At the end of 2024, Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers President Jason Benell attended a few events held at churches and started a series of interviews called Iowa Christians on Christian Nationalism. In these interviews, questions are asked of religious leaders via email about their views on their faith, their congregations, and how they view Christian Nationalism. The answers are going to be unedited, save for misspellings or grammatical corrections, and directly from the respondents. You are encouraged to read these and come up with your own questions and submit them to IAF. The purpose of this interview series is to help us better understand how the religious and non-religious view this ongoing social, political, and cultural movement known as Christian Nationalism. If you would like follow ups, further discussion, or want to provide comments feel free to email IAF at president@iowaatheists.org and we can possibly share them with both members of IAF and the folks being interviewed!

Dan Kuckuck
Assistant to the Bishop for Leadership and Congregational Transitions
Interview conducted March 2025

How would you define Christian Nationalism? Is this a good or bad thing for democracy in your view, if it exists at all?

Christian Nationalism is an expression of Christianity that claims a national identity as a primary expression of the faith, apart from the Christian norm that claims no national identity. In my view, it is a bad thing for democracy because it limits the sovereignty of all citizens to practice their faith, or not, without interference from the government.

What would you tell a non-Christian or a person outside of your denomination that makes you different from Christian Nationalists?

While we might believe that God could be working through national identity to achieve some good (i.e. addressing hunger, homelessness, heatlh, etc.), we do not equate national identity with God. Many would call Christian Nationalism a heresy because it places national identity in the position that should be occupied by God. In our tradition, aside from sacramental moments in worship, God is most present in the life of the neighbor, whether they are Chrisitan or not.

Do you think churches or congregations should take an official public stance on Christian Nationalism?

Absolutely.

Do you think the values of Christian Nationalism are in sync with the beliefs of your church or interpretations of the Bible?

They are not in sync.

How can a congregation like yours take a stance for or against Christian Nationalism without being confrontational to other congregations?

We can say clearly and confidently the way we understand God at work in the world and in nations, and clearly state that equating God's activity as primarily in the midst of any national identity is a misrepresentation of the universal nature of God's love. There are 150 member churches of the Lutheran World Federation around the world, and we understand that God is present in all our midsts.

Is Christian Nationalism a partisan project? Why or why not?

Yes. In my experience, Christian nationalism typically exists in right-leaning spaces that have been influenced by people who have aligned themselves both with conservative Christianity and the Republican Party. To my knowledge, I have never met a democrat who is a Christian Nationalist.

Can the Bible be a useful tool to combat or aid Christian Nationalism? Why or why not?

Absolutely. The New Testament is filled with stories about how God is not only a God for a single nation (Israel), but now a God for the whole world (i.e. Gentiles). The whole mission of Paul and the apostles was to carry Christianity throughout the world, not to make everyone a Judean (or Roman), but to bring their message to wherever those folks were.