Christian Nationalism's Intellectual Roots and Its Challenge to American Democracy

J. Basil Dannebohm, a writer and former state legislator, critiques the influence of Christian Nationalism in American Christianity, tracing its intellectual origins to Rousas John 'R.J.' Rushdoony, an Armenian American Calvinist who believed democracy was heresy and advocated for replacing U.S. law with biblical law. Rushdoony, who died in 2001, supported stoning homosexuals, silencing women, dismantling public schools, and held racist views, including opposition to interracial marriage and defense of slavery. Dannebohm cites Andrew L. Seidel's book 'The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism Is Un-American,' which argues that Donald Trump's authoritarian tendencies appealed to evangelicals' ingrained reverence for extreme authority, as exemplified by Ann Coulter calling Trump her 'Emperor God.' The article also references Brian Zahnd's 'Postcards from Babylon' and Walter Brueggemann's 'A Way other than Our Own,' both advocating for a countercultural Christianity detached from empire and nationalism. Dannebohm concludes that much of American Christianity is failing the litmus test of love, as highlighted by the hymn 'They'll Know We Are Christians by Our Love.' The piece underscores the ongoing debate over the separation of church and state, referencing Thomas Jefferson's warning against government-supported religion.