Dreams of American Christendom: White Evangelicals’ Political Pursuit of a Christian Order without Christ

Religion has become an increasingly pronounced force in American politics, most notably among White evangelicals, nearly two-thirds of whom identify with Christian nationalism. This group contends that conservative, biblically rooted Christian values should determine the social and cultural landscape of our society and seeks to pass laws that help actualize this goal. This article explores the fundamental beliefs that enable White evangelicalism’s compatibility with Christian nationalism. More specifically, it considers how the myth of America’s Christian origins prompts a yearning for Christendom that—when coupled with a theological shift from a strict non-interventionist two kingdoms doctrine to a more fluid conception of kingdoms and laws—allows White evangelicals to cordon off Jesus’s life and teachings from their political activities. This relegation of Jesus to the Christian’s spiritual life enables White evangelicals to pursue a Christian ordering of society that is estranged from the person of Christ.