Cross Defense: Christian Nationalism
A few weeks back the Lutheran internet was abuzz with Christian Nationalism on the mind. Well now it's Rev. Tyrel Bramwell's chance to air his thoughts. Rev Bramwell as always is thoughtful but holds no punches. The crux of the matter is that the label Christian Nationalist is
"[a] verbal allergen meant to keep people away from the thought that people should bring their beliefs with them into the civic realm, let it shape the public discourse of the nation inasmuch as Christians are involved in that discourse"
He then proceeds to remind us of our robust doctrine of the distinction - not separation - of church and state. The Augsburg Confession, Article XXVIII:11ff reminds us
"For civil government deals with other things than does the Gospel. The civil rulers defend not minds, but bodies and bodily things against manifest injuries, and restrain men with the sword and bodily punishments in order to preserve civil justice and peace."
Minds belong to the Church. It isn't Christianity that is imposing on the state when we speak up about the state attempting to form minds. "it's not Christian nationalism to recognize that our existing form of government wasn't founded on those neo-Marxist wokisms that our young people are being told is the American way." Rather, the government is trying to force us into a particular type of religion:
"So we're not pushing for a theocracy. That said, we also know that the powers and principalities that would love to keep the church from having a voice in the Public Square advocate for a wholly different and unfounded separation of church and state, one that is hostile to Christ and his people. And we ought to add one that is hostile to the history and intent of America's founding and pre-Washingtonian history. The current secular state would love us all to be anabaptists or monastics that's what they want from us they want all Christians to be anabaptists who reject all civil involvement and say Christians can't do that sort of thing and still be Christian or be monastics and say we could do that stuff but it's not very holy. We're going to go over here and try to perfect our Christianity being righteous and holy the state loves that! That's what they want us to do keep your Christianity behind closed doors in your private life"
But we're Lutherans... and so we have the corrective!
"Of all Christians, Lutherans say 'hey wait bud this is my civil realm too! I live in this world, yes I go to church and yes, God's word shapes my every single step, my last breath, everything I do is shaped by it. And guess what because of that I'm going to be the best citizen you will ever have in this land but you're going to hear my voice. I am going to speak and we can definitely do that here in America because our form of government, the order of governance that we have inherited, is one that we are the sovereigns and the public servants they serve us the people.' "
And back to the Augsburg Confession, Article XVI
"The Gospel teaches an eternal righteousness of the heart. Meanwhile, it does not destroy the State or the family, but very much requires that they be preserved as ordinances of God"
Luther's writings would certainly brand him as a Christian Nationalist:
- "A sermon on the estate of marriage"
- "To the Christian nobility of the German nation concerning the reform of the Christian estate"
- "Temporal authority: to what extent it should be obeyed"
- "Letter to the Councilmen of all Cities in Germany that they establish and maintain Christian schools."
...
In the previous post I provided commentary on each presentation. I think Rev. Bramwell's presentation is very measured and well thought out as is all of his content, where Gottesdienst and Stone Choir were less concerned about the apologetics and more concerned about the action. This episode of Cross Defense would be a great "normie-tier" intro and by far the most balanced and thoughtful of the presentations to-date.
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