{"id":2183586,"date":"2024-02-22T06:28:01","date_gmt":"2024-02-22T11:28:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dont-let-the-christian-nationalist-slur-shame-you-into-hiding-your-faith\/"},"modified":"2024-02-22T06:37:24","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T11:37:24","slug":"dont-let-the-christian-nationalist-slur-shame-you-into-hiding-your-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dont-let-the-christian-nationalist-slur-shame-you-into-hiding-your-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"Don&#8217;t be shamed into hiding your faith by the &#8216;Christian Nationalist&#8217; slur"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdont-let-the-christian-nationalist-slur-shame-you-into-hiding-your-faith%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2183586&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<h2>A Battle for Faith: Standing Strong in the Face of Attacks<\/h2>\n<p>A concerted effort is underway among \u200cleftist and self-styled progressive Christians to take faithful believers out of the\u2063 game culturally and politically.<\/p>\n<p>Politico came out swinging on Tuesday with the tired \u201cChristian nationalist\u201d slur in \u2062an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/02\/20\/donald-trump-allies-christian-nationalism-00142086\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">article<\/a> about\u2062 a second Donald Trump term. It intended to shame conservatives who \u201cbelieve that the country was founded as a Christian nation and that Christian values should be prioritized throughout government and public life\u201d \u2014 in other words, mainstream Christians.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The\u2062 Politico article closely followed last week\u2019s release of the \u200cRob Reiner-backed \u201cGod and Country\u201d documentary, which also uses the \u201cChristian nationalist\u201d moniker and B-roll of so-called \u201cultra-MAGA Republicans\u201d to scare viewers \u200baway from <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/megbasham\/status\/1759731832046723318\">basic Christian beliefs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Just before that\u200d came the\u2063 \u201cHe Gets Us\u201d Super Bowl foot-washing ad, which twisted Jesus\u2019 teaching on the \u200dcleansing\u2064 of \u2063sin to paint politically engaged conservative Christians, such as vocal pro-lifers, as hateful. \u2063As\u200b The Daily\u200b Wire\u2019s Megan Basham <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/megbasham\/status\/1756905564070694949\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a> on\u2062 X, \u201c[E]very foot washer in the scenes \u200cwhere a political subtext was present was someone who would be\u200d perceived as conservative (including the one that differentiated the foot washer \u2064from prolife protestors outside an abortion clinic). And this\u2062 was juxtaposed\u200c against \u2062the message \u2018Jesus Didn\u2019t Teach Hate.\u2019 So the inference \u2064seems to be that\u2064 the\u200d stereotypical conservative \u200bChristian in those scenarios practices hate, \u2062unlike Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These aren\u2019t the first three examples, and they won\u2019t be the\u200c last. \u200bFor much more tangible attacks, look at how Joe Biden\u2019s\u2064 Justice Department has gone after Christians \u200das \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/08\/09\/unredacted-fbi-memo-contradicts-christopher-wrays-claim-only-a-single-field-office-targeted-traditional-catholics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">domestic terrorists<\/a>\u201d and targeted pro-life parents like \u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/01\/30\/dad-of-11-convicted-for-praying-at-abortion-facility-alongside-5-other-pro-lifers-targeted-by-doj\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">this father \u2064of 11<\/a>, who was recently convicted for praying outside an abortion\u200d facility\u200c and now faces up to 11 years behind bars and potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.<\/p>\n<p>The goal of all these assaults, whether verbal or legal, \u2064is the\u2063 same.\u2063 It\u2019s to bully faithful Christians out of participation in public\u200b life.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>If you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-are-playing-right-into-democrats-hand-on-gay-marriage\/\" title=\"Republicans Are Playing Right Into Democrats\u2019 Hand On Gay Marriage\">defend traditional marriage<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/peaceful-montana-pro-life-advocate-vindicated-after-erroneous-unconstitutional-charges\/\" title=\"Peaceful Montana Pro-Life Advocate Vindicated After Erroneous, Unconstitutional Charges\">unborn human life<\/a>, \u2063national sovereignty, the immutability\u200d of\u2063 the sexes, the \u200cimportance of virtue in self-government, the risks of oral contraception, \u200dor the divine origins of life and liberty \u2014 Politico attacks\u2062 all of\u200b these \u2014 you\u2019re a \u201cChristian nationalist.\u201d Don\u2019t oppose \u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/02\/21\/doj-allegedly-interferes-in-late-term-abortion-investigation-while-biden-campaigns-on-three-trimester-abortion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pro-abortion Democrats<\/a> or protest Planned Parenthood\u2019s profit- and <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/08\/26\/nazis-and-eugenics-brought-us-chemical-abortion-heres-proof\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">eugenics-motivated<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/02\/20\/pro-abortion-leftists-are-mad-that-texas-heartbeat-law-saved-thousands-of-nonwhite-babies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">killings<\/a>, or you could be <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/01\/30\/dad-of-11-convicted-for-praying-at-abortion-facility-alongside-5-other-pro-lifers-targeted-by-doj\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ripped from your newly impoverished family<\/a> for a \u2062decade. If you take your\u200b faith seriously, you\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/08\/09\/unredacted-fbi-memo-contradicts-christopher-wrays-claim-only-a-single-field-office-targeted-traditional-catholics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">on par with bombers and mass shooters<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The aim is to threaten and harass \u200dand shame \u2014 so that when you count the cost of\u200b faithfulness, you\u200d conclude it\u2019s too high.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not talking about necessarily a formal and total renunciation of the faith. Those hurling\u200d the \u201cChristian nationalist\u201d insult aim not immediately to apostatize but first to neuter you, to\u2064 make you think twice before you protest pornography in your library, \u200brun for \u2064school board, post about border security on Facebook, or vote for Republicans. The amount of embarrassment you feel about your religious beliefs shares an inverse relationship with your ability to convert those beliefs into political realities.<\/p>\n<p>So how are Christians to react to these attacks? First, if it\u2019s not clear already, reject \u200dyour ideological opponents\u2019 mischaracterization of you. Frankly, the \u201cChristian nationalism\u201d label is lazy and meaningless.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Sure, some misguided folks on the right side of the political aisle count \u200ctheir American citizenship as more important than a\u2063 heavenly one. However, \u2063not only is this\u2064 phenomenon incalculably more prevalent among non-Christian \u200cleftists \u2014 whose \u200bso-called social justice crusades and woke struggle \u2064sessions are <strong>undeniably<\/strong> \u2063 religious \u2014 but it\u2019s also not what detractors are \u200dactually\u200b talking about when they \u200cspeak of \u201cChristian \u200dnationalism.\u201d As Politico and\u200c \u201cGod &#038; Country\u201d make abundantly clear, by \u201cChristian nationalism,\u201d they\u200c mean <strong>any<\/strong> effort by Christians to vote and live according to their faith. Period.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Let\u2019s\u2062 not forget, <strong>Jesus \u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=John%2015%3A18-25&#038;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">explicitly told<\/a> his followers \u200dthey would be hated<\/strong>. And \u2064not because \u200cthey were hateful or hypocritical, but \u200bbecause the world \u2063hated Jesus and his message first.\u2063 As long as we\u2019re faithfully following Jesus, in <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Romans+10&#038;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">repentance for our sin and the belief that we desperately need His saving grace alone<\/a><\/strong>, we don\u2019t need to take the \u2063word of our self-interested critics for why \u2064they don\u2019t like us. Jesus plainly told us why we\u2019d be persecuted, whether by \u2063character assassinations or literal ones.<\/p>\n<p>Second, learn how to live in exile. Contrary \u2062to Politico\u2019s \u2062claims, America was\u2063 indeed founded on Judeo-Christian principles with the understanding that effective self-government\u200c works only among a moral and virtuous \u200bpeople. Oh, how far we\u2019ve drifted.\u2062 We now live \u2064in what writer Aaron Renn astutely <a href=\"https:\/\/www.firstthings.com\/article\/2022\/02\/the-three-worlds-of-evangelicalism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">describes<\/a> as\u2063 the \u2063\u201cnegative world,\u201d \u200bwhere \u201c[b]eing known as a Christian is a\u200b social negative, particularly in the\u2063 elite domains of \u00adsociety. Christian morality is expressly repudiated and seen as a threat to the public good and the new public moral\u2063 order. Subscribing to Christian moral views or violating the secular\u200b moral \u200border brings negative consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>True Christians don\u2019t make up the majority or the in-group. We\u2019re in a form of 21st-century exile, and thus \u2064God\u2019s commands to his people Israel while they were in exile in Babylon are instructive:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Thus says the \u200bLORD of\u200d hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I\u200d have sent into\u200d exile \u200cfrom Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; \u200ctake\u200c wives for your sons, and give your daughters in\u2063 marriage,\u200b that they \u2064may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you\u2063 into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.<\/p>\n<p><cite><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=jeremiah+29%3A4-7&#038;version=ESV\">Jeremiah 29: 4-7<\/a><\/cite>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In other words,\u200c when \u200dyou are not in control, trust in <strong>God\u2019s<\/strong> control and be faithful in the ordinary things.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGod says for Israel to get rooted:\u2064 to build houses, plant gardens, and \u200bbuild\u2063 families,\u201d \u2064writes\u2062 Andrew T. Walker, a Christian ethics professor and Ethics and Public Policy Center fellow, in his new book <em><a href=\"https:\/\/erlc.com\/resource-library\/guides\/a-christian-guide-to-political-engagement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">A Christian Guide to Political Engagement<\/a><\/em>. It\u2019s an easy-to-digest, catechism-style guide that every\u200b Christian should read. \u201cGod calls [the exiles] back to \u200dhis original plan and\u2062 creation mandate. \u2026 [B]e fruitful,\u2062 multiply, steward the world \u2064around you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Walker continues: \u201c[P]olitics is\u200d how we arrange ourselves in society for the sake of justice and mutual benefit. In\u200d this way, politics\u2063 is very \u2062ordinary. It consists of the small, daily actions\u2062 of citizens stewarding the parts of creation order that are meant to be honored: life, family,\u2063 and engagement in society.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So as the apostle Paul urges in his\u200c letter to the Galatians, \u201cLet us not grow weary in doing good.\u201d Follow God\u2019s designed order. Remain faithful and \u2064engaged in the seemingly humdrum acts of your life, not \u200bonly getting married and having children but stewarding your physical and political \u200csurroundings for them. And reject the lie that your faithfulness is shameful.<\/p>\n<p>The people peddling that lie would love nothing \u2063more than for you to take it to heart.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How can we effectively \u200bengage \u2063in \u200dconversations and defend our faith in a \u2063society that holds different \u200cbeliefs?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  But give your\u200b daughters in\u2064 marriage, that they may bear sons\u200c and daughters; multiply there, and\u200d do not decrease. \u2063But seek \u2062the welfare of the\u200c city where \u200dI have sent you into\u200c exile, and \u2062pray\u200c to the \u2063Lord on\u200c its behalf, \u200bfor in its welfare you will find your welfare. (Jeremiah 29:4-7 ESV)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As \u200bexiles\u200b in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/macarthur-the-end-of-frivolous-religion\/\" title=\"MacArthur: The End of Frivolous Religion?\">secular society<\/a>, we are\u2062 called to engage in the world, to\u2064 build, to plant, to grow \u2064families, and to seek the welfare of the\u2064 place where we reside. We\u2062 are not meant to withdraw from\u2064 the culture or hide our faith, but rather to actively \u200ccontribute to the\u200c flourishing of \u2063society. We do \u2062this \u200dby living out our convictions and demonstrating \u200bthe\u200c transformative power of the gospel in our lives.<\/p>\n<p>Third, equip \u2062yourself with knowledge and understanding.\u2062 It is crucial to be well-informed about the \u200dissues at\u200b hand, whether \u200dthey\u200b be political, cultural, or theological. Understanding the arguments\u2062 and the opposing viewpoints \u200bwill enable you to engage in meaningful conversations and defend your faith effectively. This includes studying \u2063the Bible,\u200b theology, \u200chistory, and current\u200d events. Seek out reliable sources \u200dand\u200c engage in respectful dialogue with\u200d those who hold different beliefs.<\/p>\n<p>Fourth, foster\u200b community and accountability. Surround yourself with fellow believers who\u2062 will encourage and support you in your faith. Together, you\u200b can navigate the challenges and stand strong amidst the attacks. Regularly gather for \u200cworship, prayer, \u200cand study, \u200dand \u200chold one another accountable to live out\u2064 the teachings of Christ in \u2063all areas of life.<\/p>\n<p>Fifth, rely on the power\u2064 of prayer. Prayer is not just a passive activity but a\u2062 powerful\u2063 weapon in\u2063 the spiritual battle we face. Pray for strength, wisdom, and guidance from the Holy Spirit. Pray \u200bfor your enemies and those\u200c who persecute you. And pray for a revival of faith in\u2063 our nation, that hearts may be \u200ctransformed by the gospel.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, remember that our\u200c ultimate hope is not in this world but in the kingdom of God. Our citizenship \u2062is in heaven, \u2064and our allegiance\u2063 is \u200cto Christ. Even in the face\u200c of opposition and persecution, we can find\u2064 comfort and strength \u2062in knowing that our faith is secure and our \u2064eternal destiny is assured.\u2062 As the apostle Peter wrote, \u2064&#8221;Beloved, do not be surprised at\u200c the fiery trial when\u200c it \u200dcomes upon you to test \u200byou, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar\u200d as you \u2064share Christ&#8217;s sufferings, that you may also \u200brejoice and \u200cbe glad when his glory is revealed.&#8221; (1\u2062 Peter 4:12-13\u200b ESV)<\/p>\n<p>So \u200blet us stand firm in \u200bour faith, unswayed\u200d by the attacks\u200d and unyielding in our commitment to follow Christ. Let us be a light\u200d in the darkness, \u200ddemonstrating the love and truth of \u2063the gospel to a\u2064 world in \u2063need. \u200bAnd let us remember\u200c that,\u2062 ultimately, the battle is not ours but the Lord&#8217;s,\u200d and he will give us\u200c the \u200dstrength and \u200cvictory we need.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the battle\u200b for faith \u200dis intensifying in our society,\u2063 with attacks coming from \u200dvarious angles \u2013 politically, culturally, and even legally. However, as faithful believers, we must not be discouraged \u200bor swayed by these attacks. Instead,\u200d we must stand strong, reject \u2062the mischaracterizations \u2064of our \u200cfaith, \u200dlive out our convictions, seek the welfare of our communities, equip ourselves with knowledge and understanding, \u200dfoster community and accountability, rely\u200c on the power \u200cof prayer, and keep our ultimate hope\u2064 in the kingdom of God. \u2064By \u2064doing so, we can face the battle for faith with courage and fortitude, knowing that our faithfulness \u200dwill bring glory to\u2064 God\u2062 and impact the \u2063world around us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A group of leftist and progressive Christians are actively trying to remove devout believers from cultural and political spheres. Politico recently published an article, using the worn-out term &#8220;Christian nationalist,&#8221; to criticize conservatives who support a potential second term for Donald Trump. Their aim is to shame those who believe in the country&#8217;s founding principles<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":994,"featured_media":2183587,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Screenshot-2024-02-21-at-4.16.45%E2%80%AFPM-1024x573.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2183586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Screenshot-2024-02-21-at-4.16.45%E2%80%AFPM-1024x573.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2183586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/994"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2183586"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2183586\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2183587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2183586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2183586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2183586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}