Is America A Christian Nation?: 3 Scholars Examine Faith And The Founding
In recent years, “Christian Nationalism” has become a ubiquitous term in American political discussion. It is said by many with fear and loathing and by others with great excitement and conviction.
Among the enthusiasts are Doug Wilson, who is the pastor of Pete Hegseth, the current Secretary of War. And it’s not just Hegseth who has ties to the ideology. House Speaker Mike Johnson has also been described as a Christian Nationalist. And many members of Trump’s administration and the pro-Trump media have flirted with the idea that Christians and, maybe more accurately, the Bible, ought to be the guiding force behind the government’s actions.
Last month, President Trump hosted Rededicate 250, an event which sought to, in the administration’s own words, “rededicate America as One Nation under God.”
But as much as Christian Nationalism has become an emotional buzzword, the belief system it describes has varied over time—and the current MAGA-adjacent evangelical iteration is only a small piece of the story of how Christianity and American society have pushed and pulled on each other for centuries.
As we recognize the U.S.’s 250th birthday, the question of whether or not America is a Christian nation or whether or not it was intended to be one continues to show its face in social media feeds, newspapers, podcasts, pulpits and schoolrooms.
To sort through the complicated relationship between Jesus and Uncle Sam, Joseph Holmes sat down with three American Christian professors, Matthew Parks, Joseph Loconte and David Corbin. The trio talked about whether or not the U.S. is a Christian country and to what extent Christian beliefs ought to influence political decisions.
If you’d like to hear more from our guests today, you can listen to the “Democracy in America Today” podcast, which is hosted by David Corbin and Matt Parks. Joseph Loconte has written several books, but he is most well known for his writings on C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, the most recent of which was 2025’s “The War For Middle Earth.”
You can listen to the Religion Unplugged podcast on Apple, Spotify and YouTube.
Matthew Peterson is Religion Unplugged’s podcast editor and audience development coordinator. He took part in this past summer’s European Journalism Institute held in Prague, an annual program co-sponsored by The Media Project.