America is confronting a rising tide of Christian nationalism, a political movement that imposes a narrow, exclusionary vision of Christian identity on the nation’s government, culture, and society. As lawmakers clutch scripture to justify legislation, a Christian nationalist flag is flown over a government building, and campaign stages echo with calls for a “Christian nation,” a shocking political assassination on June 14 in Minnesota laid bare the movement’s violent edge.
From bold rejections by mainstream churches to fervent letters from citizens and urgent warnings from community leaders, a diverse coalition is rising up and fighting back to protect a nation where no single faith holds dominion. The stakes are high: Christian nationalism threatens to suffocate democracy’s promise of equality and freedom and erase the separation of church and state.
Christian Nationalism in Political Leadership
Christian nationalism is burrowed deep into government, both locally and nationwide. Several states have embraced Christian nationalist policies and are attempting to integrate religious symbols into public schools. Louisiana’s 2024 law (House Bill 71) and Texas’s 2025 law (Senate Bill 10) mandate Ten Commandments displays in public school classrooms, though both face legal challenges for violating the First Amendment. Louisiana’s law was struck down by the court of appeals on June 20, 2025, and on June 25, 2025, a group of parents and faith leaders in Texas filed suit, claiming that the law “is wholly inconsistent with the fundamental religious-freedom principles that upon which our nation was founded.”
In Washington D.C., the halls of government are inundated with Christian nationalists. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is a militant proponent of Christian nationalism, and in his 2022 book, Battle for the American Mind: Uprooting a Century of Miseducation, he casts the U.S. as God’s chosen nation, advocating for Christian dominion over public institutions. Russell Vought, appointed Director of the Office of Management and Budget, is a key architect of Project 2025, pushing draconian policies that prioritize Christian values, marginalize minorities and challenge First Amendment protections.
Paula White-Cain, chair of Trump’s Faith Advisory Board and Trump’s personal spiritual advisor, is considered an Apostle in the New Apostolic Reformation movement, espousing a variant of Christian nationalism that promotes dominionist theology, the Seven Mountain theory, speaking in tongues and spiritual warfare. Mike Huckabee, appointed Ambassador to Israel, has long advocated for biblical governance, aligning U.S. foreign policy with evangelical priorities, such as unwavering support for Israel as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy necessary to bring about the End Times. Vice President J.D. Vance is a Catholic integralist, a strain of Christian nationalism that seeks to establish a state governed by Catholic principles, subordinating secular law to religious authority in pursuit of a theocratic vision.
Beyond the administration, prominent politicians amplify the movement. They include House Speaker Mike Johnson, who advocates a biblical worldview and has strong ties to the Alliance Defending Freedom, promoting policies that prioritize Christian values in governance. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has explicitly embraced the movement for years, declaring in 2022 that “We need to be the party of nationalism and I’m a Christian, and I say it proudly, we should be Christian nationalists.”
Representative Lauren Boebert, a vocal Trump ally, has consistently pushed Christian nationalist rhetoric, calling the separation of church and state “junk,” and urging a Christian-centric government. In 2024, after her primary win, she reiterated her vision for a “righteous nation” rooted in “Christian morals.” Boebert’s calls for a “religious takeover” and warnings of a “judgment day” at evangelical events like the Truth & Liberty Coalition conference further cement her alignment with the movement.
The White House Faith Office, established in February 2025 under Apostle Paula White-Cain to “empower faith-based entities,” prioritizes Christian interests, while the Anti-Christian Bias Task Force, led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, targets secular policies like LGBTQ+ rights.
And then there’s the White House Cabinet Bible study program, sponsored by Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, and led by Ralph Drollinger of Capitol Ministries. The study group aims to transform politicians into “disciples” who enact a conservative evangelical vision, opposing marriage equality, abortion, and liberal Christianity as “schemes of the devil.” As Drollinger teaches federal officials, “there are really only two combatants behind all the scenes that play out on the Hill: Christ vs. Satan. Regardless of political affiliation, everyone, including the media, works to some degree for one side or the other: Christ or Satan.”
The Minnesota Assassination: A Violent Turning Point
On June 14, 2025, Christian nationalism’s rhetoric turned deadly in Minnesota, where Vance Boelter, steeped in the New Apostolic Reformation’s ideology, allegedly assassinated Democratic State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman. Boelter’s beliefs framed abortion as demonic sacrifice and democracy as a battleground for God’s will. His ties to a Dallas Bible school linked to an array of Christian nationalist figures seem to have fueled his radicalization. The attack sparked nationwide outrage and drew thousands of mourners to Minneapolis vigils on June 16. But it also brought to the forefront, for the first time since the January 6th insurrection, the recognition that Christian nationalism has the potential to inspire violent actions.
A Unified Denominational Stand Against Christian Nationalism
On June 26, 2025, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) took a bold stand at its 52nd General Assembly in Chattanooga, Tennessee, passing two overtures denouncing Christian nationalism by a vote of 1,708 to 28. Proposed by the South Texas and Arizona Presbyteries, these measures condemned the movement’s “anti-scriptural views” for blending Christian faith with American identity, distorting the gospel’s universal call. The PCA, serving 393,528 members across 1,934 churches, established a study committee to explore the movement’s alignment with its confession of faith, aiming to provide clarity for its congregations. It also condemned “teachings that promote racial superiority.”
This resolve resonates across a growing tide of religious denominations that reject Christian nationalism’s exclusionary ideology as contrary to scripture. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s (ELCA) Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton warned its 3.3 million members that the movement wrongly equates human governance with divine will. “Christian nationalism demands Christianity be privileged by the State and implies that to be a good American, one must be Christian. It often overlaps with and provides cover for white supremacy and racial subjugation,” she wrote. “We reject this damaging political ideology and invite our Christian brothers and sisters to join us in opposing this threat to our faith and to our nation.”
The Episcopal Church’s former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has branded Christian nationalism a heresy that misrepresents Jesus’ teachings, a position reinforced after the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The United Church of Christ is producing resources to educate its members about the dangers of Christian nationalism’s divisive rhetoric.
The Alliance of Baptists has condemned the movement as steeped in supremacy, aligning with the Baptist Joint Committee’s Christians Against Christian Nationalism campaign, which works to “raise awareness about the dangers of Christian nationalism among Christians as well as non-Christians, showing the world what is and is not part of a life committed to following Jesus.” The Disciples of Christ, following their 2023 resolution branding Christian nationalism a “Christian supremacist identity,” have continued their opposition through educational efforts in 2025.
The Adventist Church, with over 23 million members globally, has also spoken out. At a conference co-sponsored by denominational leaders in April 2025, Adventist pastors and theologians argued that Christian nationalism’s fusion of faith and national identity fuels authoritarianism and racial insensitivity, clashing with their commitment to church-state separation.
Citizens’ Outrage
Everyday Americans, especially those of faith, are pouring their outrage into letters to the editor in big and small towns across the country. The Minnesota assassinations shook the nation, stirring a groundswell of public anger that echoed warnings scholars have issued for years about the growing menace of Christian nationalism. In Fort Myers, Florida, on June 22, a reader cut to the chase: “White Christian Nationalism is not Christian. And it’s far from benign. Do not be fooled by the claim “Christian” or the cross around the neck.”
In Canyon Lake, Texas, a letter published two days after the Minnesota shooting clarified the difference between Christian nationalism and Christian faith. “The difference between Christianity and Christian Nationalism is quite simple. Christianity is about love while Christian Nationalism is about power.” In Vermont, a letter to the Addison Independent on June 26 called out its political reach: “It seems to me that the power behind the throne in this Administration is White Christian – in name only – Nationalism.”
And in Longview, Texas, a letter published on June 26 stated that “Christians are conned by Project 2025, which is a lie, led by liars, who just want power. The Bible warns us about false prophets. They are those who sell Christian Nationalism,” the reader implored. “Christians, Wake up! “
Community Leaders Sound the Alarm on Christian Nationalism
A burgeoning chorus of community leaders are also raising urgent concerns about the rise of Christian nationalism. Through opinion pieces, interviews, and public statements, these voices called for active resistance, grounding their critiques in historical context and contemporary consequences.
Ben Sessoms, editor at the Chattanooga Times Free Press, penned a compelling piece on June 24, 2025, describing Christian nationalism as “a power-hungry political vision with a strict racial and gender hierarchy.” He argues that this ideology twists religious teachings to justify exclusionary power structures, urging faith communities to reject it in favor of inclusivity and humility. Sessoms’ words resonate as a call to action for Christians to confront the distortion of their beliefs.
In a June 27, 2025, interview with The New Republic, journalist and author Sarah Posner dissected the ideological underpinnings of Christian nationalism: “They come at every political dispute from the standpoint of we are defending white Christian America from the woke liberals who have taken away our rights to pray in public and to have our religious freedom and to ban abortion and trans health care and all the things that they want to ban,” she noted. “And when you come at every political dispute from that point of view, you don’t really want to have a democracy. You want to have some kind of theocratic Christian Republic or maybe even a theocratic Christian autocracy with Trump at the helm.”
Rev. Graylan Hagler, a veteran civil rights advocate, offered a historical perspective in NewsOne on June 24, 2025: “Christian nationalism has been the backbone of all kinds of evils — from enslavement to the Christianization and genocide of Indigenous peoples. It must be condemned in all of its forms, from the past to the present and into any future expression.”
Beyond these voices, others have echoed the alarm. Theologian Dr. Helen Jacobi, in the Otago Daily Times of New Zealand, called Christian nationalism “an emerging theological emergency” with “global ramifications,” noting its influence on far-right movements worldwide.
These leaders, spanning journalism, activism, theology, and community advocacy, paint a vivid picture of Christian nationalism as a multifaceted threat. Their collective message, amplified by campaigns like Christians Against Christian Nationalism, urges individuals and communities to resist this ideology through education, dialogue, and action to preserve democratic values and authentic faith.
An American Awakening
Christian nationalism polarizes and destabilizes, with its influence felt from the local school boards to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court’s June 27, 2025, rulings mark a bold advance, curbing lower courts’ ability to issue nationwide injunctions, potentially enabling President Trump’s executive order limiting birthright citizenship in 28 states, and upholding religious parents’ rights in Maryland to opt out of public school lessons featuring LGBTQ+ books, bolstering Christian nationalist efforts to mold education around evangelical values.
Yet, summer 2025 may well mark a defining moment in American history. Christian nationalism has emerged from the fringes to occupy the highest echelons of power, but Christians and non-Christians alike are defending the foundational promise that this nation belongs to no single faith.
The Minnesota assassinations represent a deadly escalation of violence that has now found sanctuary in the corridors of political power. The battle for America’s soul will ultimately determine whether faith and freedom can survive those who would weaponize one to destroy the other.
