Christian Nationalism and Conservative Media
Christian Nationalism and Conservative Media
Christian nationalism has become a recurring subject within American conservative media, Christian publications, political commentary, podcasts, television programming, social media, and academic research. The term itself remains disputed. Some writers and commentators explicitly embrace Christian nationalism, others defend ideas associated with it while rejecting the label, and still others— including politically or theologically conservative Christians—argue that Christian nationalism conflicts with religious liberty, constitutional government, Christian theology, or traditional conservative principles.
The media environment surrounding Christian nationalism is therefore not a single ideological bloc. It includes competing interpretations of Christianity, nationalism, patriotism, religious liberty, church-state relations, American history, constitutional government, cultural identity, and political power. Conservative media can serve simultaneously as a forum for promoting Christian-nationalist ideas, criticizing accusations of Christian nationalism, debating the meaning of the term, and challenging explicitly nationalist movements from within Christianity itself.
Defining Christian Nationalism in Conservative Media
A central feature of conservative-media discussion is disagreement over what the term Christian nationalism means.
Some conservative writers describe Christian nationalism positively, presenting Christianity as an important historical and moral foundation for American national identity. Writers in publications such as First Things, American Reformer, and The American Mind have debated whether public institutions should more explicitly recognize Christianity, whether America historically constitutes a Christian nation, and whether Christian political influence is necessary to maintain a coherent moral order.
Other conservative commentators argue that the term is frequently applied too broadly. In this interpretation, journalists and political opponents may label conventional beliefs about religious liberty, natural rights, abortion, family, patriotism, or America's Christian heritage as Christian nationalism even when those holding the beliefs do not advocate an established church or Christian control of government.
A third group accepts that explicitly Christian-nationalist movements exist while arguing that they should be distinguished from ordinary conservative Christian political participation. This distinction appears repeatedly in evangelical publications, political commentary, academic research, and public-opinion studies.
Consequently, much of the media debate concerns not only whether Christian nationalism is desirable but also what political beliefs should qualify as Christian nationalist in the first place.
Conservative Christian Media and Internal Debate
Christian publications provide some of the most extensive internal debates over Christian nationalism.
Christianity Today, First Things, The Gospel Coalition, The Christian Post, American Reformer, and related outlets include arguments both supporting and opposing various forms of Christian nationalism. These disputes often concern theology as much as politics.
Supporters or partial defenders emphasize themes such as America's Christian inheritance, public morality, social cohesion, natural law, the importance of Christianity to Western civilization, and resistance to secularization.
Critics within conservative Christianity raise different concerns. They question whether Christianity should be identified with a particular nation, whether government should privilege Christianity, whether political power can substitute for Christian witness, and whether nationalist political movements risk subordinating Christianity to partisan or national objectives.
These disagreements demonstrate that opposition to Christian nationalism does not fall neatly along a liberal-conservative divide. Some strongly conservative Christians reject the ideology while continuing to support conservative positions on abortion, religious liberty, family policy, education, and other political issues.
Denominational debates have also brought the issue into formal church discussions. Presbyterian, Baptist, Reformed, evangelical, and other Christian communities have debated the theological meaning of nationalism, establishment, Christendom, religious liberty, and the relationship between church and state.
Television, Radio, and Conservative Commentary
Television and radio remain important parts of the Christian-nationalism media environment.
Fox News, Newsmax, One America News Network, Salem Media, Christian Broadcasting Network, and conservative talk-radio programs have all featured debates related to Christian nationalism. Their approaches vary considerably.
Some commentators argue that accusations of Christian nationalism are attempts to stigmatize socially conservative Christians. Coverage frequently focuses on disputes over whether belief in God-given rights, public prayer, Christian influence in government, opposition to abortion, or support for traditional morality should properly be considered nationalist.
Other programs have featured commentators who explicitly identify favorably with Christian nationalism or who argue that America's institutions should recognize the country's Christian heritage.
Media watchdog organizations have documented statements from television, radio, and podcast personalities who endorse Christian-nationalist terminology or related political objectives. Those organizations generally interpret such statements more critically than the conservative outlets themselves.
These competing portrayals illustrate how the same statement or political proposal may be presented as traditional religious conservatism by one source and as evidence of Christian nationalism by another.
Podcasts, Influencers, and Alternative Media
The growth of podcasts, streaming programs, online video, and social media has expanded the number of channels through which Christian-nationalist ideas can circulate.
Political and religious personalities can now communicate directly with large audiences without relying on traditional newspapers or television networks. Podcasts and online programs associated with figures such as Charlie Kirk, Eric Metaxas, Russell Vought, Doug Wilson, and other conservative Christian personalities have become important forums for discussing nationalism, Christianity, religious liberty, American identity, and political strategy.
Some sources in the collection describe Christian nationalism not merely as an ideology communicated through media but as a political movement partly constituted by its media networks. Podcasts, publishing companies, churches, conferences, schools, livestreams, radio programs, and social-media accounts can form interconnected information environments.
These networks allow theological arguments, political messages, historical interpretations, and campaign-related narratives to move quickly between religious and political audiences.
Turning Point USA and Youth-Oriented Media
Turning Point USA illustrates the increasingly close relationship between conservative political media and religious organizing.
Originally known primarily as a conservative campus organization, the group expanded into churches, pastors' networks, faith-oriented conferences, Christian colleges, online media, and religious political activism.
Coverage in the collected material describes how Turning Point programs combine electoral politics, conservative cultural issues, Christian rhetoric, social-media communication, and youth mobilization.
The organization's involvement in Christian colleges and churches also demonstrates how political media increasingly operates outside conventional news outlets. Conferences, livestreams, campus events, podcasts, short-form videos, church gatherings, and influencer networks can all function as political communication channels.
Doug Wilson and the Christian Nationalist Media Ecosystem
Pastor Doug Wilson appears repeatedly in coverage of contemporary Christian nationalism.
Wilson developed a substantial network of churches, schools, publishing operations, podcasts, online programs, conferences, and other institutions centered in Moscow, Idaho. National interviews and appearances with conservative commentators expanded his audience beyond his local religious community.
Coverage by religion journalists and other media organizations examines how interviews with figures such as Tucker Carlson, Charlie Kirk, Ross Douthat, and other public commentators brought Wilson's views on Christian political order, nationalism, and theocracy to wider audiences.
Wilson's prominence demonstrates how publishing, podcasting, church networks, educational institutions, social media, and national political commentary can combine to move previously specialized theological arguments into broader political debate.
Charlie Kirk and Christian Political Media
Charlie Kirk and Turning Point USA are another recurring focus of the collected material.
Kirk increasingly incorporated Christian themes into conservative political messaging, while Turning Point developed programs directed toward pastors, churches, Christian colleges, and religious voters.
Supporters frequently frame these activities as a defense of Christianity, religious liberty, patriotism, and traditional American values. Critics describe portions of the movement as Christian nationalist, particularly when religious identity and national political identity are presented as closely interconnected.
The disagreement reflects a broader dispute over where ordinary Christian political activism ends and Christian nationalism begins.
Eric Metaxas, Salem Media, and Religious Broadcasting
Religious broadcasting represents another major component of conservative Christian political communication.
Salem Media and personalities such as Eric Metaxas have provided platforms combining theological discussion, political commentary, cultural criticism, interviews, and activism.
Coverage of these networks emphasizes the role of radio and podcasting in connecting religious audiences with broader conservative political movements. Programs frequently discuss elections, religious liberty, cultural change, education, abortion, sexuality, American history, and claims of anti-Christian discrimination.
Critics contend that these narratives can reinforce Christian-nationalist ideas. Supporters generally describe the same programming as Christian engagement with politics and culture.
Social Media and Parallel Information Networks
Social media has reduced the distinction between political organizations, religious communities, journalists, influencers, activists, and ordinary users.
Platforms and alternative networks allow communities to construct information environments in which political and theological ideas are repeatedly shared among audiences with similar beliefs.
The collected material discusses platforms such as Gab as well as Instagram, livestreaming services, podcasts, online video, and other digital networks.
Academic studies examine how imagery, masculinity, historical narratives, religious identity, grievance, perceived persecution, and political messaging can interact within these environments.
Rather than functioning simply as distribution channels, digital networks can help create communities organized around shared interpretations of Christianity, national identity, political conflict, and cultural change.
Christian Victimhood and Persecution Narratives
A recurring theme in research on conservative Christian media is the perception that Christianity is losing cultural influence or facing hostility from powerful institutions.
Media narratives may focus on conflicts involving religious liberty, education, abortion, sexuality, government regulation, public prayer, censorship, or alleged discrimination against Christians.
Supporters generally interpret these stories as evidence that Christians need stronger political representation and institutional protection.
Critics argue that narratives of persecution can sometimes transform declining cultural dominance into a perception of systematic oppression and can strengthen nationalist political identities.
Academic research included in the material examines how Christian dominance and Christian victimhood can coexist within the political narratives of some communities.
Patriotism, Nationalism, and American Identity
One of the most persistent disputes concerns the distinction between patriotism and nationalism.
Many conservative Christian writers argue that love of country, respect for American history, recognition of Christianity's historical influence, and participation in politics do not themselves constitute Christian nationalism.
Critics respond that patriotism becomes Christian nationalism when Christianity is treated as an essential qualification for full national belonging or when government is expected to privilege Christianity over other religions.
Disagreements over patriotic worship services, flags in churches, references to America's Christian founding, biblical imagery in politics, and public prayer illustrate the difficulty of establishing a universally accepted boundary.
Several conservative Christian sources explicitly attempt to distinguish Christian patriotism from nationalism, while other writers argue that nationalism itself can be compatible with Christianity.
The Christian Nation Historical Debate
Historical claims occupy a central place in conservative-media arguments.
One major question is whether the United States was founded as a Christian nation. Conservative commentators frequently point to the religious beliefs of early Americans, references to God and natural rights, state religious practices, Protestant cultural influence, and the widespread role of Christianity in colonial and early national life.
Other historians and commentators emphasize constitutional prohibitions on religious tests, the First Amendment, religious pluralism, Enlightenment influences, and disagreements among the founders.
The resulting debate often involves two different questions: whether Christianity strongly influenced American society and whether the government itself was intended to be institutionally Christian.
Media discussions frequently blur or contest the distinction between those questions.
Natural Rights and the Media Controversy
The relationship between natural rights and Christian nationalism became particularly visible in media controversies over the proposition that fundamental rights come from God rather than government.
Conservative commentators argued that the idea of God-given rights is explicitly reflected in the Declaration of Independence and belongs to mainstream American political thought.
Critics of Christian nationalism have generally focused instead on political movements that seek distinctive governmental recognition or privilege for Christianity.
The controversy illustrates how different definitions of Christian nationalism can produce radically different interpretations of the same language.
News Coverage and Disputes Over Labeling
A substantial portion of conservative-media coverage concentrates on the media's use of the term itself.
Fox News, Breitbart, Newsmax, the Washington Examiner, The Federalist, The American Conservative, Christian broadcasters, and other outlets have published arguments that journalists sometimes use Christian nationalism as an overly expansive or politically loaded category.
Examples include disputes over media descriptions of politicians, conservative Christians, public prayer, natural-rights arguments, school-board activism, abortion opponents, and advocates of traditional religious values.
Other journalists and scholars respond that explicitly Christian-nationalist organizations and intellectual movements do exist and that refusing to identify them can obscure significant political developments.
The resulting debate is partly substantive and partly linguistic: participants disagree simultaneously about political goals and about the terminology used to describe those goals.
Mainstream Journalism and Investigative Coverage
Mainstream and religion-focused journalism approaches the subject differently from much conservative commentary.
Associated Press, Religion News Service, The Washington Post, PBS, The New Yorker, and other outlets represented in the material examine Christian nationalism through reporting on churches, political organizations, media personalities, government officials, conferences, religious movements, and historical debates.
Some coverage investigates networks linking pastors, donors, political activists, broadcasters, think tanks, educational institutions, publishers, and elected officials.
Other reporting emphasizes competing definitions and includes conservative Christians who object to being classified as Christian nationalists.
Documentaries and television programs have further expanded the public discussion, while generating criticism from conservatives who argue that some productions fail to distinguish Christian nationalism from ordinary Christian political participation.
Media Watchdogs and Advocacy Organizations
Media watchdog organizations form another major source category.
Media Matters for America and similar organizations document statements made by conservative television hosts, radio personalities, podcasters, activists, and political organizations. Their reporting frequently focuses on explicit endorsements of Christian nationalism, church-based political organizing, Project 2025, religious-liberty policy, Turning Point USA, Salem Media, and conservative broadcasting.
Because these organizations approach the subject from an advocacy perspective, their framing often differs substantially from that of the conservative media figures they monitor.
The collected material therefore provides examples both of conservative-media messages themselves and of organizations interpreting those messages critically.
Academic Research on Christian Nationalism and Media
Academic research increasingly treats media as an important component of Christian-nationalist political identity.
Studies examine television preferences, social-media networks, conservative films, church information environments, historical narratives, partisan identity, race, public policy, and religious movements.
One line of scholarship conceptualizes Christian nationalism as a media phenomenon in which communication systems are part of the movement's organizational structure rather than merely instruments for spreading an independently existing ideology.
Other studies investigate how conservative campus organizations, digital influencers, Instagram communities, church networks, films, and political media can transmit ideas involving national identity, religious authority, masculinity, racial identity, cultural grievance, and perceived Christian marginalization.
The research also cautions against assuming that Christian nationalism represents a socially or politically uniform population.
Public Opinion and News Consumption
Public-opinion research provides another perspective on the relationship between media and Christian nationalism.
PRRI surveys included in the collected material report substantial differences in Christian-nationalism measurements according to respondents' preferred television news sources. Respondents identifying Fox News, Newsmax, or One America News Network as their most trusted television news sources have shown higher levels of Christian-nationalist attitudes than many other news audiences.
Such findings establish an association rather than, by themselves, demonstrating that consuming a particular network causes Christian-nationalist beliefs. Political ideology, religious identity, demographic characteristics, and prior beliefs may influence both media preferences and political attitudes.
Survey research also indicates that political conservatism and Christian nationalism should not automatically be treated as interchangeable categories. Some highly conservative religious Americans reject Christian-nationalist ideas even while holding conventional conservative political positions.
Conservative Opposition to Christian Nationalism
The source collection contains significant opposition to Christian nationalism from writers who themselves identify with conservative or orthodox forms of Christianity.
Their criticisms take several forms.
Some argue that nationalism can distort Christianity by making national identity more important than the universal nature of the church.
Others defend constitutional religious liberty and oppose government establishment or preferential treatment of Christianity.
Some conservative evangelical writers reject particular Christian-nationalist theories as historically inaccurate, politically impractical, authoritarian, ethnically exclusionary, or theologically deficient.
Others object primarily to specific personalities or factions while remaining sympathetic to stronger Christian influence in public life.
These disagreements complicate portrayals of Christian nationalism as synonymous with either Christianity or political conservatism.
Conservative Defenses of Christian Nationalism
At the same time, some conservative intellectuals and commentators explicitly defend Christian nationalism.
Their arguments commonly emphasize the historical influence of Christianity on American institutions, the impossibility of a religiously or morally neutral political order, the importance of Christianity to national solidarity, and the perceived failures of secular liberalism.
Some advocates argue that Christianity can provide moral limits on nationalism rather than intensifying it.
Others favor forms of Christian political order that would give Christianity greater cultural or institutional recognition while disagreeing among themselves about establishment, religious pluralism, political authority, ethnicity, and constitutional structure.
The existence of explicit defenders is significant because it complicates claims that Christian nationalism is exclusively an external label imposed by critics.
Religious Liberty and Church-State Relations
Much of the debate ultimately concerns the proper relationship between Christianity and government.
Questions include whether government may encourage Christianity, whether public institutions should acknowledge a Christian heritage, whether laws should reflect specifically Christian moral teaching, whether public officials should promote prayer, and whether Christian institutions deserve special protection or recognition.
Supporters of stronger Christian influence often argue that secular government is not genuinely neutral and that every political system rests on moral assumptions.
Opponents emphasize religious liberty, pluralism, institutional separation, and the risks of granting government authority to define or enforce religious orthodoxy.
These questions are debated not only between secular and religious commentators but also within conservative Christianity itself.
The Boundaries Between Media, Religion, and Political Organization
The collected sources demonstrate increasingly porous boundaries between journalism, political activism, religious ministry, entertainment, and political organization.
A pastor may simultaneously operate a podcast, publishing house, school, church network, and political conference. A political organization may operate media channels, organize pastors, hold worship events, and recruit college students. A broadcaster may function as commentator, activist, fundraiser, and movement organizer.
This convergence helps explain why media is central to contemporary Christian-nationalism research.
Media institutions do more than report political developments. They can create communities, identify allies and opponents, frame events, circulate historical narratives, coordinate activism, promote political personalities, and provide theological justification for political goals.
A Fragmented Conservative Media Environment
The material does not support treating conservative media as having one position on Christian nationalism.
At least several distinct responses are visible:
- explicit advocacy of Christian nationalism;
- qualified support for stronger Christian influence while disputing the label;
- rejection of the term as a politically motivated characterization of ordinary conservatism;
- conservative theological criticism of Christian nationalism;
- constitutional or religious-liberty objections;
- journalistic efforts to distinguish Christian nationalism from broader evangelical politics; and
- academic attempts to define and measure the phenomenon independently of partisan rhetoric.
The disagreements are substantial and concern political theory, theology, history, constitutional interpretation, religious liberty, national identity, and the meaning of Christianity's role in American public life.
Conclusion
The relationship between Christian nationalism and conservative media is best understood as an interconnected and internally contested media environment.
Television networks, radio programs, podcasts, Christian publications, political organizations, churches, publishing houses, alternative social platforms, documentaries, academic journals, and social-media influencers all participate in defining and debating the subject.
Some conservative voices explicitly advocate Christian nationalism. Others defend America's Christian heritage or greater Christian influence in public life while rejecting the nationalist label. Still others oppose Christian nationalism from conservative theological, constitutional, or religious-liberty perspectives.
At the same time, journalists, scholars, watchdog organizations, and public-opinion researchers examine how media networks influence the visibility, organization, interpretation, and spread of Christian-nationalist ideas.
The central dispute therefore extends beyond whether Christian nationalism should be supported or opposed. It includes deeper disagreements over what the term means, how broadly it should be applied, the difference between Christianity and nationalism, the distinction between patriotism and religious establishment, and the appropriate relationship among religion, media, political identity, and government in the United States.
Christian and Evangelical Media — Internal Debate and Commentary
1. | Mikale Olson | The Christian Post | September 3, 2026
Uses Roger Williams and colonial religious history to make a conservative Christian argument against government establishment of Christianity.
2. | Megan Fowler | Christianity Today | July 30, 2026
Reports on Protestant denominations studying and debating Christian nationalism, illustrating how evangelical media increasingly treats the subject as an internal Christian dispute rather than solely an external political accusation.
3. | Kevin Humphreys | American Reformer | June 19, 2026
Argues that Protestant Christian nationalism requires theological restraints on political power and examines concerns raised by critics of the movement.
4. | Robert Hasler | American Reformer | June 15, 2026
Critiques the Presbyterian Church in America's preliminary study of Christian nationalism and argues that important theological and political questions remain unresolved.
5. | Kazusa Okaya | Christianity Today | June 2026
Uses Japanese Christian history to explore how Christian political identity can interact with nationalism without equating Christianity with state power.
6. | Brandon Showalter | The Christian Post | May 23, 2026
A conservative Christian journalist explains why competing definitions of Christian nationalism have produced confusion within evangelical churches and media.
7. | Jack Panyard | Christianity Today | May 14, 2026
Reports Pew findings showing that public familiarity with the term Christian nationalism has increased substantially as debates about religion and government receive more media attention.
8. | Chris Butler | Christianity Today | May 5, 2026
Warns against labeling every conservative Christian concern Christian nationalism and calls for more precise distinctions between religious political participation and religious establishment.
9. | Various Authors | First Things | May 2026
Letters debate R. R. Reno's affirmative case for Christian nationalism, revealing disagreements even among readers of a traditionalist conservative Christian publication.
10. | R. R. Reno | First Things | March 5, 2026
Reno presents an explicit affirmative case for Christian nationalism, arguing that Christianity can restrain the excesses of nationalism while providing moral foundations for national solidarity. The essay is especially useful for examining how intellectual conservative religious media has moved from debating the term to openly defending it.
11. | George Yancey | Christianity Today | January 22, 2026
Yancey argues that scholars and journalists often misinterpret conservative Christian political behavior by labeling it Christian nationalism. He proposes conservative identity politics as a more accurate explanatory framework.
12. | Christianity Today Editors | Christianity Today / The Bulletin | 2026
Discusses changing understandings of patriotism and nationalism and how historical narratives are constructed in contemporary political media.
13. | Russell Moore | Christianity Today / The Russell Moore Show | 2026
Discusses American patriotic symbolism in churches and the boundary between ordinary patriotism and sacralizing the nation.
14. | Russell Moore | Christianity Today / The Russell Moore Show | 2026
Uses Wendell Berry's writings to distinguish local attachment, community, and patriotism from political nationalism.
15. | Russell Moore | Christianity Today / The Russell Moore Show | 2026
Addresses listeners navigating Christian-nationalist beliefs inside congregations and provides insight into how political-media narratives enter local churches.
16. | Russell Moore | Christianity Today / The Russell Moore Show | 2026
Examines rhetoric used by Christian-nationalist advocates and questions attempts to simultaneously minimize and defend state promotion of Christianity.
17. | Michael Lynch | American Reformer | December 11, 2025
Responds to questions posed by conservative theologian Kevin DeYoung and illustrates internal Reformed debates about Christian nationalism.
18. | Neil Shenvi | The Christian Post | December 8, 2025
Examines explicitly Christian-nationalist online personalities and argues that racist and antisemitic statements associated with parts of the movement have damaged its credibility among conservative Christians.
19. | Jon Brown | The Christian Post | September 9, 2025
Reports the White House response to claims that a federal initiative encouraging prayer represented Christian nationalism.
20. | Ian M. Giatti | The Christian Post | September 4, 2025
Reports a lengthy media debate between Lutheran theologians over Christian nationalism, Christendom, religious establishment, and the proper role of government.
21. | Michael Gryboski | The Christian Post | June 27, 2025
Reports the conservative Presbyterian Church in America's decision to establish a committee examining Christian nationalism and related theological teachings.
22. | Clarissa Moll | Christianity Today | April 17, 2025
Reflects on encountering a pastor associated with a Christian-nationalist clergy network and considers how Christians should respond to political and theological disagreement within churches.
23. | Ian M. Giatti | The Christian Post | April 3, 2025
Reports a progressive Christian group's claim that conservative education-policy changes reflected Christian nationalism, while also presenting the administration's rationale.
24. | Mikale Olson | The Christian Post | March 30, 2025
Distinguishes ordinary conservative Christian political engagement from explicitly authoritarian versions of Christian nationalism advocating stronger church-state integration.
25. | Daniel N. Gullotta | Christianity Today | February 20, 2025
Reviews scholarship on competing religious nationalisms during the Civil War, providing historical context for modern Christian-nationalism debates.
26. | Samantha Kamman | The Christian Post | February 8, 2025
Presents evangelical support and progressive criticism of the Trump administration's task force addressing alleged anti-Christian discrimination.
27. | Author | American Reformer | 2025
Discusses Presbyterian Church in America proposals to formally study Christian nationalism and explains why some conservatives opposed creating a denominational committee.
28. | Christianity Today Editors | Christianity Today | December 2024
Includes evangelical assessments of books dealing with Christian nationalism, political polarization, and efforts to engage people drawn toward ideological extremes.
29. | Emily Belz | Christianity Today | November 2024
Examines Turning Point USA's expansion into evangelical colleges and the organization's attempt to mobilize young conservative Christians through campus politics and media.
30. | Daniel M. Darling | The Christian Post | October 30, 2024
Argues that reporting on figures such as Speaker Mike Johnson sometimes labels conventional evangelical beliefs Christian nationalism without adequately distinguishing among forms of Christian political thought.
31. | Ralph C. Wood | Christianity Today | September 25, 2024
Reviews Joel Looper's critique of Christian nationalism and addresses tensions between evangelical identity, American conservatism, and political power.
32. | Josh Hawley | First Things | September 4, 2024
Hawley explicitly embraces a form of Christian nationalism rooted in what he describes as America's Christian inheritance, family, labor, religion, and national solidarity.
33. | Russell Moore | Christianity Today | September 2024
Offers a theological critique of Christian nationalism and examines its appeal among politically conservative Christians.
34. | Dan Hitchens | First Things | August 27, 2024
Reviews the surge of books warning about Christian nationalism and argues that Christianity's contemporary influence may be more cultural and intellectual than directly political.
35. | Janet Mefferd | The Christian Post | May 11, 2024
Criticizes an emerging Christian-nationalist faction from within conservative evangelicalism and describes it as a right-wing mirror image of identity-oriented progressive politics.
36. | Kenneth L. Woodward | First Things | May 1, 2024
Questions prominent sociological and journalistic treatments of white Christian nationalism and argues that the concept is sometimes applied too broadly to traditional religious conservatism.
37. | Peter J. Leithart | First Things | April 12, 2024
Examines what constitutes a "nation" within Christian-nationalist political theory and questions simplistic definitions of nationalism used in contemporary debates.
38. | CBN News | Christian Broadcasting Network | March 19, 2024
Examines competing definitions of Christian nationalism and argues that media coverage can blur distinctions between political extremism and ordinary evangelical political participation.
39. | Harvest Prude | Christianity Today | March 15, 2024
Reports that many white evangelicals favor greater Christian influence in government while relatively few embrace the Christian-nationalist label itself.
40. | Brad East | Christianity Today | March 13, 2024
Examines how Christian nationalism has become both an imprecise political accusation and a self-described ideology within parts of conservative Christianity.
41. | Scott Waller, Darren Patrick Guerra and Tim Milosch | Christianity Today | March 4, 2024
Argues that poorly defined warnings about Christian nationalism can distract Christian leaders from substantive economic, cultural, and political concerns among conservative congregants.
42. | Kenny Cody | American Reformer | February 23, 2024
Describes Christian nationalism approvingly as a response to perceived cultural decline and argues that conservative political leaders should more directly promote Christian moral principles.
43. | John Fea | Christianity Today | February 16, 2024
Reviews the documentary "God & Country," agreeing with many concerns about political extremism while questioning whether its presentation will persuade conservative Christian audiences.
44. | R. R. Reno | First Things | 2024
Uses Pew polling to argue that public concern about Christian nationalism exceeds the degree to which ordinary Christians themselves use or discuss the term.
45. | Josh Daws | American Reformer | October 4, 2023
Provides an internal guide to disputes over Christian nationalism among conservative Reformed Christians and discusses the influence of news coverage and social media on the debate.
46. | Paul D. Miller | Christianity Today | September 13, 2023
Argues against both indiscriminately labeling ordinary conservative Christians Christian nationalists and dismissing genuinely illiberal versions of the ideology.
47. | Patrick Schreiner | The Gospel Coalition | April 27, 2023
Separates several different meanings of Christian nationalism and evaluates them from a conservative evangelical theological perspective.
48. | Paul D. Miller | Christianity Today | March 3, 2023
Argues that public discussion of Christian nationalism suffers from inconsistent definitions and warns that imprecise media usage can obscure genuine ideological differences.
49. | Author | American Reformer | March 2023
Defends the usefulness of Christian nationalism as a political category and argues that its meaning should not be defined exclusively by hostile journalists or academics.
50. | Author | American Reformer | January 2023
Critiques Paul Miller's liberal-conservative case against Christian nationalism and disputes his assumptions about political pluralism and the American constitutional tradition.
51. | Kevin DeYoung | The Gospel Coalition / Themelios | 2023
Offers an extensive conservative Reformed critique of Stephen Wolfe's "The Case for Christian Nationalism," addressing ethnicity, political authority, church-state relations, and revolutionary rhetoric.
52. | Paul D. Miller | Christianity Today | December 20, 2022
Compares Stephen Wolfe's defense of Christian nationalism with Miller's own critique, highlighting the intellectual division emerging within conservative Protestant political media.
53. | Daniel Silliman | Christianity Today | October 31, 2022
Explores how conservative evangelicals themselves disagree over the meaning of Christian nationalism and whether the term describes legitimate Christian political activity or a problematic fusion of religion and nation.
54. | Russell Moore | Christianity Today | September 29, 2022
Moore criticizes Christian nationalism theologically and warns evangelicals against confusing political control with the Christian gospel.
55. | Bonnie Kristian | Christianity Today | June 30, 2022
Reviews Paul Miller's book criticizing Christian nationalism while debating whether patriotic civil religion offers a workable conservative alternative.
56. | Bradford Littlejohn | American Reformer | August 4, 2021
Makes a theological argument for nationalism while distinguishing it from some forms of American Christian nationalism.
57. | Paul D. Miller | Christianity Today | February 3, 2021
An influential evangelical explainer distinguishing Christian nationalism from Christianity, patriotism, nationality, and ordinary conservative political participation.
58. | Thomas Kidd | The Gospel Coalition | December 18, 2020
Distinguishes Christian nationalism from Christian patriotism and observes that the nationalist label is often applied more frequently by critics than adopted by conservative Christians themselves.
Conservative Political Media and Commentary
59. | Fox News / Benny Johnson | Fox News | May 30, 2026
Conservative commentator Benny Johnson discusses rhetoric surrounding Christian nationalism and argues that criticism of the movement is sometimes directed broadly against Christianity and American religious heritage.
60. | Peter Smith / Associated Press | Breitbart | May 14, 2026
Covers the Rededicate 250 prayer gathering and competing interpretations of whether public Christian symbolism represents ordinary patriotism or Christian nationalism.
61. | Mike Sabo | The American Mind | October 1, 2025
Defends the religious and patriotic themes associated with Charlie Kirk's movement against critics who characterize them as white Christian nationalism.
62. | Stella Morabito | The Federalist | April 10, 2025
Argues that media descriptions of Christian nationalism sometimes confuse ideological extremism with ordinary patriotism, cultural attachment, and nostalgia for earlier American institutions.
63. | Frank DeVito | The American Conservative | 2025
Author archive containing DeVito's writings on religious liberty and allegations that conservative Christian political advocacy is increasingly being categorized as Christian nationalism.
64. | Michael Dorstewitz | Newsmax | December 30, 2024
Revisits media debate over Christian nationalism and contends that belief in God-given natural rights is part of mainstream American constitutional thought.
65. | Carson Holloway | The American Mind | November 26, 2024
Argues that public Christianity was an important component of early American political culture and disputes secular interpretations of the nation's founding.
66. | Olivia Rondeau | Breitbart | September 29, 2024
Uses controversy over a flight attendant saying "blessed" to argue that some progressive-media usage of Christian nationalism has become excessively broad.
67. | Lauren Green | Fox News Radio / Lighthouse Faith | August 18, 2024
Presents a debate between conservative Christian Alex McFarland and progressive pastor Doug Pagitt over whether Christian nationalism describes a real political movement or an overly broad political accusation.
68. | David P. Goldman | The American Mind | May 2, 2024
Explores the theological relationship between nationalism, Christianity, and biblical Israel from a conservative intellectual perspective.
69. | Richard Samuelson | The American Mind | April 18, 2024
Uses controversy over media definitions of Christian nationalism to examine Thomas Jefferson's statements about natural rights, God, and religious liberty.
70. | Thomas D. Williams | Breitbart | March 19, 2024
Discusses Pew polling on religion in public life while contrasting public attitudes with media warnings about Christian nationalism.
71. | Katherine Hamilton | Breitbart | March 18, 2024
Argues that increased media attention to Christian nationalism had not substantially changed public opinion of the term.
72. | Breccan F. Thies | Washington Examiner | March 17, 2024
Begins a Washington Examiner series arguing that Christian nationalism has often been used as an overly broad label for social conservatism and support for America's Judeo-Christian heritage.
73. | Alexander Hall | Fox News | March 17, 2024
Reports Catholic League criticism of Rob Reiner's documentary "God & Country" and argues that some warnings about Christian nationalism stigmatize ordinary Christians.
74. | James Hirsen | Newsmax | March 1, 2024
Argues that establishment media increasingly use "Christian nationalist" as a negative label for Christians who emphasize traditional morality and America's religious heritage.
75. | Katherine Hamilton | Breitbart | March 1, 2024
Covers Heidi Przybyla's clarification following criticism of comments about natural rights and Christian-nationalist activists.
76. | Katherine Hamilton | Breitbart | February 29, 2024
Reports conservative Christian organizations demanding an apology from Politico over comments they believed conflated traditional Christian beliefs with extremism.
77. | Mike Sabo | The American Mind | February 27, 2024
Responds to contemporary media criticism of Christian nationalism and argues that the movement reflects a broader desire among conservatives to restore Christianity's public influence.
78. | Michael Dorstewitz | Newsmax | February 26, 2024
Responds to the Przybyla controversy and argues that the Declaration of Independence explicitly grounds fundamental rights in a Creator rather than government.
79. | Thomas D. Williams | Breitbart | February 24, 2024
Reports criticism from a Catholic bishop who argued that media commentary on Christian nationalism mischaracterized traditional beliefs about rights coming from God.
80. | Joseph A. Wulfsohn | Fox News | February 23, 2024
Covers the controversy surrounding Politico reporter Heidi Przybyla's comments about Christian nationalism and the belief that fundamental rights come from God.
81. | Fox News Staff | Fox News | February 2024
Covers backlash against Politico reporter Heidi Przybyla after remarks about Christian nationalism, natural rights, and religious conservatives.
82. | Andrew Beck | The American Mind | January 17, 2024
Proposes "Christian civilizationism" as an alternative to Christian nationalism, arguing that Christian political goals may extend beyond individual nation-states.
83. | John Nolte | Breitbart | December 18, 2023
Challenges the categorization of a figure appearing in Rob Reiner's Christian-nationalism documentary and criticizes what the author sees as overly expansive use of the label.
84. | Timon Cline | The American Mind | December 8, 2023
Argues that Protestant Christianity historically shaped American political culture and presents Christian nationalism as an attempt to recover that inheritance.
85. | Glenn Moots | The American Mind | November 27, 2023
Treats Christian nationalism as a serious political-theological debate while criticizing both liberal opponents and some anonymous online proponents for oversimplifying the issue.
86. | Jeremy Carl | The American Mind | November 20, 2023
Argues that American institutions inevitably reflect substantive moral commitments and contends that Christian influence may be preferable to an aggressively secular alternative.
87. | James M. Patterson | The American Mind | November 9, 2023
Offers an internal conservative critique of Christian nationalism, arguing that political rhetoric and online theorizing are insufficient substitutes for workable electoral and institutional strategies.
88. | Micah Meadowcroft | The American Conservative | November 9, 2023
Argues that mainstream media use of the "Christian nationalist" label against Speaker Mike Johnson can encompass political beliefs widely held among ordinary conservative evangelicals.
89. | Alexander Hall | Fox News | November 3, 2023
Reports criticism of House Speaker Mike Johnson and broader media claims portraying MAGA politics and Christian nationalism as threats to American democracy.
90. | Stephen Wolfe | The American Mind | November 1, 2023
Wolfe explicitly claims the Christian-nationalist label and argues that Christians should pursue a stronger Christian character for American political and cultural institutions.
91. | Kruptos | The American Mind | October 26, 2023
Examines how advocates of Christian nationalism might operate within the modern administrative state and openly discusses using political institutions to encourage Christian cultural norms.
92. | Aaron Renn | The American Mind | October 26, 2023
Criticizes nationalism, including Christian nationalism, as inadequately rooted in the American political tradition and argues for religious renewal within distinctly American constitutional forms.
93. | Mike Sabo | The American Mind | October 26, 2023
Introduces The American Mind's extended symposium on Christian nationalism and argues that mainstream media portrayals often fail to accurately represent what self-described Christian nationalists believe.
94. | Darlene McCormick Sanchez | The Epoch Times | September 28, 2023
Presents conservative arguments that the term Christian nationalism is sometimes used rhetorically to associate ordinary religious conservatives with racism and extremism.
95. | James Lindsay | New Discourses | August 25, 2023
A conservative critic examines the self-described Christian-nationalist right, including Charles Haywood and postliberal political networks, and warns other conservatives about authoritarian tendencies.
96. | Lauren Green | Fox News | May 28, 2023
Features conservative radio host Kevin McCullough arguing that "Christian nationalism" is frequently deployed to marginalize Christians who hold socially conservative positions.
97. | Gillian Richards | The American Mind | May 4, 2023
Argues that "Christian nationalism" is frequently employed by progressive commentators as a stigmatizing label for conservative Christians active in public life.
98. | Emily Robertson | Fox News | March 22, 2023
Covers activists labeling conservative school-board members Christian nationalists and reflects broader media disputes over where ordinary social conservatism ends and nationalism begins.
99. | Cal Thomas | The Epoch Times | October 14, 2022
Places contemporary Christian nationalism within the longer history of American religious political activism, including the Moral Majority and Christian Coalition.
100. | Lindsay Kornick | Fox News | August 25, 2022
Covers MSNBC contributor Matthew Dowd's claim that white Christian nationalism had come to dominate Republican politics.
101. | Kristine Parks | Fox News | July 7, 2022
Reports on and critiques a New York Times essay portraying Christian nationalism as a threat to democratic institutions.
102. | Joe Silverstein | Fox News | June 1, 2022
Covers and challenges a television claim connecting violent Christian nationalism with mass shootings and conservative gun culture.
103. | Lindsay Kornick | Fox News | April 27, 2022
Reports and critiques Jennifer Rubin's argument that the Republican Party had become a vehicle for white Christian nationalism.
104. | Kristine Parks | Fox News | April 19, 2022
Reports Republican Vicky Hartzler's criticism of coverage she believed unfairly associated her evangelical faith and conservative politics with white Christian nationalism.
105. | Author | The American Conservative | 2022
Offers a conservative critique of Paul Miller's objections to Christian nationalism and argues that secular progressive cultural power poses a greater concern to many conservative Christians.
106. | Thomas D. Williams | Breitbart | April 5, 2021
Reports Catholic League president Bill Donohue's claim that Christian nationalism was being exaggerated or invented to discredit politically active Christians.
107. | Miles Smith | The American Conservative | March 8, 2021
Challenges post-January 6 media characterizations of conservative American religiosity as Christian nationalism and distinguishes evangelical folk religion from establishmentarian political theology.
108. | Thomas D. Williams | Breitbart | February 11, 2021
Covers arguments that the Christian-nationalist label was being used to stigmatize white conservative Christians after January 6.
109. | Eric Kaufmann | Washington Examiner | February 28, 2020
Reviews research by Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry and questions some assumptions about Americans categorized as Christian nationalists.
110. | Jonathan Frank | Washington Examiner | August 18, 2019
Argues that conservative Christians can oppose establishment of religion while still supporting a substantial religious presence in American public life.
111. | Thomas D. Williams | Breitbart | April 16, 2018
Reports early academic research linking Christian-nationalist attitudes to voting behavior in the 2016 presidential election.
Religion-Focused Journalism
112. | Ruth Braunstein and Melissa Deckman | Religion News Service | September 24, 2026
Uses survey evidence to show that political conservatism and Christian nationalism are not identical, highlighting conservative religious groups whose politics remain strongly right-leaning while rejecting Christian-nationalist ideas.
113. | Mark Silk | Religion News Service | September 11, 2026
Examines Southern Baptist leader and media personality Al Mohler's increasingly favorable treatment of Christian nationalism and the reaction within conservative Baptist circles.
114. | Brian Kaylor | Word&Way | August 24, 2026
Reports statements made during a Canon Press forum featuring several conservative Christian intellectuals debating Christian nationalism and American citizenship.
115. | Mark Wingfield | Baptist News Global | August 3, 2026
Discusses Ross Douthat's role in conservative intellectual media and controversy surrounding his decision to interview Christian-nationalist pastor Doug Wilson.
116. | Mark Wingfield | Baptist News Global | June 19, 2026
Covers Southern Baptist leader Al Mohler's podcast appearance with Doug Wilson and other conservative theologians to discuss a forthcoming book presenting competing views of Christian nationalism.
117. | Religion News Service | Religion News Service | May 19, 2026
Discusses Christian-nationalist rhetoric in contemporary government and media as part of a public conversation about religious freedom during America's 250th anniversary.
118. | Mark Silk | Religion News Service | April 13, 2026
Examines Viktor Orbán's influence on American religious conservatives and notes Tucker Carlson's role in presenting Hungary as a model of nationalist conservative governance.
119. | Tracy Simmons | Religion News Service / FāVS | March 24, 2026
Reports community reaction to CNN's documentary on Doug Wilson and describes the extensive church, school, publishing, podcasting, and streaming ecosystem surrounding Christ Church.
120. | Tracy Simmons | Religion News Service / FāVS | December 10, 2025
Traces Doug Wilson's growth from a regional pastor into a nationally visible figure aided by books, podcasts, schools, churches, and conservative-media appearances.
121. | Rodney Kennedy | Baptist News Global | November 3, 2025
Analyzes conservative columnist and podcaster Ross Douthat's interview with Doug Wilson and questions how mainstream platforms affect the visibility of Christian-nationalist ideas.
122. | Mariya Manzhos | Deseret News | August 16, 2025
Examines renewed public debate over Doug Wilson after a national television interview in which the conservative pastor openly discussed Christian nationalism and theocracy.
123. | Mark Wingfield | Baptist News Global | 2025
Examines a CNN interview with Doug Wilson and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's public promotion of the interview through social media.
124. | Tracy Simmons | Religion News Service / FāVS | December 20, 2024
Covers a public discussion featuring the "Extremely American" podcast's investigation of Doug Wilson's church and Canon Press media network.
125. | Asaf Elia-Shalev | Jewish Telegraphic Agency | November 5, 2024
Examines Christian-nationalist rhetoric in the Trump coalition and considers how conservative Christian political media presents the place of non-Christian religious minorities.
126. | Religion News Service | Religion News Service | November 1, 2024
Examines Turning Point USA's outreach to Christian campuses and how its media operation combines electoral politics, religious activism, and spiritual-warfare rhetoric.
127. | Ruth Braunstein | Religion News Service | August 16, 2024
Describes online networks that publicized links between Project 2025, conservative advocacy organizations, and Christian-nationalist political ideas.
128. | Jack Jenkins / Religion News Service | FāVS News | June 1, 2024
Republishes reporting on Doug Wilson's increasing prominence in conservative talk shows, podcasts, conferences, and other media venues discussing Christian nationalism.
129. | Jack Jenkins | Religion News Service | May 31, 2024
Examines conservative-media interest in Idaho pastor Doug Wilson, including interviews with Tucker Carlson and Charlie Kirk that introduced Wilson's conception of Christian nationalism to wider audiences.
130. | Bob Smietana | Religion News Service | May 30, 2024
Discusses the documentary "Bad Faith" and competing interpretations of the relationship among conservative politics, evangelical activism, media narratives, and Christian nationalism.
131. | Jack Jenkins | Word&Way / Religion News Service | February 22, 2024
Examines Russell Vought, Stephen Wolfe, conservative think tanks, and favorable conservative-media portrayals of Viktor Orbán in the development of contemporary Christian nationalism.
132. | Jack Jenkins | Religion News Service | February 21, 2024
Investigates the Center for Renewing America and Russell Vought's engagement with writers and activists who explicitly advocate Christian nationalism.
133. | Jesse Smith | Religion News Service | September 1, 2022
Examines distinctions between Christian nationalism and traditional conservative republican political thought while discussing the growing popularity of the term in news and social media.
General News, Investigations, Documentaries, and Cultural Coverage
134. | Eliza Griswold | The New Yorker | June 22, 2026
Examines young followers of Charlie Kirk and how social media, youth organizations, faith, patriotism, and conservative politics intersect in their conception of America.
135. | Matt Ford | The New Republic | June 3, 2026
Critiques the Trump administration's religious-nationalist rhetoric while distinguishing political branding from Christian theology and nationalism as formal political theory.
136. | Eliza Griswold | The New Yorker | June 2026
Traces the political and media infrastructure linking evangelical activism, historical narratives, Seven Mountains theology, Turning Point USA, and Charlie Kirk's conservative-media organization.
137. | Peter Smith / Associated Press | PBS NewsHour | May 14, 2026
Reports competing interpretations of the Rededicate 250 event, including organizers' emphasis on America's religious heritage and critics' concerns about government endorsement of Christianity.
138. | Peter Smith | Associated Press | May 2026
Covers the Rededicate 250 prayer gathering and the dispute over whether government participation represented ordinary public religion or promotion of Christian nationalism.
139. | Author | The New Yorker | April 2026
Examines online right-wing media personalities and the movement of formerly fringe Christian-nationalist and ethnonationalist ideas into wider conservative political discourse.
140. | Rachel Monroe | The New Yorker | March 15, 2026
Profiles a younger generation of Christian conservative activists and churches using livestreams, social media, political organizing, and explicitly religious messaging.
141. | Susan B. Glasser, Jane Mayer and Evan Osnos | The New Yorker | March 13, 2026
Podcast discussion of Pete Hegseth, conservative Christianity, Christian nationalism, military culture, and the political influence of religious-right media.
142. | RANGE Media | RANGE | January 9, 2026
Interviews scholar Joan Braune about Christian nationalism, political communication, conservative activism, and methods by which religious-nationalist ideas move through contemporary media ecosystems.
143. | Associated Press | Associated Press | 2026
Investigates how the traditional Christian phrase "Christ is King" became politically contested within conservative online media, including disputes over Christian nationalism and antisemitism.
144. | Associated Press | Associated Press | 2025
Examines Pete Hegseth's relationship with the conservative Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches and the rising media profile of pastor Doug Wilson.
Examines the relationship between MAGA political identity, conservative Christianity, nationalism, and a broader multi-faith political coalition organized around opposition to progressive cultural politics.
146. | Phoebe Petrovic / Wisconsin Watch | ProPublica | October 26, 2024
Traces the historical networks behind contemporary Christian nationalism, including conservative institutions, political organizing, religious movements, and communications networks.
147. | Associated Press | Associated Press | October 2024
Investigates Donald Trump's "God Bless the USA" Bible business and the fusion of American founding documents, patriotic symbolism, Christianity, celebrity marketing, and electoral politics.
148. | Amanpour & Company | PBS | July 23, 2024
Historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez discusses how conservative evangelical media and institutions contributed to the religious political worldview surrounding Project 2025.
149. | Hannah Allam | The Washington Post | July 13, 2024
Investigates spiritual-warfare rhetoric circulating in conservative podcasts, churches, rallies, and political movements aligned with Donald Trump.
150. | Mike Roe | TheWrap | April 18, 2024
Reports Tucker Carlson's criticism of the documentary "God & Country," illustrating conservative-media pushback against portrayals of politically active Christians as Christian nationalists.
151. | Laura Flanders & Friends | PBS | April 5, 2024
Discusses the documentary "God & Country" and competing Christian responses to the fusion of conservative religion, media messaging, nationalism, and electoral politics.
152. | Peter Smith | Associated Press / PBS NewsHour | February 23, 2024
Reports Trump's address to the National Religious Broadcasters convention and his promise to protect Christians from what he described as hostility from the political left.
153. | Laura Barrón-López and Sam Lane | PBS NewsHour | February 1, 2024
Interviews religion scholar and podcaster Brad Onishi about the definition, history, media presence, and political reach of Christian nationalism.
154. | Peter Smith | Associated Press | 2024
Examines conservative claims that America was founded as a Christian nation and contrasts contemporary political narratives with historians' interpretations of the Founding.
155. | Bob Smietana | The Washington Post / Religion News Service | May 19, 2023
Surveys competing definitions of Christian nationalism and examines figures including Michael Flynn, Roger Stone, conservative pastors, and the ReAwaken America Tour.
156. | Bill McKibben | The New Yorker | April 18, 2023
Offers a Christian critique of Christian nationalism while examining the political narratives used to persuade conservative religious audiences.
157. | Kelefa Sanneh | The New Yorker | March 27, 2023
Surveys academic definitions and self-described Christian nationalists, emphasizing the distinction between broad sociological measures and the smaller movement explicitly adopting the label.
158. | Katherine Stewart | The New Republic | October 27, 2022
Examines why some Republican and conservative religious activists embrace the Christian-nationalist label while others reject it despite supporting overlapping political goals.
159. | Andrew L. Whitehead | The Washington Post | October 25, 2022
Reviews research showing growing visibility of Christian nationalism among Republican politicians and activists while noting that trends in the broader population are more complicated.
160. | Laura Barrón-López | PBS NewsHour | October 11, 2022
Interviews historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez about Republican candidates, conservative evangelicalism, masculinity, political media, and Christian-nationalist rhetoric.
161. | Michelle R. Smith | FRONTLINE / Associated Press | September 7, 2022
Investigates Michael Flynn's speaking tours, podcasts, political endorsements, ReAwaken America events, and networks promoting spiritual-warfare and Christian-nationalist themes.
162. | Jack Jenkins | The Washington Post / Religion News Service | January 26, 2022
Examines how Christian symbols and language circulated among extremist online networks following January 6 and how those networks intersected with broader conservative politics.
163. | Jack Jenkins | The Washington Post / Religion News Service | October 19, 2021
Investigates Gab and other alternative social-media platforms where explicitly Christian and nationalist communities sought to construct a parallel conservative digital ecosystem.
164. | Religion News Service / David French | The Washington Post | February 5, 2021
French argues that conservative media—including Fox, Mark Levin, Rush Limbaugh, OAN, Breitbart, and viral social media—can exert greater political influence on evangelicals than sermons or church teaching.
165. | Michael Luo | The New Yorker | September 2, 2020
Reviews research on Christian nationalism and argues that conservative talk radio, Fox News, and other right-wing media can help transmit grievance-oriented narratives among white Christians.
Academic Research and Public-Opinion Studies
166. | Ibrahim Enes Atac, Lena Kunjan, Forrest Lovette and Samuel L. Perry | Socius | May 28, 2026
Studies associations between Christian nationalism and preferences for government spending, illustrating the policy attitudes that partisan and religious media may activate or reinforce.
167. | Tryce Prince | Socius | May 14, 2026
Studies how a white church interprets current events through narratives of Christian dominance and victimization, demonstrating how religious communities function as information environments alongside partisan media.
168. | Pew Research Center | Pew Research Center | May 14, 2026
Provides recent public-opinion data on Christian nationalism, the role of religion in government, biblical influence on law, and whether Americans believe the United States should officially or culturally favor Christianity.
169. | Micah Oosterhoff | Journal of the American Academy of Religion | April 20, 2026
Examines how post-2016 Calvinist Christian nationalists use selective historical memory of the Reformation and Puritanism to construct contemporary conservative identity.
170. | PRRI | Public Religion Research Institute | 2026
Reports that Christian-nationalist views remain disproportionately common among respondents who identify Fox News, Newsmax, or OAN as their most trusted television news sources.
171. | Hanne Amanda Trangerud | Studies in Religion / Sciences Religieuses | November 22, 2025
Compares the Seven Mountains Mandate with Paul Weyrich's conservative strategy and examines institutional networks used to transmit Christian-nationalist ideas.
172. | Reed Van Schenck | International Journal of Communication | September 26, 2025
Develops the concept of "Christian nationalism as media," arguing that media infrastructure and communication strategy are integral to Christian-nationalist political organization rather than merely tools used by the movement.
173. | PRRI | Public Religion Research Institute | February 2025
Updates national and state-level Christian-nationalism measurements and again analyzes differences according to political affiliation and preferred television-news source.
174. | Authors | Public Opinion Quarterly | 2025
Examines how race alters relationships between Christian-nationalist identification and political attitudes, cautioning against treating the ideology as demographically uniform.
175. | Authors | Social Forces | 2025
Investigates relationships among Christian nationalism, partisan conservatism, racial attitudes, and opposition to taxation, contributing broader context for understanding conservative-media audiences.
176. | Author | Oxford Academic / University of Illinois Press | 2025
Analyzes Christian nationalism after January 6 and argues that right-wing media narratives about socialism, religious persecution, and cultural decline helped sustain Christian-nationalist political mobilization.
177. | Author | Oxford Academic / University of Illinois Press | 2025
Traces the rise of the Christian Right and specifically discusses the role of conservative talk radio, Fox News, and right-wing media in spreading Christian conservative political narratives.
178. | Lauren Horn Griffin | Journal of Media and Religion | September 30, 2024
Studies traditionalist Catholic Instagram culture and the construction of religious nationalism through digital media, aesthetics, masculinity, and counter-mainstream information networks.
179. | PRRI | Public Religion Research Institute | February 28, 2024
Finds a strong statistical association between trusted television news sources and Christian-nationalist attitudes, with support substantially higher among audiences trusting OAN, Newsmax, and Fox News.
180. | Authors | Information, Communication & Society | 2024
Examines conservative campus organizations, digital influencers, Turning Point USA, evangelical activism, and social-media networks to analyze how youth-oriented conservative media can transmit Christian-nationalist themes.
181. | Courtney J. Dreyer | Critical Studies in Media Communication | August 30, 2023
Analyzes the "God's Not Dead" film series as conservative Christian media and argues that narratives of Christian victimhood can reinforce white Christian-nationalist identity.
182. | Authors | Sociology of Religion | 2021
Studies Christian nationalism and opposition to government COVID-19 restrictions, a period when conservative television, radio, church networks, and social media heavily debated pandemic policy.
Media Watchdogs and Advocacy Research
183. | Global Project Against Hate and Extremism | GPAHE | June 29, 2026
Profiles Eric Metaxas's media career and reports on efforts by conservative Christian donor networks to expand influence over what Seven Mountains advocates describe as the "Media Mountain."
184. | Media Matters for America | Media Matters for America | 2023–2026
Archive of reporting on Salem Media Group, whose radio, podcasting, streaming, and digital platforms provide a major communications infrastructure for conservative Christian political commentary.
185. | Media Matters for America | Media Matters for America | 2023–2026
Collection documenting Salem Media host Eric Metaxas's appearances, guests, political activism, religious rhetoric, and connections to conservative Christian-media networks.
186. | Payton Armstrong | Media Matters for America | July 15, 2025
Covers conservative Christian media personalities celebrating an IRS position that could permit churches greater freedom to endorse political candidates.
187. | Staff | Media Matters for America | June 12, 2025
Surveys conservative Christian broadcasters and media figures appointed to or associated with Trump's Religious Liberty Commission and documents their political and theological rhetoric.
188. | Staff | Media Matters for America | 2024
Compares Fox News messaging with Project 2025 priorities, including religion, education, family policy, and claims that conservative Christians face institutional discrimination.
189. | Media Matters Staff | Media Matters for America | December 11, 2023
Records Daily Wire host Michael Knowles explicitly saying that he supports Christian nationalism in practice and describing Christianity as the historic soul of the American nation.
190. | Media Matters Staff | Media Matters for America | September 14, 2023
Documents appearances by Sean Feucht on Fox News, OAN, FlashPoint, and Charlie Kirk's program as his worship-and-politics tour visited state capitols.
191. | Reed McMaster | Media Matters for America | July 12, 2023
Profiles Salem Media host Eric Metaxas and examines how his radio program combines Christian political activism, conservative culture-war themes, and Christian-nationalist ideas.
192. | Sophie Lawton | Media Matters for America | June 14, 2023
Reviews speeches and presentations at Turning Point USA's Pastors Summit and documents the overlap between conservative-media activism, church organizing, and Christian-nationalist rhetoric.
193. | John Knefel | Media Matters for America | April 27, 2023
Argues that news organizations underreported Christian-nationalist ideas behind conservative plans to restructure the federal civil service and examines Russell Vought's role.
194. | Payton Armstrong | Media Matters for America | April 27, 2023
Examines Turning Point USA's expansion into churches, pastors' networks, Christian education, and faith-based political organizing under Charlie Kirk.
195. | Emma Mae Weber | Media Matters for America | January 10, 2023
Examines One America News Network's increasingly explicit embrace of Christian-nationalist themes, including host Addison Smith's favorable identification with the term.
196. | Media Matters Staff | Media Matters for America | September 29, 2022
Documents Ben Shapiro's explanation that Christian nationalism commonly refers to the importance of Judeo-Christian values in sustaining American institutions rather than establishment of an official church.
197. | Media Matters Staff | Media Matters for America | September 23, 2022
Documents an OAN segment in which host Addison Smith and guest William Wolfe discuss Christian nationalism positively and argue that the United States should acknowledge its Christian identity.
Primary-Source Conservative Shows and Podcasts
198. | Charlie Kirk and Russell Vought | The Charlie Kirk Show | 2024
Features Russell Vought arguing that the phrase Christian nationalist should be regarded positively rather than as a political slur.
199. | Charlie Kirk | The Charlie Kirk Show | November 20, 2023
Kirk explains his understanding of Christian nationalism, contrasts it with what he portrays as a caricature promoted by political opponents, and ties the discussion to education and popular culture.
