From the halls of Congress to local school boards, a growing movement known as Christian nationalism is sparking heated debate across America.
But what exactly is it?
"Christian nationalism is not Christianity — it's not even a religion." Meet the Rev. Dr. Sharon Harris-Ewing, president of the Interfaith Alliance of Southwest Florida. As a Christian minister herself, Harris-Ewing feels a particular responsibility to speak out. "It is not Christianity; it is not following the teachings of Jesus — it is an ideology that seeks to merge the Christian faith with a kind of nationalism. Because I am a Christian minister, I believe that Christian religious leaders have a special responsibility to call out Christian nationalism."
The movement's influence appears to be growing. Recent data from the Public Religion Research Institute reveals that while 10% of Americans fully embrace Christian nationalist beliefs, another fifth of the population sympathizes with its ideas.
This isn't the first time such movements have emerged in American history. Similar waves of religious nationalism surfaced with the Know-Nothing Party in the 1850s and again during the evangelical political surge of the 1950s.
For Harris-Ewing, the path forward requires bureaucratic backing. "The government's role here is not to teach religion, but to protect all religions," she emphasizes. "And people's ability to worship as they choose, and to make sure that we maintain that freedom of religion that we say is at the heart of our country."
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