Do Christian Nationalists get decoder rings?
OPINION — Michael Scott tells readers that a John Adams quotation that I used in a recent opinion is “often cited by White Christian Nationalists.” Apparently, I have wandered into an organization I know nothing about.
So, I have questions.
Is Christian Nationalism a secret society, like the Freemasons? Is there a clubhouse? A handshake? Do applicants have to prove they are actually Christian, or is just quoting John Adams sufficient for admission?
What are the annual dues? More importantly, does membership include a decoder ring, or just an accusation?
I ask because I intend to continue writing letters defending Christianity’s legitimate place in American public life, religious liberty, America’s Christian heritage and the proposition that loving one’s country is not a character defect. If that qualifies me for membership, is there a frequent-writer discount?
Groucho Marx famously joked that he wouldn’t belong to any club that would have him as a member. My predicament is different. Apparently, I belong to a club nobody has asked me to join. I hope they pro-rated my membership fee. I’d hate to be delinquent in a club I never signed up for.
There is an enormous difference between saying Christianity profoundly influenced American civilization and demanding a Christian theocracy. There is an equally large difference between defending public religious expression and demanding that non-Christians become second-class citizens. I advocate the former and reject the latter.
Labels make political argument wonderfully easy. Instead of answering what someone actually says, attach a sufficiently ominous adjective and move along. Do I have that about right?
But if “Christian Nationalist” now means a Christian who loves America, recognizes its Christian inheritance and believes faith need not be banished from public life, somebody please send me the membership application.
Just make sure I get my decoder ring!
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