Nazis, Nationalism, and The Scarlet Letter

A Humiliating Slander On Average Americans Who Just Want Their Country Back.

Mar 12, 2024

Christian Nationalism is more of a stench than an epithet. A humiliating funk slathered on average Americans who just want their country back from the clutches of a remorseless Godless brood of vipers who intend to drive America into multipolar obscurity and moral ruin.

By Brad Ward, Director, Armor of Truth

The world’s law was no law for her mind.

In his 1850 American literary classic, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne described a society in moral conflict outwardly imposing a stringent ethical code while men grappled internally with contradiction. The establishment had become a law unto itself and forsaking grace. The scarlet letter "A" was intended as a mark of shame. Yet, Hester Prynne’s ability to wear it openly symbolized her challenge to a cold, hypocritical standard. Hawthorne writes,

"The world’s law was no law for her mind."

Ironically, Hawthorne may have had Prynne’s personal autonomy in mind, but a profound division between societal standards and personal accountability before God is ever-present in the subtext. This exemplifies the struggle of a Bible-believing Christian in America in 2024. Instead of the scarlet letter “A” for adultery, the harum-scarum plot of the establishment media, politicians, and many woke and wimpy evangelical leaders is to deploy the term “Christian Nationalism” as a slur on their political rivals. A barbed quip to shame Trump supporters. Sure. We’ve come to expect as much in that arena.

But now, anyone who dares suggest that divine decree is supreme to arbitrary state mandate, that God has revealed this truth with clarity, or that it is time for a change in leadership, thou shall be marked, marked with what, exactly? Adultery is defined easily enough. Christian Nationalism is rarely defined with any specific consistency. Details are irrelevant. The public smear matters most.

To be slandered in association with “obviously” white supremacist, ethno-nationalist, theocratic Trump supporters. That’s the point of this red letter. It’s more like a stench than an epithet. A humiliating funk slathered on average Americans who simply want their country back from the clutches of a remorseless Godless brood of vipers who intend to drive America into multipolar obscurity and moral ruin.

Our modern Pharisees offer no clear demarcation between the clean and unclean. You don’t even have to be an actual Christian Nationalist. You could be vehemently opposed to the whole idea. They’ll daub anyone with the sludge. One of Hollywood’s favorite sons, actor-director Rob Reiner, recently released a Documentary titled God and Country in which John MacArthur got slimed. But J Mac spoke, and the gimmick was exposed. When asked about what Christians should think about the term, MacArthur said,

“…the idea that you should link up some political effort, some political process, some social process, some gain of power or influence in a culture as part of the advance of Christianity is alien to Christianity.”
https://www.christianpost.com/news/john-macarthur-denounces-christian-nationalism-as-faulty.html

Like Hester Prynne, our resistance is not necessarily against the letter or the label. Christian Nationalism is a fugazi. It’s a fraud. There is no there, there. It has no real meaning. Our argument must be against the arbitrariness of its application and against their presumption of authority to control our thoughts and behaviors.

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

The Stench Defined?

Kristen Dumaine, a professor of history at Calvin University, who is also the author of Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted A Faith and Divided A Nation, says Christian Nationalism is,

“the belief that America is God's chosen nation and must be defended as such.”

Philip Gorski and Samuel Perry, in their book The Flag Plus The Cross: White Christian Nationalism and The Threat to American Democracy, claim,

“White Christian nationalism has animated the oppression, exclusion, and even extermination of minority groups while securing privilege for white Protestants.”

Notice the importation of race with the pejorative use of “white.” That is both intentional and subversive. Russell Moore, in Christianity Today, wrote,

“Christian nationalism is a Liberation theology for white people.”

Who are they talking about? If my church believed that, I’d leave it ASAP and have nothing to do with it.

But since these definitions are broad and ambiguous and really don’t seem to harmonize with Scripture, it’s highly unlikely that there is an actual movement of “Christians” who believe this. There are surely some out there who do hold these beliefs; however, they are far fewer in number than these spin doctors would have you believe.

The real purpose is to demonize anyone who stands opposed to what is being done in the name of Progressivism. In Taking America Back for God, six questions were used as a rubric for determining who is guilty of being a White Christian Nationalist. Guess what? Many Jews qualified as White Christian Nationalists. Many black Americans qualified as well. That alone casts a deathly pall upon the validity and usefulness of such a standard.

American history is saturated with examples of “Christian” being used as a common and inoffensive description of our nation. A famous example is Supreme Court Justice David Brewer's 1892 opinion on the case The Church of the Holy Trinity versus the United States and the Supreme Court. Justice Brewer wrote,

“Christianity, General Christianity always has been a part of the common law, not Christianity with an established church, but Christianity with liberty of conscience to all men.”

Since the rebellion at the Tower of Babel, nations have been God’s Providential decree for order and restraining evil (Deut. 32:8; Gen. 11:1-9; Daniel 5:21; Romans 13:1; 1 Peter 2:13-14; and others).

Nazis and Nature’s God

The term is so vague that one doesn’t have to be a Christian to receive the mark. By Reiner’s standards, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and John Adams are Christian Nationalists. All three had a hand in the penning of the Declaration of Independence, in which the “Creator” is honored as the source of human rights that cannot be forfeited and “Nature’s God” as the supreme benefactor of Liberty and equality. These men intended to establish that human rights are self-evidently beyond man’s authority.

This fact was beautifully reiterated at the Nuremberg trials following World War II. Nazi officers who had committed war crimes and genocide argued their innocence before the tribunal on the grounds that they were “following orders” from their superiors who gave the orders legally. It was an effective argument for a moment in time. The trials were halted for several days as legal eagles discussed what to do.

Chief British prosecutor Sir Hartley Shawcross ended the confusion, stating that all individuals everywhere are accountable to a moral law transcending national sovereignty or laws when they commit crimes against humanity. This principle was crucial in prosecuting the Nazi officials and for establishing a precedent for international law that recognizes universal human rights and the responsibility of individuals for their actions, regardless of their government's policies or directives. In short, there is a law higher than all of man’s laws that cannot be evaded—the Law of God.

Franklin was a deist, Adams a Unitarian, and Jefferson scoffed at any and all supernatural claims. None of these men were “Christian” by any stretch. However, the Framers knew tyranny would reign when a nation rejected the transcendent objective moral law and allowed any man to think of himself as the source of the law. The atheistic Communist regimes of the 20th century proved them all right. The evidence of it is the more than 120 million people murdered in the name of “progress,” claiming the state as the highest authority.

Keep Calm & Carry The Gospel

Hawthorne explored the themes of dignity and independence in the face of public shaming. Hester Prynne was subjected to a power play by the Boston Elders, who had become like the Pharisees. Our dignity is grounded in our Creator, our hope is in Christ, and God’s word is the lamp to our feet and the light to our path (Psalm 119:105). Christian Nationalism is also a power play. We know the truth and how the story ends. So, let’s not allow them to provoke us and not bow the knee to their ridiculous plot. Don't let anyone intimidate you for your faith or shame you for being loyal to your nation and your people. America is still an excellent Republic and a shining beacon in the world. The Lord has been good to us for a long time and preserved us thus far; let’s not allow a few temporary Pharisees to spoil it for everyone.

Your first citizenship is with Christ in heaven. Your second citizenship is in America. And those citizenships are vastly different. It is, however, our duty to serve our nations and Christ’s kingdom honorably.

If a Christian Nationalist seeks to honor Christ by participating in civic duty, votes for leaders whose policies are more closely aligned with Christian values believes that America is a nation with a distinct history and values worth protecting, and prays for our leaders “so that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way,” I guess I’m a Christian Nationalist.

Encouragement

Jesus has a peace and tranquility to give that no constitution and human authority can ever give.

“My tranquility I leave with you. My peace I give to you” (John 14:27).

Jesus Christ came into the world to destroy the works of the devil, to establish justice and righteousness in the earth through faith in him. Paul said,

“The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17)
“We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and world rulers of this present darkness” (Ephesians 6:12).

God has provided for our defense. The way we do combat with such forces determined to call good evil and evil good is with the armor that God has given us: the breastplate of his righteousness, the belt of his truth, feet shod with his gospel, a shield of faith in him, and the sword of his word (Ephesians 6:13–17). And should always remember these comforting words,

“All things work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
“No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11).
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17).
“For freedom, Christ has set you free; therefore, stand fast and do not be enslaved to a yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1)

Finally, Jesus said,

“If you keep my words, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (8:31–32).

Therefore, we know how to respond when we are charged with such labels or confronted with these claims somewhere in our lives, at church, at home, or at work. We glorify Christ by always remembering that we are first citizens of Christ’s Kingdom, which requires a peaceful approach and a call to repentance. Whether the time comes for more or not, for now, while we are exiles in a foreign land, we know this,

I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules (Psalm 119:106).

Soli Deo Gloria

Sources and Links:

Brown, J. (2024, March 3). John Macarthur denounces Christian nationalism as “faulty viewpoint” linked to postmillennialism. The Christian Post. https://www.christianpost.com/news/john-macarthur-denounces-christian-nationalism-as-faulty.html

Dumaine, K. (2021). Jesus and John Wayne: How white evangelicals corrupted a faith and fractured a nation. Liveright Publishing Corporation, a division of W.W. Norton et Company.

Gorski, P. S., & Perry, S. L. (2022). The flag and the cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy. Oxford University Press.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. The Scarlet Letter. AmazonClassics Edition. ISBN-10:1542046165. (Location 2164 of 3495, ch. 13, para. 7).

Moore, R. (2022, September 29). Christian nationalism cannot save the world. ChristianityToday.com. https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2022/september-web-only/christian-nationalism-cannot-save-world-politics-elections.html

* The Supreme Court’s Christian History of America (1892). (n.d.). https://vftonline.org/EndTheWall/TrinityHistory.htm

** “Unless we are willing to conclude that the 1892 Supreme Court of the United States was supremely ignorant or supremely deceptive, we must admit that America was founded as a Christian nation, and nothing in the U.S. Constitution changed that. The Supreme Court of the United States has given us a nice survey of the Christian history of America.”