My Country, or My King? The PCA's Stand Against Christian Nationalism
TL;DR: A major evangelical denomination's denouncement of Christian nationalism provides a crucial opportunity for the American church to disentangle its faith from political idolatry and recommit to the transnational kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Conflating the cross and the flag has always been a dangerous game for the church, and we are seeing the consequences play out in real-time.
That’s why it was so significant when, just last week, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), a major conservative evangelical denomination, advanced a report denouncing Christian nationalism and racism. This wasn't a liberal mainline group making a predictable statement. This was a clear call from within the evangelical family to examine an ideology that has quietly, and then not so quietly, woven itself into the fabric of the American church.
As a software developer who builds FaithGPT, a husband and father, and a small group leader, I've seen the confusion this causes firsthand. Good, sincere believers are being told that their faithfulness to Christ must be expressed through a specific brand of nationalistic politics. The PCA's action provides a much-needed moment of clarity.
What is Christian nationalism, really?
It’s important to define our terms. Christian nationalism is not simply patriotism. It’s not just loving your country or being grateful to be an American. I am. It is the belief that America is, and should be, a “Christian nation” in a formal, privileged sense, and that the government’s role is to secure and advance this identity.
At its heart, it fuses two distinct identities, Christian and American, into one. The danger is that the national identity eventually overrides the biblical one. The mission of the church shifts from making disciples of all nations to preserving the perceived Christian character of one nation. This is a profound and dangerous theological error.
A different kingdom
The Bible’s vision for God’s people is radically different. It’s not centered on a nation-state, a political party, or a cultural identity. It’s centered on a person: Jesus Christ. When questioned by the ultimate earthly authority of his day, Pontius Pilate, Jesus made the nature of his rule clear.
Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
John 18:36 (KJV)
This single verse dismantles the entire premise of Christian nationalism. The Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world operate with different sources of power, different missions, and demand a different allegiance. One is eternal, transnational, and built on the shed blood of Christ; the other is temporal, bordered, and built on political power.
Here’s how they stack up:
Feature · The Kingdom of God · Christian Nationalism
King · Jesus Christ · The Nation-State (as an agent of “God’s will”)
Citizenship · By faith in Christ, born again · By birth or national identity
Mission · The Great Commission (making disciples of all nations) · Advancing a specific national interest and culture
Power · The Holy Spirit, love, sacrifice · Political, military, and cultural coercion
Allegiance · First to Christ and His Church · First to country, often conflated with faith
When we merge the two, we don’t Christianize the nation; we nationalize Christianity. We trade our birthright for a bowl of political stew.
Answering the strongest objection
Now, the strongest counter-argument I hear is this: “Aren’t Christians supposed to be salt and light? Shouldn't we engage in politics and seek to influence our country for good?”
Absolutely. We are citizens of two kingdoms. We have a responsibility to love our neighbors, seek justice, and participate in civic life faithfully. But there is a massive difference between acting as Christian citizens within a nation and demanding that the nation itself be declared Christian in its identity.
Salt and light influence from the inside out through service, integrity, and gospel witness, not from the top down through political coercion. Christian nationalism seeks to wield power to enforce a Christianized culture. The gospel calls us to lay down power to serve others. Learning to tell these two things apart is a critical task for our time, requiring careful thought about Christian decision-making.
The real danger: Idolatry
The PCA report rightly connected Christian nationalism with racism. Why? Because any ideology that elevates a national or ethnic identity to a place of primary importance will inevitably create an “us vs. them.” It idolizes one’s own tribe.
The gospel does the exact opposite. It creates a new humanity in Christ where “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). The church is God’s multicultural family, a preview of the great multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and tongue who will one day stand before the throne.
Christian nationalism is a counterfeit gospel that offers a counterfeit unity based on shared nationality instead of shared faith in Christ. Defending the true gospel from ideological competitors is a core task of Christian apologetics today.
Where we go from here
I’m grateful for the clarity from the PCA. But a report is just a starting point. The real work happens in our small groups, our pews, and our personal conversations.
We must patiently, lovingly, and biblically disentangle the gospel from political idolatry. This involves teaching our people that our primary citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). It means showing them that the church's mission transcends every border. It requires a robust Christian ethic that places love for God and neighbor above love for party or nation.
This is a place where tools can help. Not to replace pastors or the Holy Spirit, but to equip believers. If you are trying to understand what Scripture says about the Kingdom of God versus earthly kingdoms, you can use FaithGPT to explore passages like Romans 13, 1 Peter 2, or Revelation 5. You can ask for summaries of a biblical view of government and get clear, gospel-centered insights to help you form your convictions from Scripture.
The church's witness is not preserved by grasping for earthly power, but by clinging to a crucified King.
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