbs | Public Opinion Quarterly | May 13, 2025
Examines how relationships between Christian nationalism and political identities differ among racial groups, cautioning against treating Christian nationalists as demographically uniform.
165. How Christian nationalism co-opts Black Americans for republicans: the case of abortion in the 2024 presidential election | Samuel L. Perry and Darci K. Schmidgall | Ethnic and Racial Studies | April 3, 2025
Examines how Christian nationalist attitudes interacted with abortion opinions and partisan preferences among Black Americans during the 2024 election.
166. Jesus and John Wayne Wannabes: How Christian Nationalism and Femininity Shape Extreme Politics Among Men in the US | Paul A. Djupe | Sociology of Religion | March 8, 2025
Examines interactions among Christian nationalist beliefs, attitudes toward masculinity and femininity, and political behavior among American men.
167. The religion of White identity politics: Christian nationalism and White racial solidarity | Samuel L. Perry and Joshua B. Grubbs | Social Forces | February 23, 2025
Examines whether Christian nationalism is associated with stronger perceptions of shared political interests and solidarity among White Americans.
168. Christian Nationalism is Unbounded by LGB Identity | Brooklyn Walker and Paul A. Djupe | Political Research Quarterly | February 14, 2025
Investigates whether lesbian, gay, and bisexual identity substantially changes the relationship between Christian nationalism and political attitudes.
169. Colorblind Cops in Christian America: Christian Nationalism, Race, Politics, and Beliefs About Racist Policing | Christopher H. Seto, Darci K. Schmidgall, and Samuel L. Perry | The Sociological Quarterly | December 9, 2024
Examines how Christian nationalism, racial identity, and partisan identity relate to beliefs about racial inequality in policing.
170. Religion and Democratic Ideals: Reproductive Healthcare Access and White Nationalism | Harvard Divinity School Religion and Public Life | Harvard Divinity School | November 14, 2024
Explores intersections among religion, reproductive politics, White nationalism, race, gender, and Christian nationalism.
171. Not all Christian nationalists are White (and not all White Christians are Christian nationalists): exploring the predictors of Christian nationalism | Sean F. Everton | Frontiers in Social Psychology | November 6, 2024
Uses survey data to investigate demographic, religious, political, and social predictors of Christian nationalism while emphasizing racial diversity among adherents.
172. Intersecting identities, diverging visions: Christian nationalism, race, gender, and prioritizing equality or liberty | Samuel L. Perry, Jessica R. Veal, Landon Schnabel, and Joshua B. Grubbs | Ethnic and Racial Studies | August 2, 2024
Examines how race and gender moderate associations between Christian nationalism and preferences for prioritizing liberty or equality.
173. Christian Nationalism and the Borders of Political Community | Brad Onishi, Yonat Shimron, and Jerome Copulsky | Georgetown University Berkley Center | March 16, 2023
Explores how Christian nationalism shapes ideas about national belonging, immigration, migrants, refugees, citizenship, and the boundaries of the American political community.
174. Are Christian nationalists antisemitic and why? | Jacob Dennen | Social Science Quarterly | February 22, 2023
Uses survey and experimental evidence to investigate relationships between Christian nationalism and antisemitic attitudes.
175. How Do We Confront White Christian Nationalism? | Liz Theoharis | The Nation | January 19, 2022
Theoharis argues for a religious and social-justice response to White Christian nationalism and connects the movement to broader struggles over race, poverty, and democracy.
176. Divided by Faith (in Christian America): Christian Nationalism, Race, and Divergent Perceptions of Racial Injustice | Samuel L. Perry and Andrew L. Whitehead | Social Forces | November 11, 2021
Examines how Christian nationalist beliefs are associated with perceptions of racial discrimination and racial inequality among White and Black Americans.
177. Protecting America’s borders: Christian nationalism, threat, and attitudes toward immigrants in the United States | Rosemary Al-Kire, Michael Pasek, Jo-Ann Tsang, Joseph Leman, and Wade Rowatt | Group Processes & Intergroup Relations | January 18, 2021
Studies relationships among Christian nationalism, perceptions of cultural threat, and attitudes toward immigrants and immigration policy.
178. Christian nationalism and white racial boundaries: examining whites' opposition to interracial marriage | Samuel L. Perry and Andrew L. Whitehead | Ethnic and Racial Studies | March 6, 2015
Studies whether Christian nationalist beliefs are associated with opposition to interracial marriage among White Americans.
Education, Economy, Health, Environment & Other Public Policy
179. Green Christian Nationalists? How Issue Framing Moderates the Link Between Christian Nationalism and Environmental Protection | Samuel L. Perry and Laura Upenieks | The Sociological Quarterly | June 17, 2026
Investigates whether different ways of framing environmental protection can alter the relationship between Christian nationalism and environmental attitudes.
180. The Gospel of Meritocracy: Christian Nationalism, Economic Position, and Americans’ Beliefs About Getting Ahead in Life | Samuel L. Perry and Laura Upenieks | Sociology of Race and Ethnicity / SAGE Journals | June 16, 2026
Studies relationships among Christian nationalism, economic position, and beliefs about meritocracy, asking how religious-national identity influences explanations for economic success and inequality.
181. What Would Jesus Fund? Christian Nationalism and Americans’ Views on Government Spending | Ibrahim Enes Atac, Lena Kunjan, Forrest Lovette, and Samuel L. Perry | Socius / SAGE Journals | May 28, 2026
Examines whether Christian nationalist beliefs are associated with Americans’ preferences concerning government spending and the allocation of public resources.
182. Opiate or In-Group Amphetamine? Religion, Economic Position, and the Bible's Teaching on Charity | Samuel L. Perry | Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion | May 13, 2026
Studies how income, religious participation, and Christian nationalism are associated with differing interpretations of biblical teachings about poverty and charity.
183. Culture wars and classism: Christian nationalism, economic position, and Americans’ approval of inequality | Samuel L. Perry and Andrew L. Whitehead | Social Forces | April 24, 2026
Uses survey evidence to examine relationships among Christian nationalism, economic status, and approval of economic inequality, including differences across income groups.
184. The Right Kind of Children: Christian Nationalism, Religiosity, and Support for Selective Versus General Pronatalism | Samuel L. Perry | Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion | March 14, 2026
Investigates whether Christian nationalist attitudes are related to support for increasing birth rates generally or selectively among preferred social groups.
185. Christianity of Capital? Christian Nationalism, Socioeconomic Status, and Divergent Views on Organized Labor | Samuel L. Perry | Sociology of Religion | January 10, 2026
Examines how Christian nationalism and socioeconomic position relate to opinions about labor unions and organized labor.
186. Would a Christian Nation Have Universal Healthcare? Evidence from the General Social Survey | Atsuko Kawakami | Sociological Inquiry | November 14, 2025
Uses General Social Survey data to examine relationships between Christian nationalism and attitudes toward universal health-care provision.
187. The Gathering Storm in the Evangelical Field: Education, Christian Nationalism, and Racial Inequality | David Sikkink | Sociology of Religion | November 3, 2025
Examines relationships among education, evangelical religious identity, Christian nationalism, and racial attitudes.
188. Let’s expel Christian Nationalism from America’s public schools | Rob Boston | Americans United for Separation of Church and State | August 18, 2025
Argues against Christian nationalist influence in public education and discusses church-state controversies involving curriculum, Bible instruction, prayer, and religious displays.
189. A neglected crisis: understanding Christian nationalism’s effects on American education | Brock Lewis | Discover Education | May 7, 2025
Reviews ways Christian nationalism may affect schools, educational policy, curriculum disputes, and perceptions of the role of public education in American society.
190. Not paying unto Caesar: Christian nationalism, politics, race, and opposition to taxation | Samuel L. Perry and Ruth Braunstein | Social Forces | April 7, 2025
Studies associations among Christian nationalism, race, political identity, and opposition to taxation.
191. Christian Nationalism and Educational Policy in the United States | Kevin J. Burke and Heidi Hadley | National Education Policy Center | 2025
Examines Christian nationalism in debates over public education, curriculum, school governance, religious expression, parental authority, and educational policy.
192. Project 2025 and education: A lot of bad ideas, some more actionable than others | Rachel M. Perera, Jon Valant, and Katharine Meyer | Brookings Institution | August 12, 2024
Examines Project 2025's education proposals and argues that parts of its educational agenda are better understood through a White Christian nationalist framework.
193. Christian nationalism, religious struggles, and the structural amplification of emotional distress | Laura Upenieks | Social Science Quarterly | December 7, 2023
Investigates associations among Christian nationalist beliefs, religious or spiritual struggles, anger, and psychological distress.
194. White Christian Nationalism: What Is It, and Why Does It Matter for Educational Research? | Kevin J. Burke, Mary Juzwik, and Esther Prins | Educational Researcher | March 20, 2023
Introduces White Christian nationalism as a framework for education researchers studying curriculum, schools, race, citizenship, and political conflict.
195. Fill the Earth and Subdue It: Christian Nationalism, Ethno-Religious Threat, and Nationalist Pronatalism | Samuel L. Perry, Elizabeth E. McElroy, Landon Schnabel, and Joshua B. Grubbs | Sociological Forum | September 7, 2022
Examines relationships among Christian nationalism, perceived demographic threat, gender attitudes, and support for increasing the nation's birth rate.
196. How Culture Wars Delay Herd Immunity: Christian Nationalism and Anti-vaccine Attitudes | Andrew L. Whitehead and Samuel L. Perry | Socius | 2020
Examines the association between Christian nationalism and attitudes toward vaccines, illustrating how the ideology can intersect with public-health and culture-war issues.
International & Comparative Perspectives
197. Japanese Evangelicalism Was Once Nationalistic | Kazusa Okaya | Christianity Today | May 8, 2025
Uses Japanese Christian history as a comparative case for considering relationships among evangelical faith, nationalism, militarism, and political authority.
198. Christian Nationalism in Global Perspective | Nilay Saiya and David Hempton | Harvard Divinity School | February 27, 2025
Places American Christian nationalism in comparative perspective by considering religious nationalism in other countries and political systems.
199. Comparing Levels of Religious Nationalism Around the World | Laura Silver et al. | Pew Research Center | January 28, 2025
Places U.S. religious nationalism in international perspective by comparing attitudes about national identity and dominant religion across numerous countries.
200. Christian Feminists from Abroad Confront US Sexual Politics | Kelsey Hanson Woodruff | Harvard University Weatherhead Center | November 20, 2024
Discusses international Christian feminist responses to American evangelical politics, gender hierarchy, and Christian nationalist currents.
