Part 1: A Misguided Mission
I’ve been hearing about a trending ideology called “Christian Nationalism.” It’s held by people who believe the United States was founded as a Christian nation, so only Christians should hold government leadership positions.
Glenn Rogers addresses this in his November 30, 2025 Dallas Morning News essay. There he expresses concern about a “Seven Mountains Mandate.” This mandate, he explains, “is part of a hyper-politicized theology which teaches that Christian believers should control seven spheres of society: religion, family, education, government, media, arts/entertainment, and business. It doesn’t just teach Christians to contribute to those spheres, but to dominate them.”
A Christian myself, I believe that those following this theology have a well-intentioned aim: bringing heaven-like living down to earth. After all, if everyone did have a heartfelt desire to follow the Ten Commandments and Jesus’ teaching, our existence really would be much more peaceful and pleasant than our current reality. Nobody would cheat or steal; or suffer fraud, rape, slander, or other kinds of cruelty. We would enjoy a fulfilled life, each becoming the person they were created to be.
But this is a country of many different spiritual beliefs, including agnosticism and downright atheism. Many decent folks simply don’t recognize all the biblical standards that guide the Christian community. Nor does the law require them to. How can that “Christian Nation” thing happen here?
Well, Christian Nationalists say we must fight for political power and enact Christian laws. Rogers’ piece runs that idea through John Wesley’s framework for understanding the Christian faith: primarily Scripture, but also tradition, reason, and experience. Rogers writes, “Reason and experience have proved that using Scripture for political gain or using politics to advance a narrow Christian doctrine results in a movement toward more power for the few but away from the love of Christ for all.”
However logical and well-intended this objective may be, it has backfired wherever it has been achieved. Like hitting the bulls-eye. . . of the wrong target. But why?
In the first place, Jesus never told his followers to seek control of their government, nor ever told them to fight. That’s especially clear in the gospel of John, chapter 18. He even scolded one of his followers for trying to defend him from being arrested. At his trial, when Pontius Pilate asked whether he was the king of the Jews, Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, my kingdom is not of this realm.”
Let that sink in. The true followers of Jesus are NOT fighting for earthly control. That can only mean that if you try to serve Jesus by seeking to put all political power into the hands of the Christian church, you’re barking up the wrong tree. Chasing an objective that Jesus specifically refused.
Currently, many actions and attitudes that the Christian Bible calls “sin” do not violate US law. Malicious gossip about a neighbor? (They deserve it.) Cheat on your spouse? (Hurtful, but legal.) Gluttony, drunkenness? (Yawn.) Brutally insulting anyone who disagrees with you? (Now a national pastime.)
Do I feel frustrated when our society accepts or even celebrates sin? Yes. But what if Christians really did gain every government office, and arranged all our laws to make every sin (as defined in the Bible) illegal, punishable by fines or imprisonment? Would that make us a truly “Christian nation?”
I’ll answer that question with another: What if Muslims held every American public office, and enforced Islamic law on everyone in the country? Would that make the US a Muslim nation? If you’re a Christian, would your beliefs convert to Islam? Surely we would soon recognize that while top-down coercion might produce outward compliance, it will never change a person’s heart or beliefs.
Then if political power can’t convert anyone to Christianity, how are we to influence our society for good? A parable of Jesus answers: “The kingdom of heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”
You don’t force a dense blob of bread dough to become a puffy loaf. You just set the pan somewhere warm to relax. The dough will soon double in size and actually look like a loaf. The yeast, activated by warm water, quietly infiltrates the dough.
Infiltrating society with joy, love, grace, integrity, kindness, and other Christlike traits produces a gentle influence, like giving out free samples. Think of offering fresh-squeezed orange juice to someone who’s only ever tasted “orange” as Kool-Aid or soda.
Force cannot persuade. People must choose Christianity, or not, for themselves.
So, what are we inviting them to choose? According to the Christian faith, Jesus was the only human being who never committed any sin. No wrong thought, word, or action. Yet he came to earth specifically to sacrifice his life, taking the punishment that everyone in the world deserved—everyone except him. His end game was to provide so people could, as he said, “have life, and have it abundantly”—anyone who would believe him and acknowledge their need.
I’ve found life in step with Jesus much more vibrant and fulfilling than any other way of living. I want to give out “free samples” by demonstrating that kind of life. Some will continue to prefer the substitute, but others will turn to Him once they “taste” or observe that vibrance.
I’ll deal with some specific issues I see in Christian Nationalism next time in
Part 2: Who, Me—Out of Step With Jesus?
Thanks for reading,
Jan
Jan C Johnson, Author 