In part one of this series, I focused on the disconnect between the teachings and example of Jesus and the practice and theology of the church throughout history. In part two, we looked at two of the reasons for this historical disconnect: the abandonment of Christianity’s Jewish heritage and the embracing of a Platonic “spirituality” which viewed the body and creation as inferior or evil. Both tendencies have contributed to a distortion of the Christ Event which is the foundation of authentic Christianity. In part three, I want to look at another factor which uncovers the ancient roots of today’s blasphemous and heretical Christian Nationalism.
THE CONSTANTINIAN ALLIANCE: For years the church was a rejected and persecuted part of the Roman Empire. However, as the church grew, Rome had to come to terms with this expanding religion. With the Edict of Milan, Emperor Constantine, who ruled from 306-337 CE, stopped the persecution of Christians and legalized Christianity as one of the religions allowed in his empire. He claimed to be a Christian although he delayed his baptism until being on his deathbed. Constantine financially supported the church, built basilicas (including the old St Peter’s Basilica in Rome), promoted Christians to high offices, and exempted clergy from taxation.
According to the Christian historian Eusebius, Constantine had a vision in which he saw a cross and heard the words, “In this sign you will conquer.” The emperor had the Greek letters Chi and Rho (the first two letters of the Greek word for “Christ”) placed on the shields of his soldiers. (Would Jesus, who preached nonviolence and said, “Those who live by the sword will die by the sword,” have condoned such propaganda? What, by the way, is our own equivalent of aligning our Christianity with military pursuits?)
What Constantine began later emperors continued and expanded. The Emperor Theodosius I, who reigned from 379-395 CE, made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. With the rapid expansion of Christianity, Roman emperors recognized the advantages of allying themselves and their government with the church. The emperors supported the church, and the church supported the emperors and was thus allowed to share in the wealth and prestige of the empire. With this arrangement, we have the beginning of the “God and Country” alliance which has plagued authentic Christianity for over 1500 years. As I point out in my “Country and God” blog series, “God and country” eventually becomes “Country and God” with religion serving as the divine justification for the pursuit of national agendas.
Today’s Christian Nationalism is an idolatrous and monstrous continuation of this distortion of Christianity. “For God so loved the world” becomes “For God so loved the US” provided we force a truncated and perverse version of the Christian faith on others. Opportunistic politicians are willing to ally themselves with this movement. The prophetic mandate of the church is abandoned in Christian Nationalism and is replaced by an unquestioning loyalty to a self-serving and bigoted version of what is labelled as “Christianity.” Emperors and kings throughout the centuries have used this unholy alliance of God and country to their advantage. Such an alliance has led to countless wars, oppression, and many forms of injustice all justified by the belief that God has anointed nations and rulers to pursue agendas which conflict with the teachings and example of the Person on which Christianity is ostensibly based. American Christian Nationalism is the latest incarnation of this heresy.
