My father told a lot of jokes. That’s what dads do. One I remember goes like this. There was a monk that had allowed nicotine to get ahold of him. Given the amount of time spent in prayer he thought it wise to go to the abbot and ask, “Is it wrong for me to smoke while I pray?” The abbot, not liking the idea of tainting prayers with smoking, said “no.” A week later the monk happened upon a brother monk hard at his prayers, smoking like a chimney. “Brother,” he said, “you better put that out before the abbot catches you.” He replied, “The abbot gave me permission.” “He did? I asked him not long ago if I could smoke while I prayed and he said ‘no.’” ”There’s your problem,” the second monk replied. “I didn’t ask if I could smoke while I prayed. I asked if I could pray while I smoked.”
Which, QED, brings us to Christian nationalism. If you were to ask any thoughtful Christian if he would like to see our nation better reflect the reign of Christ over all things, to see law built on the wisdom of God as revealed in the Bible, abortion outlawed, boys being boys, riots and not Psalm sings being broken up by the police, most would said “amen” if not “huzzah!” What Christian wouldn’t want these things? It’s the very road to living in peace and quietness with all men. Count me in.
If, however, we mean by Christian nationalism the concept of nationalism wrapped in Christian garb, well that’s a mule of a different color. If we mean saluting a Christian Franco, complete with Christian xenophobia, Christian megalomania, Christian inquisitions, we are supposed to respond something like Paul responding to the notion we should sin all the more that grace would abound. We need something with a little more gusto than an George H. Bushian “wouldn’t be prudent” like maybe a bellowing, “Heck to the no!”
The trouble is precious few of us are crystal clear about which one of these two scenarios everyone’s talking about. This is due in part both to our own vincible ignorance, having last given any thought to questions of government in 9th grade civics class but also to the nuances in rhetoric among the purveyors of Christian nationalism. Depending on the audience Christian nationalism is sometimes dressed up as 1950s style civic religion no more offensive than baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet. And sometimes they, when not punching but pitching right, sing the glories of a “Christian Franco.” You know, just like Franco, only Christian.
I’ve been fooled before. I actually once believed that a league of southern sympathizers who claimed to reject racism rejected racism. That doesn’t mean anyone who identifies with Christian nationalism is similarly dishonest. As noted above, any Christian would want to see every nation better acknowledge Jesus as Lord. Now, however, is less a time for building alliances, more a time for a clear trumpet blast calling out fascism from both those in power and those aspiring to it. Where the reign of Jesus is acknowledged, freedom reigns.