Taking America Back for God

In Taking America Back for God, sociologists Andrew L. Whitehead of Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis and Samuel L. Perry of the University of Oklahoma offer the first empirical analysis of Christian nationalism. Their analysis rests on the assumption that Christian nationalists believe that “American government should unapologetically privilege Christianity” (p. 4). They also define Christian nationalism as a “cultural framework—a collection of myths, traditions, symbols, narratives, and value systems—that idealizes and advocates a fusion of Christianity with American civic life” (p. 19). This accounts for an astonishing quarter to half of all Americans who agree with varying shades of this sentiment. Their study asked respondents to measure their agreement with the six following statements: (1) The federal government should declare the United States a Christian nation; (2) The federal government should advocate Christian values; (3) The federal government should enforce strict separation of church and state; (4) The federal government should allow the display of religious symbols in public spaces; (5) The success of America is part of God’s plan; and (6) The federal government should allow prayer in public schools. Respondents were categorized as “Ambassadors,” “Accommodators,” “Resistors,” and “Rejectors” based on their responses. “Ambassadors” are whole-hearted Christian nationalists on one end of the spectrum and “Rejectors,” who, as the name suggests, reject the instrumentalization of Christianity, on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Christianity · Government (linguistics) · Mythology · Nationalism · Political science · Politics · Prayer · Separation of church and state · Sociology · State (computer science) · Theology · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Law · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Religious studies