Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism

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Synopsis

Lately Christian Nationalism has been on the rise in America, and it poses an existential threat to both the Christian Church and America's democratic principles. Many have come to primarily associate this phenomenon with Evangelical Christians, but Mainline Protestants have also been complicit in its rise. Authors Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood take readers through the history of how Mainliners have had a hand in it, from displaying the American flag inside church sanctuaries, to adding "under God" to our Pledge of Allegiance and "In God We Trust" to our money, to making claims that America is a Christian nation. The authors argue that these things, which were largely championed by Mainline Protestants, are not merely an innocuous exercise of civil religion, but that in fact, they've laid the groundwork for the pernicious displays of Christian Nationalism that we now see. They also offer steps for reckoning with this history and moving forward in a healthier way that keeps the church and our country in the proper perspective.

Review

Baptizing America details how Mainline Protestants have had a hand in the recent rise in Christian Nationalism that we've seen in the United States. It begins with an overview of what Christian Nationalism is and how it is a false religious doctrine that has no biblical basis or has anything to do with Jesus. The authors discuss how this ideology has roots in the idea of a civil religion that has been around for a very long time and has been promoted by politicians of all stripes. They then detail how Mainline Protestants were instrumental in bringing church to the state by advocating for prayers in public spaces such as congress and schools. They also detail the history of our Pledge of Allegiance and how the original version did not include the words, "under God," which were added much later, under the leadership of some Mainline Protestants. The same is true of the motto, "In God We Trust," which was added to our money and turned into the official motto of our country long after its founding largely at the behest of Mainline Protestants. They continue by demonstrating how the state was brought into churches through the inclusion of the American flag in many church spaces, hymns that worship America being added to hymnals and services, and politicians and state leaders seeking blessings from churches. The authors also show examples of how both the state and the church have failed to reign in the ideology of Christian Nationalism and instead seem to continue building upon the foundation that was rooted in seemingly innocuous beginnings to create a monster that is now out of control. They wrap up with some suggestions on how Mainline Protestant congregations can reckon with their role in this phenomenon and move forward with more emphasis on Christ and less on America.

I can't recall where I first heard about Baptizing America, but given that I've been attending a Mainline Protestant church for several years now, when I did see it, I thought it sounded interesting. I decided to read it now because my church book club chose it as our latest read and will be hosting a conversation with author Beau Underwood. I'm well aware of how many evangelical churches have been complicit in the rise of Christian Nationalism, but I had no idea just how involved Mainline churches have been in this phenomenon as well. I was surprised to discover that much of the bedrock foundations of Christian Nationalism were built by Mainline politicians who were trying to establish civil religion, which at the time, probably seemed rather benign, but over time has grow into the rampant and sometimes violent ideologies that are now espoused by many so-called Christians, primarily on the right. I was aware that "under God" did not appear in the original Pledge of Allegiance, nor did "In God We Trust" originally appear on our money, but I learned a great deal from this book about how those words being added came about. I also learned a lot about how the American flag and other American symbology entered our holy church spaces.

The only reason I dropped a star on my rating is that there are a lot of names and facts thrown out that were a bit hard for me to keep track of, and the book wasn't quite as engaging as I'd hoped. Otherwise, though, I thought it was a good book. I appreciated all that I learned from it. I also agree wholeheartedly with the authors about how the church, as a whole, really needs a reckoning and repentance over their role in the rise of Christian Nationalist ideology and how we desperately need to separate the church from it's enmeshment with politics. As is, the state is destroying the church's witness and conversely the church in general is destroying democracy. However, a part of me is cynical enough to wonder if this is even possible given how deep the roots go and how far the cancer has already spread. I look forward to our discussion with Rev. Underwood and hope to gain even more insights from that.

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Brian Kaylor

Beau Underwood @ GoodReads