1. Christian Nationalists (or Christian Patriots) are Christians, before anything else, we profess to be followers of Jesus Christ and his Apostles. One cannot be a Christian Nationalist, unless one is first a Christian, but it is possible for non-Christians to be friendly and sympathetic toward the Christian Nationalist movement. Christianity is not limited to any race, ethnicity or culture (1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:27-29). Therefore, Christian Nationalism cannot be limited to any race, ethnicity or culture. As Christians, following in obedience to the command of Jesus Christ to go and make disciples of all nations, our primary goal is to always preach the gospel of Jesus Christ first (Matthew 28:19-20). Then, after we have attained enough Christians in our nation, we are obliged to peacefully order our state governments in such a way as to help Christianity grow and flourish in our states without restrictions. This is in obedience to our Lord and his command. The purpose of government, from a Christian perspective, is to preserve and protect the Christian understanding of civilization, otherwise known as Christendom (Proverbs 8:15, Daniel 2:21, Daniel 4:17, Romans 12:21; Romans 13:1-2), as opposed to such things as the Marxist understanding of civilization, or the Islamic understanding.
2. Christendom has always supported secularity but not secularism. Secularity is understood as a functional separation between church and state, government and religion. However, this separation is not absolute. Under secularity, religion can still play a large role in government, and government is not used to quash religion’s role in society. That is not to be misunderstood as to say the church and the state are one in the same. Such a theocratic concept was not supported by our Lord (John 18:36). Christians are integralists not theocrats, in that we have always favored two separate institutions, one for religion (the church) and one for government (the state). The first institution (the church) is a voluntary association. The second institution (the state) is a mandatory association, in that all must obey its laws. While the institutions are separate, the church may still influence the state under secularity. In contrast, Secularism is the absolute separation of church and state, wherein religion is expected to keep out of politics entirely, and wherever the government advances, religion must retreat. Since the government promoting secularism tends to advance everywhere, religion is often forced back into the four walls of a church building, and Christians are often told to keep their religious beliefs out of politics entirely. Such a mindset is incompatible with the Great Commission given by Jesus Christ before his ascension into heaven and therefore incompatible with Christianity. Thus, while Christians can embrace a limited form of secularity, we can never consent to the concept of secularism.
3. Christians do not believe in forced or coercive conversion to Christianity. This is inconsistent with our religion’s teaching on “free will” (2 Peter 3:9), and all conversions to Christianity must be voluntary. Therefore, Christians can never support any government law or edict that forcefully coerces people to participate in Christian prayer, ceremonies or acts of worship. This is why non-Christians can freely live in a Christian state. They can operate their own places of worship (synagogues, mosques or temples), without fear of government persecution or harassment. This is also why Christians can adhere to different denominations and affiliations even within Christianity, without fear of the state forcing membership in a particular state church. However, this principle does not apply to the observance of Christian morality. When a certain activity or behavior is found to be a danger to society, and such dangerous activity can be mitigated by law, without the risk of creating a police state (which itself is unchristian), Christians have the moral duty to act, bringing the full force of government to bear
4. These United States of America are a Union of different states, and not a “country” in the proper understanding of the word. Rather, the states themselves are countries, according to the proper understanding, each consenting to delegate some of their own sovereign powers to the federal government for the sake of forming a Union. In these United States, this is called federalism, and it is consistent with the Christian principle of subsidiarity. As Christian Nationalists, we understand this. In a Union of states, one size does not fit all. Therefore, we understand that each state, being properly understood as its own country, has the right and the duty to apply laws as best suits the needs of the people in that state. Thus, Christian Nationalism may look different from state to state, according to the needs of the people therein. As Christian Nationalists, we generally do not seek to apply uniform laws across the entire United States of America, except in the most egregious circumstances, such as for example the legal acceptance of slavery in some states, which our forefathers (abolitionists) sought to abolish, and abortion-on-demand (feticide), which the Pro-Life Movement seeks to eradicate.
5. As Christian Nationalists, we understand these United States of America were once a Union of Protestant Christian states. This is revealed in the original intent of the First Amendment (Bill of Rights) that prohibited the establishment of a federal religion, so as to respect the establishment of state religions which already existed before, during and after these United States were founded as a Union. These United States were founded as a Christian Nation. It was only the federal government that was founded as a secular entity, so as not to infringe upon the established religion of these Christian states…
- Virginia’s state religion was Anglican from 1606 to 1830
- New York’s state religion was Anglican from 1614 to 1846
- Massachusetts’ state religion was Congregationalist from 1629 to 1833
- Maryland’s state religion was Catholic from 1634 to 1650, then Puritan from 1650 to 1658, then Anglican from 1692 to 1867
- Delaware’s state religion was general Protestant from 1637 to 1792
- Connecticut’s state religion was Congregationalist from 1639 to 1818
- New Hampshire’s state religion was Congregationalist from 1539 to 1877
- Rhode Island’s state religion was general Protestant from 1643 to 1842
- Georgia’s state religion was general Protestant from 1732 to 1798
- North Carolina’s state religion was Anglican from 1663 to 1875
- South Carolina’s state religion was Anglican from 1663 to 1868
- Pennsylvania’s state religion was general Protestant from 1681 to 1790
- New Jersey’s state religion was general Protestant from 1702 to 1844
6. Just as the religious makeup of these United States has changed over the centuries, so the definition of Christian Nationalism has changed as well. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, large numbers of Catholics immigrated to the United States. Likewise, many Protestants left their organized denominations and migrated to independent Evangelical churches. American Christianity no longer looks like it once did at the founding of our Christian Nation, but it is still nevertheless a nation of Christian people. Therefore, a modern Christian Nationalist movement must be more generalized and ecumenical in nature. No longer do Christian Nationalists in America seek to establish official state churches or religions, but rather we seek to reestablish states that recognize Jesus Christ as King, the general Christian faith as the foundation of state government, and state laws that reflect (in every way possible and reasonable) Christian morality and charity. To make this possible, two essential things must happen…
- The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution must be repealed.
- The Supreme Court case Everson v. Board of Education (1947) must be overturned.
7. There is not now, nor ever will be, a need to reformulate the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights to restore our Christian Nation. Once items 6.1 and 6.2 of this Declaration are accomplished. The federal government will return to its original position on religion, the way the founding fathers intended, a secular entity governing the Union of Christian states. It was only the Fourteenth Amendment, combined with Everson v. Board of Education (1947), that turned the original US Constitution on its head and converted these United States into a secular nation, promoting secularism at the state level, against the will of the people. After items 6.1 and 6.2 are accomplished, a constitutional opportunity will be opened that will allow Christian Nationalists to begin the work of rewriting state constitutions to recognize Jesus Christ as King while retaining a republican form of government, and/or recognizing the general Christian Faith as the foundation of state government. After that, the long process of reformulating state laws may begin. However, some state laws may be reformulated before items 6.1 and 6.2 are accomplished.
8. Christian Nationalism is more than a political movement. It is also a social and economic movement. It is not enough to simply boycott businesses that oppose our values. As Christian Nationalists, we pledge to support the businesses of other Christians, strengthening our community, and helping each other prosper. Not everyone likes Christians, or what we represent, and this is nothing new. Christians have dealt with discrimination and persecution since our Lord ascended into heaven, and we will continue to deal with it until he returns from on high. As Christians in the United States, we are blessed with the freedom to start our own alternative businesses and associations when faced with discrimination and persecution from others. We pledge to do just that, and some of us have already done so. No Christian should be trapped into a position of having to do business with those who hate us and our movement. This is why we shall innovate in business and commerce, making new associations wherever needed. This is also why we pledge to support those new innovations with our prayers and patronage whenever possible.
Shane Schaetzel is an author of Catholic books and an Evangelical convert to the Catholic Church through Anglicanism. His articles have been featured on LifeSiteNews, ChurchMilitant, The Remnant Newspaper, Forward in Christ, and Catholic Online. You can read Shane’s books at ShaneSchaetzel.Com
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