Governments want the legitimacy offered by Heaven. Religions like the protection of government. One hand washes the other.
But there is no state religion in the USA. It was a practical necessity from the beginning. There were Quakers in Pennsylvania; Roman Catholics in Maryland; Anglicans in South Carolina; Dutch Reformed in New York City. Moreover, the Puritan Calvinists in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island all disagreed with each other.
Church attendance has been in decline in the USA. The Heritage Foundation reports a sharp increase in people who never attend church, and a decline down to 22 percent of people who attend weekly.
Trends sometimes create counter-trends. We are seeing one. Pew reports:
Christian Nationalism is a Trump/Fox associated phenomenon. Nonpartisan pollster PRRI reports that 56 percent of Republicans qualify as Christian Nationalists. Only 25 percent of political independents and 17 percent of Democrats identify as such. There is a close association with media choices. PRRI reports that two-thirds of Americans who trust far-right news qualify as Christian Nationalists. Fifty-five percent of those who most trust Fox News say they are Christian Nationalists.
Some commentary describes this as an incautious act of frustration. I see craftsmanship. He is expressing Christian triumph, and his supporters value that. Jesus' turn-the-other-cheek piety is for losers. Trump represents pre-Christian values. He represents the tribe under siege by secularism.
Newsweek reported a meeting at the Pentagon between Trump officials and a papal envoy in January where the administration urged the Vatican to get on board Trump's foreign policy goals and methods. The meeting allegedly included a reference to the Avignon Papacy. Hey, Pope Leo, don't cross Trump.
The long-term trend is toward cosmopolitan secularism. Christian Nationalism is backlash to that trend. Democrats are associated with the trend. Trump is riding and amplifying backlash to it.
President Trump is marking his territory as leader of this countertrend. He is voicing a muscular warrior ethic. He made an audacious Easter post:
Some commentary describes this as an incautious act of frustration. I see craftsmanship. He is expressing Christian triumph, and his supporters value that. Jesus' turn-the-other-cheek piety is for losers. Trump represents pre-Christian values. He represents the tribe under siege by secularism.
In the Iliad, Achilles and Hector fought to win glory. Trump seeks glory. Trump ends his post with a taunt -- poor, helpless Allah. There is a warning in the Iliad, if Trump is open to learning from it. After killing Hector, Achilles dragged his body around behind a chariot in front of Greek and Trojan soldiers. The gods were disgusted with Achilles, even the ones who favored the Greeks. Misfortune followed. Best not anger the gods.
The Iran war is a solidifying event for Christian Nationalism. We are allied with Israel against a Muslim country. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is establishing that the old values are for losers.
Speech, March 9, 2026:
America regardless of what so-called international institutions say, is unleashing the most lethal and precise air power campaign in history. . . . No stupid rules of engagement, no nation-building quagmire, no democracy building exercise, no politically correct wars.Public prayer, March 25, 2026:
Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation. Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.
Pope Leo offers a different version of Christianity. He said that God does not hear and answer prayers like this.
JD Vance is in Hungary to support Viktor Orban, an advocate of Christian Nationalism ideology and "democratic illiberalism," where Christianity is the cornerstone of national identity. Trump posted his unequivocal support for Orban.
Trump gets the majority vote of people who identify as Christian. Trump represents a borderland between rendering unto God and unto Caesar. It is common to see religious symbols on the iconography associated with Trump. He represents something that a significant number of American Christians seem to want: a fighting spokesperson for the faith, even if not of the faith.
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