Church & State 250: Christian Nationalism and the Question of Who Belongs

What does “Christian nationalism” actually mean, and how can people tell the difference between public faith, patriotism, and a political project built around power?

Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry, two leading sociologists of religion and politics, join Pastor Josh Burtram and Will Wright to explain Christian nationalism as a cultural framework that fuses a particular kind of Christianity with American civic life. They discuss how survey data connects Christian nationalism with attitudes about race, immigration, voting access, authoritarianism, gender, and who really belongs in America.

The conversation also clarifies why they often use the phrase “white Christian nationalism,” what critics misunderstand or misrepresent, and why public prayer or Christians voting their values is not the same thing as Christian nationalism. This is a practical guide to understanding one of the most important forces shaping American politics, churches, and democracy today.

Guest Bio

Andrew L. Whitehead is a professor of sociology at Indiana University Indianapolis and one of the leading scholars of Christian nationalism in the United States. Samuel L. Perry is the Sam K. Viersen Presidential Professor of Sociology at the University of Oklahoma. Together, they co-authored Taking America Back for God, one of the most influential empirical studies of Christian nationalism in America. Perry is also the co-author of The Flag and the Cross, and Whitehead is the author of American Idolatry. Their work helps this episode explain Christian nationalism as a measurable social framework connected to race, democracy, religious identity, and political power.

Book Mentioned

Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States by Andrew L. Whitehead and Samuel L. Perry

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