In God We Trust?: American Religious Nationalisms: Is the United States a Christian nation, or do we have a totally secular government? What is “white Christian nationalism”? What about Black nationalists and their religious ideas? And how have people, including religious people, protested and resisted religious nationalisms?
Since the beginning of the United States, many Christians have believed that there is something special about this nation and its relationship to God. At the same time, religious freedom is foundational to American politics. What is the relationship between these two facts? If the US was a predominantly Christian nation, why did it never formally establish a state-sponsored religion? How did Christian ideas influence a supposedly non-religious (secular) government? And in what ways are these thorny questions still very relevant?
We will approach these questions (and more!) by studying various forms of religious nationalism. Throughout American history, numerous groups have made claims about the essential religious character of the nation. Through these arguments, they claim moral authority, situate themselves in world-historical religious narratives, make ethnonationalist arguments, and more. By studying these nationalist ideas and movements, we will address fundamental issues in political theory and history.
Since the beginning of the United States, many Christians have believed that there is something special about this nation and its relationship to God. At the same time, religious freedom is foundational to American politics. What is the relationship between these two facts? If the US was a predominantly Christian nation, why did it never formally establish a state-sponsored religion? How did Christian ideas influence a supposedly non-religious (secular) government? And in what ways are these thorny questions still very relevant?
We will approach these questions (and more!) by studying various forms of religious nationalism. Throughout American history, numerous groups have made claims about the essential religious character of the nation. Through these arguments, they claim moral authority, situate themselves in world-historical religious narratives, make ethnonationalist arguments, and more. By studying these nationalist ideas and movements, we will address fundamental issues in political theory and history.
- Teacher: Charlie McCrary