Christian Nationalism, the assertion that the United States is officially a Christian nation and should be governed by explicitly Christian leaders, is not a new movement, but it is receiving increasing attention.
 
To help the community understand this ideology and what is at stake for democracy, First Baptist Church of Pottstown (FBC) hosted a three-part online webinar, “Ungodly Union: The Danger of Christian Nationalism” on October 2, 9, and 16 via Zoom.
 
Developed in cooperation with Word&Way, an award-winning publishing company in Jefferson City, Missouri, the community conversations examined what Christian Nationalism is, why it is a threat to democracy, and how it is a distortion of the Christian faith. 


Read this message from Word&Way, and check out the additional resources Brian and Beau suggest!


Dear Friend,
 
Thank you for participating in the 3-week webinar on Christian Nationalism hosted by First Baptist Church - Pottstown. While the topic was heavy and alarming, it was our privilege to share in these rich and urgent conversations with you.
 
As promised, we wanted to suggest several resources for further investigating this topic. 
 
First, you can follow our work and writing - which often focuses on Christian Nationalism - via our newsletter, A Public Witness. The link will take you to our main page, where you'll see our latest stories. Make sure to sign up with your email address today! 
 
Second, if you're looking for a strong introduction to how sociologists study and understand Christian Nationalism, check out Whitehead and Perry's Taking America Back for God. A second great primer that explores more of Christian Nationalism's history and threat to democracy is Gorski and Perry's The Flag and the Cross.
 
Third, we strongly recommend plugging into Christians Against Christian Nationalism (led by the Baptist Joint Committee) and Faithful America. Both organizations are doing amazing work pushing back against this dangerous ideology. 
 
Again, thank you for investing your time and energy in these discussions. Your engagement truly inspires us!
 
Sincerely,
Brian Kaylor & Beau Underwood, Word&Way


You can provide feedback for the forum by completing this brief survey. Please note that only the first question is required if you are short on time, but we have provided ways for you to give us more detailed feedback. Thank you all for participating in these important community conversations!

Details About Each Session of the Forum
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Oct 2

What Christian Nationalism is all about -​ The phrase "Christian Nationalism" gets thrown around a lot these days. What exactly does it mean and how do we know it when we see it?

If you missed the live conversation, you can view the recording below. And, you can ​view the presentation slides by clicking here.

Oct 9

Why Christian Nationalism threatens democracy - The core convictions espoused by Christian Nationalists violate democratic principles and the U.S. Constitution. We need to understand the danger this ideology poses to our political society.

If you missed the live conversation, you can view the recording below. And, you can view the presentation slides by clicking here.

Oct 16

Why Christian Nationalism threatens the Church - Christian Nationalism distorts basic claims of the Christian faith. Followers of Jesus need to understand why there's nothing Christian about Christian Nationalism.

If you missed the live conversation, you can view the recording below. And, you can view the presentation slides by clicking here.​

Forum Facilitators
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Brian Kaylor is the President and Editor-in-Chief of Word&Way, an award-winning Baptist publication based in Jefferson City, MO. An ordained Baptist pastor, he holds a Ph.D. in political communication.

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Beau Underwood serves Word&Way as its Vice President for External Affairs and Senior Editor. A pastor within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), he is also working on his doctorate in public affairs.

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They write about the intersection of faith, politics, and culture at publicwitness.wordandway.org. 
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