White House needs more Christianity in its nationalism

By Ross Douthat / The New York Times

As soon as he was nominated to be secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, with his Crusader cross tattoo and his attendance at a hard-edge Calvinist church, became a natural vessel for liberal fears about that dread concept “Christian nationalism.”

This is a term that can be understood in two ways. The first understanding emphasizes the “Christian” part and imagines nationalism as the vehicle through which conservative believers impose their doctrines on a pluralist society. That’s the vision that inspires the strongest liberal paranoia, with images of inquisitions, witch trials, or the Republic of Gilead.

But there’s a second understanding, in which “nationalism” is the controlling word and the religious modifier is the pinch of incense that makes believers comfortable with worldly deeds and choices.

With this kind of Christian nationalism, the core fault might not be too much religious moralism in politics but too little. And this second understanding often seems closer to the realities of the second Trump administration.

https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/douthat-white-house-needs-more-christianity-in-its-nationalism/