Count me in for ‘Christian Nationalism’!
The other day, Politico writer Heidi Przybyla appeared on MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes” to discuss the current buzzword, “Christian nationalism.” According to Przybyla, Donald Trump has surrounded himself with an “extremist element of conservative Christians” who are misrepresenting the concept of “natural law” in their efforts to challenge abortion rights and other leftist policies. What sets these “Christian nationalists” apart, she claims, is their belief that our rights as Americans and human beings do not come from any earthly authority.
However, critics have pointed out that “Christian nationalism” is essentially the same as the argument for American liberty found in the Declaration of Independence. In fact, the idea of inalienable, universal rights can be traced back to ancient Greece. The entire American project is built on the principle that the state cannot grant or take away the freedoms bestowed upon us by God. It is the kind of “extremism” that forms the foundation of our nation.
That being said, there are Christians who blur the lines between politics and faith or hold theocratic ideas. However, the definition of “Christian nationalism” put forth by Politico and MSNBC aligns perfectly with the mindset that makes the United States possible.
Conservatives often attribute this lack of understanding about civics to a failing education system. But it’s not a coincidence. Przybyla, a long-time leftist propagandist, followed up her MSNBC appearance with an embarrassing clarification. Even if she were well-versed in the philosophy of natural rights, it’s likely that she, like most progressives, would be uninterested. It’s a political necessity to be uninterested.
If our natural rights are truly inalienable, how can the government create new positive “rights” like housing, abortion, healthcare, or free birth control? And how can we restrict those who abuse free expression, self-defense, and due process? As Joe Biden often says, no right “is absolute,” except when it comes to the Second Amendment, not abortion.
One of the most revealing aspects of Przybyla’s explanation is her admission that “natural law” has been used for good in some instances. When natural law is used to promote “social justice,” it is considered legitimate. However, when it is applied to ideas that the left opposes, such as protecting unborn life, it is labeled as “Christian nationalism.” It’s as if she fails to grasp the concept of a neutral principle. This kind of thinking leads the media to put skeptical quotation marks around terms like “religious liberty,” but never around ”LGBT rights” or “social justice.”
The fear of “Christian nationalism” is a manufactured partisan effort to scare non-Christian voters. To some secular Americans, the idea that rights can come from a non-earthly authority may seem absurd. As a nonbeliever myself, I have been asked how I reconcile my skepticism with a belief in natural rights.
My answer is simple: I choose to.
Historian Tom Holland tweeted, “This is the bind post-Christian America finds itself in. It can no longer appeal to a Creator as the author of its citizens’ rights, so it has to pretend that these rights somehow have an inherent existence: a notion requiring no less of a leap of faith than does belief in God.”
No less, but no more. Just as an atheist or agnostic accepts that it’s wrong to steal or murder, they can also accept that humans have an inherent right to free speech and self-defense. History, experience, and our innate sense of the world tell us that these rights benefit individuals and humanity as a whole. It is a rational belief.
To me, it is morally and rationally clear that the liberties rooted in thousands of years of tradition are far more important than the whims of the modern electorate or the dictates of the state. While the extent of rights is still debated, I don’t need a Ph.D. in philosophy to understand that preserving life and protecting freedom of expression are self-evident universal rights, unlike forcing taxpayers to fund someone’s “reproductive justice.”
John Locke, as far as I understand, argued along similar lines, although he believed that these rights were bestowed by God. Even though I don’t believe my rights were granted by a higher power, I still act as if they were. It’s the only way for the Constitution to function.
However, can a contemporary leftist, who views the state as the source of decency and a tool of compulsion, accept that mankind has been given a set of liberties by God, regardless of race, class, or political beliefs? I’m not so sure they can anymore.
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How does the belief in the inherent dignity and value of every human being intersect with the concept of human rights being rooted in something greater than ourselves
Divine foundation for its rights and yet it clings to a belief in those rights. It must now construct an earthly foundation, but it cannot escape that the concept of human rights seems to have been beamed to Earth from some other galaxy entirely, and beamed it was by a religious faith.”
In other words, even if one does not believe in a higher power, the idea of fundamental human rights is deeply rooted in our society and cannot be dismissed. Whether it is called “Christian nationalism” or simply the recognition that our rights come from a source beyond the government, it is a principle that has shaped our nation since its inception.
Instead of dismissing “Christian nationalism” as extreme or dangerous, perhaps we should recognize its importance in protecting the freedoms we hold dear. It is not an attempt to force any particular religious belief upon others, but rather an acknowledgement that our individual rights are inherent and cannot be taken away by any earthly authority.
So next time you hear the term “Christian nationalism” being used in a negative light, remember that it is not a threat to our democracy, but rather a reminder of the principles that have made our country what it is today. And whether we are believers or nonbelievers, let us all uphold the belief in the inherent dignity and value of every human being and the recognition that our rights are rooted in something greater than ourselves.
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