Among the various proponents of Christian nationalism in America, there is general agreement that the cultural Christianity of the Eisenhower era presents a model to which we should aspire (see here and here). The 1950s references to “under God” or “In God We Trust” are taken as evidence that America has always been a Christian nation. Until recently, the narrative goes, America recognized the “lordship of Christ,” and it is only fitting that we now openly reassert what has always been the case. At the fourth annual National Conservatism Conference (NatCon 4) in Washington, D.C. earlier this year, this claim was repeated. According to Moscow ID pastor Douglas Wilson, a coalition of American anti-communists successfully rolled back Soviet ideology during the opening stages of the Cold War. Now, faced with the existential threat of the “Gramscian commies,” we need a “new” Christian nationalism which will openly promote public morality and defeat “godless secularism.”
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Paul Fine
Paul C. Fine is pursuing a DPhil in the history of modern theology at Oxford University (Wolfson College) where he focuses on the development of American civil religion during the early Cold War. He previously served in the United States Marine Corps and as a contractor for the US Government. Paul holds an MA in Historical Theology from Westminster Seminary California and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania. His writing has appeared in Providence, Modern Reformation, and on the Heidelblog.
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