"The Spectre of Religious Nationalism"

As a student of history and religion, I have long been confronted with the ambiguity of nationalism in world history. But not until recently with the juxtaposition of my reading in Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Nazi Germany (Eberhard Bethge, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Biography), along with my reading in Christian nationalism, have I been confronted with the horrific specter nationalism can bring. In fact as a religious ethicist, I believe in an absolute separation of church and state, to avoid any kind of worship of either the church or the state.

The context for Hitler's rise to power in Germany in 1933 was the severe punishment by the victorious forces on Germany after World War I. Political and religious leaders alike were intrigued by anyone who might salve the bruised egos of the German people, while at the same time helping the to improve their economic way of life. One finds similar logic in that part of America who felt threatened and diminished by the growing changes in American society in the time period prior to Donald Trump's election in 2016. One might liken it to an underdog "Hoosiers" style team whose support people who feel oppressed may rally. All that it takes is an ideology that someone develops to support the great desire of those feeling overwhelmed to "win."

What better ideology of support could there be than a weaving together of support from both God and human beings.? In the case of Hitler and Nazi Germany, his minions and he worked tirelessly to gather support of the church in Germany for his "divinely endorsed" lifting of the German State back to its rightful place in history. The holdouts in the German Confession Church, including a relatively young Berliner of aristocratic background, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, were at first targeted and then ultimately imprisoned. Many, like Bonhoeffer, died for the cause. For along with others he understood the danger of combining church and state in a kind of Christian nationalism.

In the United States a similar kind of Christian nationalism helped to bring Donald Trump into power in 2016, and perhaps led to him going out kicking and screaming in January, 2021. In many religious contexts in the United States leaders and followers identified the same need to see in President Trump a rulership by divine right. As Katherine Stewart details in The Power Worshippers: Inside The Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism many religious organizations across the country supported (and will perhaps support) Donald Trump because they believe he is God-sent to preserve their America of the 1950's who believed that God and America are always on the same side.

While as Americans we support our country in so many ways, we must never begin to worship it as sometimes of God. Danger lurks when our belief in the nation becomes an "ism," and we begin to ignore the flaws in any human institution. Likewise, the church is a human institution and is subject to all of the shortcomings that any less than perfect organization has to offer. Our faith is neither in church or state, or any combination of the two, but in God.

When we see "the darker side of nationalism" we will be led back to the true original intent of the deists who saw the separation of church and state as a necessary part of our county so that religious freedom and being citizens of a new country would both be preserved. It is incumbent upon all of us today to debunk those who would lead us astray from the solid base that these Founding Fathers intended.