Ten Minutes in the Story-Week 3
Monday — Faith That Crosses Boundaries
FAQ #1: What is Christian Nationalism?
Christian nationalism fuses religious and national identity, claiming the nation for one cultural group. It asserts that the United States was founded as a Christian nation and should continue to be governed according to what its proponents see as Christian values or biblical principles. We have a proud history and the American experiment of democracy is laudable. But the dangers of Christian nationalism are seen in conflating religious and political authority in an idolatrous way; distorts the mission of the church from love of neighbor to love of poer; contradicts the teaching and example of Jesus. Jesus honors the faith of an outsider, revealing a kingdom not bound by ethnicity, power, or belonging.
Scripture: Matthew 8:5–13
Reflection: Where do you see God honoring faith beyond expected boundaries? How does this challenge how you treat those considered “outside”?
Prayer: God of surprising grace, expand my vision of who belongs in your kingdom. Help me trust your work beyond my assumptions. Amen.
Action: Build relationships where you live. Notice one person you might usually overlook and practice intentional welcome.
Tuesday — Justice That Welcomes All
FAQ #2: How is Christian Nationalism harmful?
Christian nationalism harms people by distorting the gospel by advancing a narrow, exclusive vision of American identity—Christian, white, conservative, and patriarchal—that marginalizes or actively discriminates against others. Christian nationalism is not just focused on holding Christianity above other faith traditions; rather, it uses state power to privilege Christians at the expense of all others. God’s justice creates belonging, not hierarchy.
Scripture: Romans 13:1-7 and Romans 12:1-21
Reflection: How do God’s promises challenge strategies of exclusion? Where might justice require different actions from you today?
Prayer: God of all nations, align my heart with your justice and widen my love beyond comfort. Amen.
Action: Carry this mantra with you during the day: “May mercy, kindness, and humility be in my words and actions today.” If you haven’t been able to listen to Pastor John’s sermon, access it here.
Wednesday — Revisiting the basics
FAQ #3: Are we a Christian nation?
Christian nationalism insists that we are. The first component of Christian nationalism is belief in a Christian nation and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way. The U.S. Constitution does not establish Christianity—or any religion—as a national religion. In fact, the First Amendment explicitly prohibits the government from establishing a religion and protects the free exercise of all religions: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. ~First Amendment, U.S. Constitution
Scripture: Acts 10:34–38
Reflection: When was the last time you took a look at the US Constitution? Today, take a look at the US Constitution, particularly the First Amendment.
Prayer: Holy One, who shows no partiality, loosen our grip on any identity that eclipses your wide‑open mercy.
Shape our hearts and our common life to reflect your welcome for every people, in every place.
Action: Be courageous by engaging honestly with someone who may hold a different point of view, working to seek common understanding.
Thursday — God Shows No Partiality
FAQ #4: How does Christian Nationalism conflict with the gospel?
It elevates some identities as more “Christian” or more “American.” The gospel insists God shows no favoritism.
Scripture: Galatians 3:26–28
Reflection: Where might God be inviting you to release bias or inherited assumptions?
Prayer: Holy Spirit, soften my heart to see your image in every person I encounter. Amen.
Action: Listen deeply to someone whose story differs from your own. Pray for families separated, for those detained, and for officers, lawmakers, and for your own heart. Then rise from prayer ready to love boldly.
Friday — Healing of the Nations
FAQ #5: What is the church called to do?
The church is called to resist idolatry, pursue justice, and embody God’s healing for all nations.
Scripture: Revelation 22:1–5
Reflection: Read the Barmen Declaration, one of the Confessions of the PCUSA. How might Barmen and Scripture’s depiction of context and future inform and shape your choices today?
Prayer: God of hope, anchor my actions in your promised restoration. Amen.
Action: Name one way you can live as a sign of God’s healing hope.
Saturday — No one is off the hook
FAQ #6: How can we best resist the temptations that the misdirected thinking of Christian nationalism presents?
The church is called to resist idolatry, pursue justice, and embody God’s healing for all nations. As Christians, we are called to speak truth to power, but, at the same time as people who take the words of Jesus seriously, we need to be careful when it comes to pointing fingers and whataboutism that allows us to avoid self reflection by shifting the focus onto others.
Scripture: Matthew 7:3–5
Reflection: Many of us are quick to distance ourselves from “those” Christians who embrace Christian nationalism. We reassure ourselves that we are the other kind of Christian. But when we condemn the presence of white Christian nationalism only in other branches of the Christian family tree—and refuse to examine our own history, our own tradition, our own families, and our own hearts—we miss the deeper invitation. The invitation is not to shame but to truth. Not to defensiveness but to repentance. Not to superiority but to solidarity. Spend time reflecting on your own story. Where have you benefited from, ignored, or contributed to the “bitter fruit” that has shaped the landscape we now inhabit? What habits of thought, inherited assumptions, or quiet silences have played a part?
Read Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail, where he describes many Christians as “living behind the anesthetizing security of stained‑glass windows.” Consider the personal cost of staying behind those windows—how it distorts our identity as followers of Christ—and the collective cost in a society increasingly fractured by fear and polarization. This is not about blame. It is about clarity. And clarity is the beginning of freedom.
Prayer: God of truth and mercy, turn my gaze inward before it turns outward. Give me the courage to see what I would rather ignore and the humility to confess what I would rather excuse. Root me again in your love, that my life may bear the fruit of justice, compassion, and peace. Amen.
Action: Name—honestly and without defensiveness—one way you have participated in or benefited from the patterns you now resist. Offer that confession to God. Then redirect your energy, intelligence, imagination, love, and resources toward partnership, accompaniment, and repair. Choose one concrete act this week that strengthens connection rather than division.
Resource: Frequently Asked Questions on Christian Nationalism prepared by GACEIR, General Assembly Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations