Some Georgia pastors push back against spread of Christian nationalism | Religious News

ATLANTA — The way the Rev. Will Dyer sees it, if pastors aren’t speaking out against Christian nationalism, then they’re making a huge mistake.

Dyer, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia, has addressed the ideology in his sermons and in private conversations with members, cautioning against the philosophy that some say calls for the blending of religion and government.

His stance cost him about 10 members from his congregation, which has an average Sunday attendance of 1,000.

“It’s something I had to do,” Dyer said of his decision to speak on the issue. “It’s a reality in all of our churches and pulpits.”

Christian nationalism has been increasingly showing up in politics and pulpits, polarizing voters and worshippers. Its supporters believe that the U.S. was formed as a Christian nation and the government should work to defend its Christian tenets.

But some take their beliefs to extremes, advocating a weakening or elimination of the separation of church and state.

The nonpartisan Pew Research Center on Oct. 27 released results of a survey of 10,000 U.S. adults on attitudes about religion’s role in public life. It found many supporters define Christian nationalism in broad terms, as the idea that the country is guided by Christian values.

But definitions vary greatly from person to person and can be very complex and nuanced, according to Greg Smith, one of the lead researchers at the Pew. The survey found of those who had heard of the term Christian nationalism, 24% had an unfavorable view; 5% had a favorable view and the rest had no opinion one way or the other or had never heard of it.

“That doesn’t mean though, that there aren’t a larger number of people who might adhere to the beliefs associated with Christian nationalist beliefs,” says Smith.

First Baptist Atlanta senior pastor, the Rev. Anthony George said he prefers to call himself a “patriotic Christian instead of a Christian nationalist.”

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ATLANTA — The way the Rev. Will Dyer sees it, if pastors aren’t speaking out against Christian nationalism, then they’re making a huge mistake.

Dyer, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia, has addressed the ideology in his sermons and in private conversations with members, cautioning against the philosophy that some say calls for the blending of religion and government.

His stance cost him about 10 members from his congregation, which has an average Sunday attendance of 1,000.

“It’s something I had to do,” Dyer said of his decision to speak on the issue. “It’s a reality in all of our churches and pulpits.”

Christian nationalism has been increasingly showing up in politics and pulpits, polarizing voters and worshippers. Its supporters believe that the U.S. was formed as a Christian nation and the government should work to defend its Christian tenets.

But some take their beliefs to extremes, advocating a weakening or elimination of the separation of church and state.

The nonpartisan Pew Research Center on Oct. 27 released results of a survey of 10,000 U.S. adults on attitudes about religion’s role in public life. It found many supporters define Christian nationalism in broad terms, as the idea that the country is guided by Christian values.

But definitions vary greatly from person to person and can be very complex and nuanced, according to Greg Smith, one of the lead researchers at the Pew. The survey found of those who had heard of the term Christian nationalism, 24% had an unfavorable view; 5% had a favorable view and the rest had no opinion one way or the other or had never heard of it.

“That doesn’t mean though, that there aren’t a larger number of people who might adhere to the beliefs associated with Christian nationalist beliefs,” says Smith.

First Baptist Atlanta senior pastor, the Rev. Anthony George said he prefers to call himself a “patriotic Christian instead of a Christian nationalist.”

…continued

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