The Case for Christian Nationalism

9. Liberty of Conscience | III. Prudence (Part 3)

Previously:

The Case for Christian Nationalism

Another holdover from the neutral world is the argument that religious liberty or a neutral or “contestable” public square will allow the space for the best argument to win… As a result, the left now effectively excludes conservatives from positions of influence and power… But most intellectual conservatives today, naively proclaiming their commitment to principle, continue the same losing struggle for “viewpoint diversity.” Most on the left have little interest in it and so conservatives continue to lose.¹

It is undoubtedly true that the political left is more concerned with attaining power than seeking the objective truth. Likewise, Wolfe shows that he is far more concerned with earthly power than Christian ethics, when he writes, “But let’s give the left some credit: They are acting according to good principles.”² These supposedly good principles of seeking worldly power for the attainment of an earthly “complete good” are, in fact, directly contradictory to the instructions of Scripture. As Paul wrote to Timothy, regarding how he was literally pushed out of the public square:

You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra - which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:10-13)

Wolfe next moves to complaining about the “controlled opposition” of “conservatives on the ‘center-right’” who play a part in assisting the left to shape “the acceptable range of opinion today”. He quickly takes this observation in a further conspiratorial direction, writing, “The American regime is tolerant of a few regime-faithful ‘center-right’ Christian pundits who are anti-abortion, because they know that being anti-abortion is necessary to operate as an insider among conservative Christians, and being an insider allows them to critique ‘their own’ from secularist publications on behalf of the regime.”³ He will expand upon his ideological foil of the “globalist American empire” in the epilogue; for now it is worth noting that he provides no evidence for his claims that men like Russell Moore and David French, whom he would most certainly place within this category, are controlled opposition and not simply Christians who genuinely hold a different opinion than him.

Christian nationalism does not deny the good of viewpoint diversity. But, as with the American regime, the acceptable range ought to be bounded by principles of inclusion and exclusion… Christian nationalism will exclude at least the following from acceptable opinion and action: (1) political atheism, (2) subversion of public Christianity, (3) opposition to Christian morality, (4) heretical teaching, and (5) the political and social influence of non-Christian religion and its adherence.⁴

Once again, we are presented with a genetic logical fallacy; every one of these vague points has a wide variance of definitions within orthodox Protestant Christianity, leaving us to trust that Wolfe’s personal definition of what does and does not constitute proper “Christianity” is good, in and of itself. Secondly, this list can be easily modified to fit any form of totalitarianism:

Communism will exclude at least the following from acceptable opinion and action (1) political theology, (2) subversion of party activities, (3) opposition to revolutionary principles, (4) industrialist propaganda, and (5) the political and social influence of capitalism and its adherence.

Wolfe closes this section by confirming that his goal is to use the same power he believes the left is abusing, against them.⁵ Again, the Apostle Paul directly rebukes such notions:

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21)

Next:

The Case for Christian Nationalism

1. Stephen Wolfe, The Case for Christian Nationalism (Moscow, Idaho: Canon Press, 2022), 382-383.

2. Ibid., 383.

3. Ibid., 383-384.

4. Ibid., 384-385.

5. Ibid., 386.