The Myth of White Christian Nationalism
By Kenneth L Woodward, First Things. (editor’s note: Woodward deconstructs a contemporary meme)
In his first speech as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Johnson sounded like a preacher in a pulpit: “I believe that Scripture, the Bible, is very clear that God is the one who raises up those in authority,” he began. “He raised up each of you, all of us. And I believe that God has ordained and allowed each one of us to be brought here for this specific moment and this time.”
It was the kind of public piety and Baptist Bible-speak that folks in Johnson’s scarlet-red Louisiana district like to hear from those they send to Congress. It was also inclusive of the Jews, Muslims, and nonbelievers in the chamber. But it wasn’t interpreted that way.
A chorus line of publications, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Time, and Salon, registered alarm: House Republicans had elected a white Christian nationalist to a post just two chairs removed from the presidency. The money quote in the Times came from pollster Robert P. Jones, who labeled Johnson “the embodiment of white Christian nationalism in a tailored suit”—suggesting, not so subtly, that white Christian nationalists belong in white T-shirts and red MAGA hats.
Given a chance on Fox News to defend himself, Johnson said that his politics were to be found in the Bible and that he had never heard the term “Christian nationalist.” I believe him. To be sure, Johnson is a Trumpist and outspoken election denier. That’s not my brand of politics, nor do I think God is as hands-on in American politics as Johnson assumes he is. But according to a 2022 survey by the Pew Research Center, 54 percent of Americans have never heard of Christian nationalism either. And of the 45 percent who have heard at least a little about it, only 5 percent viewed the label favorably.
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One could cite other definitions, other narratives, but the point is obvious. White Christian nationalism is a social construction the meaning of which depends on who is doing the constructing. Not at all obvious is what same-sex marriage, patriarchy, and encouraging couples to have children (pronatalism) have to do with being white or Christian or nationalist. Even the term is questionable.
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