America as a Christian Nation

Photo by NASA

1st Installment: What does “Christian nation” mean?

I want to be clear at the outset.

Yes, America is a Christian nation. No, America is not a Christian nation. Both are true. And we want—and need—both to be true.

Christians in America have untold opportunities to help make the nation Christian. But they—really, we, because I am both Christian and American—must be smart about how they do it.

Failure to act wisely will actually push the nation in a more secular direction. It is hard to miss the irony here. The best of intentions can accomplish the opposite of what we aim for. Imposing Christianity on America will eventually make America less Christian.

But first things first: what do we mean by “Christian nation”? There’s more than one way to answer the question.

Polling numbers support the claim that America is a Christian nation. Roughly 70% of Americans claim to be religious, and over 60% self-identify as Christian, which is a very high number, though not nearly as high as it once was. In fact, the largest “religious” group in America is now the “Nones” (those who check “None of the Above” in polls measuring religious preference). In the 1970s it was less than 10%; today it is about 30%.

Still, 60% self-identifying as Christian represents A LOT of people who claim to be Christian. From a statistical point of view, America is still a Christian nation.

Do Americans live like Christians? This is a much harder question to answer. Many Americans still attend worship, though not as regularly as they once did. Many Americans contribute time and money to the church, though not as generously as they once did. Many Americans invest in worthy causes, though not as faithfully as they once did. The numbers measuring Christian behavior have declined from the peak period of the 1960s and 70s. But once again, the numbers are still relatively high.

Over the past 200 or so years Christians in America have founded hundreds of Christian colleges and universities. At least some, both Catholic and Protestant, have resisted secularization. Likewise, Christians have founded thousands of Christian primary and secondary schools, Christian camps and conference centers, Christian clinics and hospitals, Christian social ministries, Christian arts organizations, Christian professional societies, and Christian publishing houses.

Americans, in short, take their faith seriously. The Christian presence in America is still vital, creative, and ubiquitous.

Yes, America is a Christian nation.

But it is unofficially Christian, and so it should remain. The Framers refused to state that America was or should be a “Christian nation.” The Constitution begins with, “We the people . . .,” not “In the name of God . . .” It mentions religion only once, and the reference is negative—there can be no “religious tests” to hold public office. Thus an atheist or a Buddhist could be elected president, though that seems highly unlikely.

James Madison knew how disastrous it would be to make America “officially” Christian, which he explained in his “Memorial and Remonstrance.” Like other Framers, he advocated for the separation of church and state, which would hold in check the dominance of a religious majority (e.g., Christian or Protestant) and preserve the rights and freedom of religious minorities (e.g., Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Buddhists). Thus the First Amendment reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Madison offered this argument: “Who does not see that the same authority which can establish Christianity, in exclusion of all other religions, may establish with the same ease any particular sect of Christians, in exclusion of all other sects?”

Or again, “What influence have ecclesiastical establishments had on Civil Society? In some instances they have been seen to erect a spiritual tyranny on the ruins of Civil authority; in many instances they have been seen upholding the thrones of political tyranny; in no instance have they been the guardians of the liberties of the people.”

Thus the First Amendment allows for no “official establishment” of religion or a religion, no matter how many people claim that religion as their own.

But that still leaves plenty of room for Christians to exercise influence, especially cultural influence, which requires Christians to play the “long game” and avoid taking short-cuts, which usually ends in disaster anyway. Christians work best from below, not from above. Christians work best through persuasion, not through coercion. Christians work best when they function as salt, leaven, and light, not when they function as fire, flood, and hail.

Currently the notion of making America a “Christian nation” has once again surfaced as a live option in certain conservative circles. Various proposals for Christian Nationalism are floating around. Many evangelicals are leading the charge.

It has been tried before. After World War II Congress approved of the slogan “In God We Trust,” which, ironically, was inscribed on American currency). Congress also added “Under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance.

These slogans are too bland and generic to accomplish much good or to cause much harm. More aggressive measures—for example, that Congress would declare America a “Christian nation”—seem to hold greater promise, though in truth it would accomplish the opposite of what it intended.

There is a better way, as we shall see.