Dr. Paul Miller, author and political scientist at Georgetown University in Washington, D. C., delivered a speech on Christian nationalism in the Kinlaw Boardroom on Jan. 25.
Miller is the author The Religion of American Greatness: What’s Wrong with Christian Nationalism, published in 2022. He also served as Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan for President George W. Bush, and Special Coordinator for Afghanistan and Pakistan for President Obama.
Miller presented to a packed boardroom, housing an audience of 75 to 80 people.
Throughout the presentation, Miller analyzed what Christianity’s place is in the America of the 2020’s. “As we have become less Christian, does that mean we have become less American?” Miller asked. “Does it mean our democracy is in danger because we are becoming a less Christian society?” After providing contrasting opinions from scholars such as Sam Huntington, and calling attention to the dissenting Protestant origins of America itself, Miller provided his own answer: “no, it does not.”
Miller also drew a distinction between the terms “nationalism” and “patriotism.” “Patriotism is a good thing. By patriotism, I mean a stance of gratitude for everything we’ve been given, including the gift of belonging to this particular community,” Miller said. “None of that is nationalism. Nationalism is more than the love of your country. Nationalism is about how we define a country and draw borders around it. Nationalism says ‘this is us, and that’s not us.’”
Miller would go on to describe nationalist ideology as not just “wrong,” but “incoherent.” “Nationalists see the world as a checkerboard, with clear boundaries between each square. None of that is in the Bible.” Furthermore, Miller called the audience to question who decides what those boundaries are, and for what purpose.
The presentation began at 4:00 pm and ran for 45 minutes, followed by a half hour question and answer section. Discussions broached by the Q&A section included how to speak to individuals who hold nationalist ideals, whether Christian nationalism represents bad orthopraxy, and further clarification of the word “patriotism.”
“I don’t think Christian nationalism is a majority in America. Christian nationalists act as if they represent most of America, but in reality the number of people who really go with it is much smaller,” Miller said in response to the question, “can we steer America away from Christian nationalism?”
“I thought that the talk was enlightening,” attendee Ben Meadows told the Collegian. “The speaker had a lot of good points, he made the discussion welcoming and open. I thought he had an interesting take on patriotism and Christian nationalism, which provided a refreshing insight into how the church and how Christians should operate within a national government.”
“I thought it was very intellectual, and I enjoyed seeing how receptive the audience was. The speaker had very inspiring words to add to the subject,” Chance Stathers, another attendee, told the Collegian.
