Ever have a “light on” moment? Brad Isbell, of Presbycast fame, said something last night that changed the whole debate about “Christian nationalism” for me. He called it “cosplay.” This is fairly new word. The Oxford American Dictionary defines it as “the practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book, or video game.” When I searched “cosplay,” the first thing that came up was “New Adult Cosplay Costumes.” Wisdom tells us not to click on that link.
The truth is that, in the USA, Christian Nationalism is not going to happen. It is just cosplay and should be treated as such hereafter.
©R. Scott Clark. All Rights Reserved.
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In some cases it involves actual cosplay. Have you seen Christians wearing graphic shirts which have what looks like a crusader’s tunic with the red cross on it? Now instead of liberating Jerusalem from the infidels, it is Washington, D.C.
There is an attraction to Christian Nationalism that I once struggled with. It appeals to the American in me that is weary of seeing our culture leap into perversions and our government slide into authoritarianism. The husband, father, and grandfather in me feels an obligation to protect my family. The retired military officer in me remembers my oath to protect and defend the Constitution. There is a voice inside me screaming, “Do something!” Dressing in flannel shirts and ball caps, and meeting with like-minded, bearded men to shout, “No king but Jesus,” and discuss the need to Make America Christian Again (MACA?) has an undeniable appeal.
Thankfully, I have scripture to remind me that only the Holy Spirit, by means of the preached gospel, turns unconverted men and women into Christians. Centuries of history speak to the end results of theocracy whenever it is tried, and the true effects of our last experiment in Christian politics, the Moral Majority, still sting. If America was ever a Christian nation by a significant majority, it hasn’t been in a very long time. Shall we accept that and get on with being the Church, witnessing to a pagan nation, or shall we do the cosplay thing?
About the healthiest response I’ve seen so far.
The ironic thing is Natural Law is deemed Christian Nationalism.
It would be interesting to distinguish and promote what is Natural Law, how the Christian Nationalists only embrace the latter at the expense of the former, and how neo-paganism is the gateway to a new order (that’s been with us all the while but is now gone mainstream). I think that’s what you’ve been doing. ….
Christian Nationalism is Alex Jones, a megaphone, and a gun. Yes, it’s that ridiculous, and a defaming of the label Christian.
I think if we took a natural law perspective to critique the current state of our constitutional republic we could make a thorough and extended case for how far south it’s gone. I think the natural law analysis should be directed toward our state and federal government to shine a light upon the widespread circumvention of moral / civil order. Our reps (and their benefactors) are behaving poorly. Their governing philosophy is not failing because they have the wrong religion, it’s failing because they have a low view of humanity and a warped and disordered view of creation.
We are ruled unlawfully because self appointed deities in high places have no use for it. A radical transformation born of the great enlightenment has taken root. Atheists and Darwinists are fascists seeking to bring their own order out of the chaos they create. Forced religion will only embolden them. It’s a bleak perspective but the solutions are not political. I think the rediscovery of the natural law perspective helps illustrate the vital contrast. It’s an important area of study to supplement and/or introduce natural order and ultimately the divine lawgiver.
When we tell them Christian nationalism is a pipe dream, they scoff and cry all the louder about declining social (pagan ) norms and how we need to take it back for Jesus. But when it fails, as it inevitably must, they point the finger at us and say its all our fault for not jumping on the dominionist bandwagon. You just can’t win with these guys…oh wait