“This World Is Not My Home”: Richard Mouw and Christian Nationalism

Aaron Pattillo-Lunt

doi:10.3390/rel8010002

Abstract

American evangelicalism has often been punctuated by dual commitments to the United States and to God. Those commitments were strongest within politically conservative evangelicalism. Though representing a solid majority among professing evangelicals, conservatives could not speak for the movement as a whole. Politically progressive evangelicals, beginning in the 1960s, formed a dissenting opinion of the post-World War II revival of Christian nationalism. They dared to challenge American action abroad, noticeably during the Vietnam War. Their critique of Christian nationalism and conservative evangelicals’ close ties to the Republican Party led them to seek refuge in either progressive policies or the Democratic Party. A third, underexplored subgroup of evangelicalism rooted in reformed theology becomes important to consider in this regard. These reformed evangelicals sought to contextualize nationalism in biblical rather than partisan or political terms. This goal is championed well by Richard Mouw, resulting in a nuanced look at evangelical Christians’ difficult dual role as both citizens of the Kingdom of God and the United States.

Highlights

Evangelicalism is one of the most pervasive and dominant movements in United States’ history.Yet it has no cut and paste definition
Twentieth century evangelicalism descended from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries’ fundamentalist movement
The post-World War II re-awakening of evangelicalism deeply impacted the history of the United

Summary

Introduction

Evangelicalism is one of the most pervasive and dominant movements in United States’ history. Their success is evident when one looks at conservative evangelical circles. Conservative evangelical figures continue to comment on the seemingly providential rise to power of the United States, as it pertains to the nation’s special, or exceptional, role in This leaves conservative evangelicalism touting a triumphalist, providentially driven view of Christian nationalism. President of Fuller from 1993 to 2013 He offers a corrective of Christian nationalism based within evangelicals’ own conception of the authoritative role of the Bible and God. Of special importance is how Mouw challenges both progressive and conservative evangelicals to return to their Biblicist roots by using the Bible for its own purposes rather than appropriating it for political or national means. A nonpartisan, third way for evangelicals to approach the issue of nationalism becomes apparent

Belief

Critique

Challenging a Partisan Consensus

Conclusions