Christian Nation

Our lives should be so devoted to Christ that when people see us, they actually see the presence of the Lord. 1st Peter 2 talks about the power of our Christian influence:
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

We are instructed in Scripture to walk in the Spirit - by so doing, we do not fulfill the desires of the flesh. We are empowered to be separate and distinct from the world, while still living in the world. We live in essentially two kingdoms - we have been brought into the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ, but we are also citizens of earthly kingdoms, as well, and those should be regarded in that order. When we exalt earth over heaven, we run into spiritual trouble; we are called to take the principles of heaven and live them on the earth.

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We are placed on this planet in order that we might come to know Christ and to be a strong Christian influence through sharing our faith and shining our faith. 1st Timothy 4 states:
8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.
9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.
10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.
11 These things command and teach.
12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

In the 1892 U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case, Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States, Justice David Josiah Brewer, writing for the majority, stated, according to William Federer's American Minute:

"While because of a general recognition of this truth the question has seldom been presented to the courts, yet we find that in Updegraph v. The Commonwealth, it was decided that, 'Christianity, general Christianity, is, and always has been, a part of the common law ... not Christianity with an established church ... but Christianity with liberty of conscience to all men.'

Federer also quoted from Brewer's book, The United States-A Christian Nation," in which the judge wrote: "This republic is classified among the Christian nations of the World. It was so formally declared by the Supreme Court of the United States ..." He added, "We constantly speak of this republic as a Christian nation in fact, as the leading Christian nation of the world.

And, almost half of Americans believe that America "should be" a "Christian nation," according to Pew Research in a recent poll.  The survey summary notes:

Most U.S. adults believe America’s founders intended the country to be a Christian nation, and many say they think it should be a Christian nation today, according to a new Pew Research Center survey designed to explore Americans’ views on the topic. But the survey also finds widely differing opinions about what it means to be a “Christian nation” and to support “Christian nationalism.”

To drill into the numbers, the summary says: 

Overall, six-in-ten U.S. adults – including nearly seven-in-ten Christians – say they believe the founders “originally intended” for the U.S. to be a Christian nation. And 45% of U.S. adults – including about six-in-ten Christians – say they think the country “should be” a Christian nation. A third say the U.S. “is now” a Christian nation.

One of the authors of the survey, Greg Smith, quoted at Religion News Service, says that the interpretation of what it means to be a "Christian nation" is "nuanced." The article states:

Smith stressed that some respondents who expressed support for a Christian nation “do mean that they think Christian beliefs, values and morality ought to be reflected in U.S. laws and policies.” But many respondents “tell us that they think the U.S. should be guided by Christian principles in a general way, but they don’t mean that we should live in a theocracy,” he said. “They don’t mean that they want to get rid of separation of church and state. They don’t mean they want to see the U.S. officially declared to be a Christian nation. It’s a nuanced picture.”

But, as RNS points out, "Most (67%) say churches and other houses of worship should keep out of political matters, with only 31% endorsing faith groups’ expressing views on social and political issues."  That indicates to me, some murkiness - people are generally favorable toward the influence of Christianity on this nation, which is a historical fact, I might add.  But, churches should stay out of "politics."  I think you could regard that as a contradiction.  Fact is, as I see it, the Church is an institution through which people not only grow in their faith, but also learn to take their faith outside the church into the culture. So, if we are truly following Biblical direction, we should impact every area of society with the principles we espouse.

Then, there's the problematic term, "Christian nationalism."  In the Pew poll, only 45% had at least heard of it, and 24% of respondents had a negative view of it.  But, in the mainstream media and some religious circles, that has become a major issue.  

The Washington Stand ran an article recently about a candidate for office in Michigan who was branded a "Christian nationalist" because of her views on abortion, about which she had written.  The article includes these words:

Christian leaders have long held that the Left coined the term “Christian nationalism” as a pejorative to stop believers from speaking about national issues. “They are stretching that term to suggest that anyone bringing faith into the public square is advocating for ‘Christian nationalism,’” said Family Research Council President Tony Perkins at the October 12 Pray Vote Stand townhall on the topic. Christians should recognize the term “Christian nationalism” as a part of a “campaign designed to delegitimize you,” Stephen Coughlin of Unconstrained Analytics and a Lincoln Fellow at the Claremont Institute told the townhall. “It directly attacks American Christians for being American Christians, for being politically active. As such, it’s an attack on identity. It denies your right” to express a faith-informed point of view.

The question I posed leading up to the election was, "what kind of nation would you want to live in?" Our views on that question, informed by Scripture, can guide us in our choice of leaders. While most Americans, do not want a theocracy, as Christians, we should want a nation that respects religious freedom - no state church, but freedom from the state's influence on the Church.  That doesn't mean the Church, and each of us individually, should not be influential on our society.  We should want a wholesome and safe place to raise our children, where corrupt influences are minimized and respect for Biblical values are maximized.

We find that many of our laws are based on Christian principles and the Founders exhibited a deep reverence for the service of God.  These principles regarding how we treat one another can be, and in the case of this nation, are intended to be useful in crafting a society that reinforces Biblical morality, which can lead to such things as public safety and governmental responsibility.  

Since by and large, defining "Christian nationalism" has been a moving target. Basically, we are placed in a country - we should want our Christian influence to impact that country and love religious freedom.  In the eyes of some, that might make one a Christian nationalist - I would say that would make someone a good citizen - of the Kingdom of God and the earthly nation in which he or she is called to live. We should never idolize our country, but we should love it because God loves it and has a plan for our nation - something we can see when we delve into American history.