The recent tragedy of the Kirk killing has put a spotlight on right wing efforts to break down the separation of church and state so that *Christian nationalism and MAGA politics merge to become the ruling party in the United States. If successful, it means a return to the Middle Ages where church and state were one and the same, where kings were divinely inspired representatives of God whose dictates were inviolable and not subject to criticism or consent by mere mortal subjects.
Trump and his MAGA sycophants with the support and encouragement of Christian nationalists, evangelicals and others, have at every opportunity tried to weaken the constitutional division of church and state, post the Ten Commandments and dictate prayers in public schools. Christian nationalists discriminate against others based on race and religion in favor of white Protestants whom they proclaim are the only historic and rightful citizens despite evidence to the contrary. This is demonstrated by the administration’s recent attack on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs in businesses and universities across the county.
What is happening, of course, is that Trump and his Christian nationalist allies are hijacking Jesus for their own political objectives without regard that doing so is a giant step backward. Martin Luther and subsequent developments such as the Thirty Years War and the Glorious Revolution in England successfully challenged sacred and authoritarian rule to benefit all people while our revolution more than a century later confirmed our rejection of monarchy and state supported churches.
What can we do to bring attention to this nefarious threat? We could start by encouraging our mainline Protestant churches to speak out against the Christian nationalist perversion of Christianity. Where are the voices of the clergy at this moment of crisis? They need to reassert their right to define what Christianity really is so that it is not used for sordid purposes. Trump and his crowd should be prevented from cloaking themselves in the sanctimony of religion.
*Christian nationalism works to identify patriotic nationalism with Christianity to achieve dominance in the political, social and cultural life of the nation. Its supporters regard themselves as the sole authority to define Christianity, patriotism and nationalism.