What does it mean to call America a Christian nation?

Tom Ascol delves into the complex topic of Christian nationalism, likening it to a wax nose that can be shaped to fit various agendas. Ascol questions the notion of America being in a special covenant with God, similar to Israel, and rejects extravagant political claims that suggest America has a divine destiny above other nations. He emphasizes that while America is a nation under God like any other, it does not have a unique covenantal relationship with Him.

Exploring definitions of Christian nationalism, Ascol finds it useful to adopt Paul Miller's perspective, which acknowledges America as an independent nation founded on Christian values. He agrees with the idea that it is the responsibility of both the government and the people to preserve these values today. While America was indeed founded by individuals who desired to honor God, Ascol acknowledges its imperfections, urging a balanced view that recognizes both historical sins and the nation's Christian influences.

Proverbs 14:34 (NKJV): "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people."

Christian nationalism is like a wax nose that people put on whatever face they want in order to make the case they want to make. So, it's one of those terms that I never agreed to without asking, what do you mean by that? Very often the meaning behind the question is political. It's taken from some of the more extravagant political claims that have been made by some politicians that America is a nation in covenant with God just like Israel was or that America has a destiny above all other nations in God's eternal purposes, I reject those things. I think America is a nation without a doubt as are other nations but we are obligated to God just like every nation is obligated to God, but we are not in any kind of special covenantal relationship with God.

And that's the debate even among some Christians today because of the way the pilgrims came over here in establishing this nation as we know it today. How do I define it? Well, I found it to be helpful to use the critics definitions. And so Paul Miller, who wrote a book called the religion of American greatness and as Christian, what's wrong with Christian nationalism or something like that in the subtitle. Paul Miller defines Christian nationalism as the belief that America is an independent nation, which I'll say amen to that, and that it was founded as a Christian nation or on Christian values and that it's the responsibility of the government and the people to preserve and promote those Christian cultures and values today, to which I would say amen.

I think that is right. I think it is legitimate. I think it's beyond question that America was established by those who desired to honor God, even the deists in the early years of the colonial life of America, like Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson would be called a Christian nationalist today, though he was not a Christian at all. And so yes, America has a Christian founding, and that culture that grew out of our founding has been a great blessing under God.

Was it perfect? Not at all. And one of the things that happens today in this whole debate is that critics will look at some of the excessive sins in America, crimes in America, things that happen with chattel slavery and Jim Crow and all of those things are there and we don't need to close our eyes to them pretend like they're not there and what happens though in the debate is that those things are used to say see there America is wicked America needs to be destroyed And what I want to say in response is compared to what? Compared to utopia? Of course.

Compared to heaven? Of course. Compared to Haiti? I don't think so. Compared to some other nations throughout history and around the world?

No. We can look comparatively speaking and see that in this fallen world God has been incredibly good to the nation of America and there was a Christian influence. I believe that the Great Awakening was used by God to preserve America from going the route that we see taking place in France. I think you can make the same case about the Evangelical Awakening in England. They kept England from becoming what France became in their bloody revolution.

So we have many reasons to thank God for this heritage. We have a constitutional republic unlike most of the nations throughout history and around the world and that constitutional republic has embedded within it a recognition that we have rights that are unalienable and these unalienable rights are to be recognized and preserved by our government system. They're not granted by government, They are recognized and preserved and protected by government. So as Christians who know this and know where those rights come from, we ought to be standing firm and calling upon this nation to honor its heritage, to honor the God under whom we live, the God before whom one day just like Nineveh, just like Babylon, just like Egypt, just like every other nation in the world will give an account.