Christian Nationalism: becoming all things to no men

Christian Nationalists appear to believe, in practice, that the truism "in all things (including in the state) God should be obeyed" is a truth that trumps all others, and erases and obliterates all other considerations.

When Christ was on the earth, he was asked by a man (in Luke 12:13-14) to give him assistance with obtaining his rightful inheritance from his brother. Christ asked the man what this concern had to do with him.

When the Corinthian church wrote to Paul about marriage (1 Corinthians 7), amongst the many things Paul had to say, he reminded his readers that "the form of this world is passing away" and on this basis included the exhortation "that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none".

Jesus informed Pilate that his kingdom was not of this world (John 18) - one of the major themes of John's gospel is that it is of heaven, and thus is superior. Christians of a theocratic persuasion like to point this out if someone should mis-use the verse to imply that that the church has nothing to say to the world outside; but they seem to miss the corollary that Jesus drew from his own observation: "If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight." Since the kingdom is not of this world, it does not operate in a worldly way.

There are things which belong to Caesar, even though Caesar is a thorough-going pagan, and in this age, the correct response to that  is to render those things to Caesar. The small-print to that does not say, "whilst making clear your contempt for him, and giving him a lecture" (see Romans 13).

The fact that our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20) does not only affect the future; if affects our outlook on the present too. Paul wrote those words whilst unjustly a prisoner for the gospel's sake. Whilst he did on appropriate occasions call for his rights as a Roman citizen to be honoured, he entirely omitted to make a major, or even a minor, part of his apostolic ministry calling for the crown rights of King Jesus to have the laws altered to be more reflective of biblical law. Why is this fact treated as of no ultimate significance? What do Christian Nationalists know that Paul misunderstood?

When Paul wrote to Timothy, he gave him a word that would be profitable if considered with wisdom: "No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier." If you are called to be a pastor, or gospel worker who in some manner represents the kingdom of God, then you are warned to avoid being "[entangled] with the affairs of this life", on pain of displeasing the one who called you. No one should attempt to do this, even if they consider themselves very wise and astute political pundits.

The Corinthians (1 Corinthians chapter 6) were rebuked for their use of the secular courts. The rebuke did not entail that all such use was automatically ungodly. We must consider the reasons given. The reasons given are that the church is a superior kingdom which transcends those overseen by the ungodly. For the church to ask the ungodly to be our judges is to deny who we are. Christian Nationalists do not ask the ungodly to judge church disputes; but they do, in practice, testify through their actions and allocation of energy and resources that the great drama of this world is centred around who has gained the upper hand in the things of this life. There are the things we should fight over and be known for fighting over.

Paul knew a lot of things, and had the great privilege of being Christ's apostle. He had great spiritual gifts, and had received great revelations (see 2 Corinthians 12). Happily for him and for us, he was also a man who knew what his calling was. He was called to the work of calling, shepherding, teaching and guarding the flock of Christ. To this end, he became "all things to all men". Amongst Jews, though free from Jewish regulations, he lived as if he were a Jew, accepting things that were indifferent to him, so that the focus of his Jewish hearers could be drawn not to things of comparative indifference, but to Jesus, the crucified and risen Messiah. Amongst Gentiles, though he was himself a Jew, he lived as if he were a Gentile, so that the focus of his Gentile hearers could not be drawn to the strangeness of Jewish things of indifference,  but to Jesus, the crucified and risen Messiah.

If Paul were with us today, he would avoid like the plague being associated with a campaign to have pastors and churches telling law-makers how they should legislate the kingdoms of this world, and telling those kingdoms that they speak on behalf of Christ. He would, as he did when he was with us, be following his Master who, though actually being himself the Son of God and heir of all things, took the form of a humble servant so that sinners might understand how much God loves them.

Christian Nationalism is a prideful and repugnant doctrine which takes the words of men who gave up their rights and became all things to all men so that they might be saved, and instead takes a public stand, demanding our rights (supposedly in the name of Jesus), associating him with a stance and outlook utterly foreign to his actual servant mission and plan. As Christians, we may respectfully present our reasons to our rulers for considering wise and God-pleasing laws. What we may not do is have the church of Jesus Christ known as a place that thinks it should be running the present age, and falsely demanding or implying that this is the church's right or calling. Those who are called to take up the cross and follow Jesus may not also become Christian Nationalists.