Yes, we can do more. We do not have to just watch it happen, this desecration of Jesus Christ for the sake of power and riches. The world is watching – and some are experiencing – a relentless persecution of Christianity. It’s the old ploy dressed up and more diabolical than ever in new modern clothes.

In America, this persecution is driven by Christian nationalism, as developed by and for White men. Christian nationalism merges religious beliefs with national identity, mandating a version of Christianity that determines the nation’s culture, politics, and social life. It keeps power and money in the hands of the few.

Christian nationalism put Trump over the top in the election and gives him confidence to ignore the Constitution; for example, go for a jumbo jet bribe. This is not God working in mysterious ways, as some nationalists say.

Ongoing Persecution of Christianity is Both Systemic and Systematic

The First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause is the cornerstone of religious freedom, to protect against persecution based on religious beliefs or practices. It is to prevent laws that restrict or penalize religious expression, and extends to individual freedoms and protection. 

For the moment let’s assume love and/or morality that says, if we could do more, we should and we would.

To say we can do it means defining who is the “we” and what is meant by the “persecution of Christianity”. So, please consider a couple of definitions with a suggestion of what can be done.

Who is the “we” who could do more?

First, to be sure, we are not the Christian nationalists who are methodically tearing down both Christianity and democracy.

We are:

• Most of the American people. We are 2/3rds of the people who profess to be Christians. We are an even bigger proportion of the full American population when you add in people of other religions and no religion – those that want to preserve freedom of religion and democracy.
• People who are threatened and offended by the misrepresentation and misuse of Christianity. Christianity should not be a measure of good citizenship nor indicator of special state protection or favor. People who promote or enjoy such merging of faith with the state are fake Christians and are in violation of the Constitution.

The two preceding bullets identify broad groups who could do something, but they are not – not in strong significant fashion. The classic organizational change concerns are in evidence. Leadership is not present, and no response or goal is defined. Fear and trepidation seemingly prevail.

What is Persecution of Christianity?

Persecution of Christianity is hostility for professing faith in Jesus. This persecution encompasses rejection, violence, imprisonment, and even death. There might not yet be deaths attributable to Christian nationalism, but certainly there are threats. And, there are plenty of spiritual deaths, both the misguided and those turning away.

The promotion of Christian nationalism at the expense of other faiths hurts the broader legitimate faith community. It puts others on a path to extermination. This persecution, for mainstream Christians, is hurtful to social relationships and interactions. It ultimately affects an individual’s emotional, cognitive, and even physical well-being.

Christians, those who follow the established loving Jesus (not nationalists), are being subjected to state-sponsored religious favoritism and persecution. Examples of persecution of Christianity:

• Appointing a cabinet and staff who are exclusively supporters/practitioners of Christian nationalism. Among them Pete Hegseth, who advocates for (or who says he is waging) holy war, and has called for a million-man Christian army.
• Establishing White House religious offices, positions and accessibility in accordance with Christian nationalism.
• Issuing executive White House communications and orders in support of Christian nationalism (the president’s political base). This is state-sponsored discrimination and persecution of Christianity and all other religions.
• Using political rhetoric to embolden violent individuals of Christian nationalism standing. It is telling that Christian nationalism was not called out during the January 6th hearings, though they were at the core of the assault.

Christian Nationalism’s Summer 2025 Showdown – Invoking “Divine Providence”

Call them the enemies of Christ and democracy as we head into summer. Not to say it will happen, or if it does happen that their efforts will be successful. But this is the scenario they project.

ACTORS

• Steve Bannon – calls on the MAGA masses to be ready as summer soldiers and patriots, in order to get Trump through the inevitable coming Constitutional crisis. He says they are in the movement’s defining moment. This one-hour video is Bannon at his “best”, articulating strategy and near-term intent and rationale.
• Steven Miller – advocates to suspend the writ of habeas corpus. So, that essentially declares martial law and paves the way for whatever they want/need to do.
• Pete Hegseth – sits as Secretary of Defense despite sexual assault and drinking problems, which are pale in relation to his extreme Christian nationalist activities. Hegseth writes and talks about America as a Christian nation, already at war, with a mandate to advance their religious agenda around the world. He has espoused his willingness to use the military however and whenever it is needed. So, despite malfeasance of basic duty, Trump needs him in place to take the call. Trump tried and failed to call the troops out in the homeland last term. Through Hegseth, Trump can bring his April 28^th executive order to life, which makes federal armed forces ready and available for use in the streets.
• Doug Wilson – longtime leader of Christian dominionism and a leader of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (Christian nationalism hub), Wilson basks in glory. He put Hegseth in place, exercises SCOTUS influence, and has an empires of churches and over 500 Christian schools.

Organizations

• Extreme Right of the Supreme Court – SCOTUS has increasingly sided with extreme Christian positions. Big cases are on the docket to be settled soon: public funding of religious charter schools, ‘religious purpose’ tax exemptions, and school suppression of LGBT content.
• Association of Classical Christian Schools – The gemstone of Christian schooling. Their annual June conference is titled “repairing the ruins”, focused on returning to medieval classroom instruction.

How the summer script plays out

Observing that a combination of interrelated events will happen, and the outcome is unpredictable. A mash-up like this:

Trump wins or loses more court cases, giving him more or less power, and either way he is more prone to extremes. Protests build to the point of “justified” or “necessary” military intervention against the people. SCOTUS gives mixed or non-responses on the schooling cases. MAGA types stay ready as an extension of street justice. Note the total absence of people of color throughout, except whatever might happen in the streets.

The Christian nationalist movement hopes for a big celebration at the Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS) event. They want to be celebrating the SCOTUS school decisions. Doug Wilson is to be the plenary/keynote speaker. ACCS contributes to the army needs they talk about. This trend hasn’t happened by accident. As Banon puts it, it’s a question of how hard they will have to fight.

Recommendation to Stop the Persecution of Christianity

Christianity needs to establish a coordinated aggressive action as soon as possible. Otherwise, our free democracy with freedom of religion goes by the wayside. It is folly to hide in the hopes of the next election cycle. Too many are not seeing it or choosing not to see it.

A coalition to work the cause both bottom up and top down

Praise and thanks to the white collars that are out there.

A coordinated, visible, Christian presence committed to action could help move the effort from the fringe to the mainstream of resistance. Denominations, churches, pastors, lay people, and citizens need to operate as a coalition. A functioning coalition could help people better meet each other where they are, to be stronger together. The cause then benefits from faith-wide position papers, shared expectations, and coordinated turnouts at events.

There is one such Christian organization of leadership, one that gives everyone an opportunity to join the important cause and resist. It spans denominations and embraces all like-minded people, of any faith or no faith. That is Christians Against Christian Nationalism.

Christianity needs to address the Christian nationalism issue front and center, with depth, breadth, and substance that shows the importance. Everybody is asked to extend and do more, to overcome fear. You can see a multitude of social justice organizations bending to the task. Like it or not, Christianity is in the middle.