Confronting Christian Nationalism

Trailer

**COMING SOON**
 
Christian Nationalism was on full display during the January 6 Insurrection in the form of flags, t-shirts, and a troubling prayer from the floor of the sacked Senate (as heard in this trailer). But what exactly is Christian Nationalism? Why is it attractive to a growing number of Americans? And what can churches and individuals do to confront it?
 
This limited series from Common Good Media sets out to answer those questions. Guided by Doug Pagitt, Executive Director of Vote Common Good, you'll hear unabashed Christian Nationalists describe in their own words why they think America should be a "Christian Nation." You'll also hear from experts, authors and theologians opposed to this dangerous ideology including:
Amanda Tyler of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty
Kristen Du Mez, Author of Jesus and John Wayne 
Sociologists Samuel Perry and Andrew Whitehead
Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Shane Claiborne, Katherine Stewart, Brian Zahnd, Michael Waters and more.
To get involved in the work of confronting Christian Nationalism, connect with us at www.votecommongood.com

What is Christian Nationalism?

What was once a fringe ideology took center stage during the January 6, 2021 insurrection when a mob mobilized by former president Trump, many with Christian flags or shirts, violently stormed the capitol. But what is Christian Nationalism?We don't want to mischaracterize or debate straw-man arguments, so in this episode we hear straight from those who espouse this ideology including Congresswoman Mayra Flores, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and the an insurrectionist known as the Qanon Shaman who prayed a distinctly Christian Nationalist prayer after storming the Senate chambers.
In Episode 2 you'll hear from experts in sociology and theology to unpack why Christian Nationalism is bad for the church and democracy.
 
Confronting Christian Nationalism is brought to you by Vote Common Good. Whether it’s cycling along the entire US/Mexico border to call for immigration reform, traveling the country in a bright orange tour bus holding get out the vote rallies, or training candidates to connect with evangelical and Catholic voters, Vote Common Good is mobilizing people of faith to make the common good their voting criteria. 
 
www.votecommongood.com
 
Produced by Daniel Deitrich at Common Good Media
 
Doug Pagitt is the Executive Director and one of the founders of Vote Common Good. He is also a pastor, author, and social activist.  @pagitt
 
Daniel Deitrich is a singer-songwriter, former-pastor-turned-activist, and Lead Producer at Common Good Media. @danieldeitrich

A Threat to Church and State

In this episode we’ll hear from experts, authors and theologians who will help articulate what Christian Nationalism is, what it’s not, and why it’s a a threat to both the church and democracy. 
Contributors include:
Katherine Stewart, Author of The Power Worshipers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism
Amanda Tyler of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and Christians Against Christian Nationalism
Sociologists Samuel Perry and Andrew Whitehead, authors of Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States
Brian Zahnd pastor and author of Postcards From Babylon: The Church in American Exile 
Shane Claiborne, activist, author and co-founder of Red Letter Christians
Rev. Dr. Michael Waters, pastor of the Abundant Life AME Church in Dallas, Texas and author of Something in the Water: A 21st Century Civil Rights Odyssey
 
Most of the content for this episode comes from a live presentation on the Vote Common Good tour from October 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA. You can watch extended interviews with each of the guests featured in this episode as part of our Confronting Christian Nationalism Curriculum found here:
https://www.votecommongood.com/confronting-christian-nationalism-curriculum/
 
Confronting Christian Nationalism is brought to you by Vote Common Good. Whether it’s cycling along the entire US/Mexico border to call for immigration reform, traveling the country in a bright orange tour bus holding get out the vote rallies, or training candidates to connect with evangelical and Catholic voters, Vote Common Good is mobilizing people of faith to make the common good their voting criteria. 
 
www.votecommongood.com
 
Produced by Daniel Deitrich at Common Good Media
 
Doug Pagitt is the Executive Director and one of the founders of Vote Common Good. He is also a pastor, author, and social activist.  @pagitt
 
Daniel Deitrich is a singer-songwriter, former-pastor-turned-activist, and Lead Producer at Common Good Media. @danieldeitrich

Five Streams of Christian Nationalism

How are people drawn into Christian Nationalism in the first place? Why is attractive to so many people? In this episode we explore five streams of Christian Nationalism - including the myth that America was founded as a Christian nation and the belief that some christians hold that the US is the "New Israel," a nation uniquely chosen to fulfill God's purpose in the world.
You can dig deeper by exploring our curriculum for individuals and churches at
https://www.votecommongood.com/confronting-christian-nationalism-curriculum/
 
Confronting Christian Nationalism is brought to you by Vote Common Good. Whether it’s cycling along the entire US/Mexico border to call for immigration reform, traveling the country in a bright orange tour bus holding get out the vote rallies, or training candidates to connect with evangelical and Catholic voters, Vote Common Good is mobilizing people of faith to make the common good their voting criteria. 
 
www.votecommongood.com
 
Produced by Daniel Deitrich at Common Good Media
 
Doug Pagitt is the Executive Director and one of the founders of Vote Common Good. He is also a pastor, author, and social activist.  @pagitt
 
Daniel Deitrich is a singer-songwriter, former-pastor-turned-activist, and Lead Producer at Common Good Media. @danieldeitrich

Empathy and Engagement

Over the last three episodes, we’ve learned a lot about what Christian nationalism is and the reasons many find it attractive. This episode we respond to the question we get asked the most: so what do we do? How can churches and individuals talk about Christian Nationalism and offer people an off-ramp from this destructive ideology? How can we help de-radicalize our friends, family members or neighbors?
There’s not a cookie cutter, one size fits all answer but we think the solution starts with this: empathy and engagement.
You'll hear from Kristin Du Mez, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Samuel Perry, Stephanie Rose Spaulding, and Bradley Onishi on where the Christian Nationalist movement is going and how churches and individuals can respond to it.
You can dig deeper by exploring our curriculum for individuals and churches at
https://www.votecommongood.com/confronting-christian-nationalism-curriculum/
 
Confronting Christian Nationalism is brought to you by Vote Common Good. Whether it’s cycling along the entire US/Mexico border to call for immigration reform, traveling the country in a bright orange tour bus holding get out the vote rallies, or training candidates to connect with evangelical and Catholic voters, Vote Common Good is mobilizing people of faith to make the common good their voting criteria. 
 
www.votecommongood.com
 
Produced by Daniel Deitrich at Common Good Media
 
Doug Pagitt is the Executive Director and one of the founders of Vote Common Good. He is also a pastor, author, and social activist.  @pagitt
 
Daniel Deitrich is a singer-songwriter, former-pastor-turned-activist, and Lead Producer at Common Good Media. @danieldeitrich
 

The Seven Mountains Mandate

Back in Episode 3 we talked about five different streams of Christian Nationalism. In this episode we dive deeper into one of those streams called the Seven Mountains Mandate. 
The Seven Mountains Mandate is the belief that America is unique in human history, chosen by God to achieve God’s work in the world, second only to the nation of Israel. The Seven Mountains refers to the seven areas of society in which God has chosen and anointed leaders from Business to Education to Politics. Many from this movement believed Donald Trump was God’s chosen and anointed leader and encouraged him to run for president. And they continued to champion him even after the Access Hollywood tapes came out, even after hush money paid to pornstars, even after kids in cages. Because, as you’ll hear in this episode, being God’s anointed doesn’t mean you’re a choir boy, it means you’re chosen for such a time as this. 
 
Confronting Christian Nationalism Curriculum:
https://www.votecommongood.com/confronting-christian-nationalism-curriculum/
 
Confronting Christian Nationalism is brought to you by Vote Common Good. Whether it’s cycling along the entire US/Mexico border to call for immigration reform, traveling the country in a bright orange tour bus holding get out the vote rallies, or training candidates to connect with evangelical and Catholic voters, Vote Common Good is mobilizing people of faith to make the common good their voting criteria. 
 
www.votecommongood.com
 
Produced by Daniel Deitrich at Common Good Media
 
Doug Pagitt is the Executive Director and one of the founders of Vote Common Good. He is also a pastor, author, and social activist.  @pagitt
 
Daniel Deitrich is a singer-songwriter, former-pastor-turned-activist, and Lead Producer at Common Good Media. @danieldeitrich
 

Five Ways to Confront Christian Nationalism

In episode 4 we talked about empathy and engagement as ways to respond to the threat of Christian Nationalism. In this final episode we want to expand on that and offer five ways churches and individuals can help de-radicalize our neighbors, friends and family.
Here are some of the books referenced in this series:
Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin du Mez
The Power Worshipers by Katherine Stewart
Preparing for War by Bradley Onishi
Taking America Back for God by Samuel Perry and Andrew Whitehead
And here's a link to our Curriculum for churches or individuals: https://www.votecommongood.com/confronting-christian-nationalism-curriculum/
Confronting Christian Nationalism is brought to you by Vote Common Good. Whether it’s cycling along the entire US/Mexico border to call for immigration reform, traveling the country in a bright orange tour bus holding get out the vote rallies, or training candidates to connect with evangelical and Catholic voters, Vote Common Good is mobilizing people of faith to make the common good their voting criteria. 
 
www.votecommongood.com
 
Produced by Daniel Deitrich at Common Good Media
 
Doug Pagitt is the Executive Director and one of the founders of Vote Common Good. He is also a pastor, author, and social activist.  @pagitt
 
Daniel Deitrich is a singer-songwriter, former-pastor-turned-activist, and Lead Producer at Common Good Media. @danieldeitrich