Vote Common Good was founded by Doug Pagitt, a liberal evangelical Christian pastor, author, and religious activist. Pagitt and his organization are outspoken in their efforts to combat legislation that seeks to fundamentally change the landscape of our country and Christianity. They work to boost support among evangelical Christians for liberal policies and encourage the bloc to excercise their faith without the pressure of adhering to party lines: “For many of these voters, their primary commitment is not to switch parties; it is to be faithful to their beliefs and convictions and make the common good their voting criteria.” The effort started in 2018 following a turn in American politics towards Christian Nationalism, spearheaded by a conglomerate of religious organizations influencing policy and emboldened by Donald Trump. Vote Common Good became an avenue for evangelical voters who were disillusioned by Donald Trump’s leadership and the manipulation of Christianity in the 2020 election and following January 6th.
One of Vote Common Good’s most notable campaigns against Christian Nationalism is their billboard campaign, “HisWordsMatter”. They feature the words of Jesus compared with direct quotes from Donald Trump. Additionally, their “March on Christian Nationalism” Campaign, which took place in March 2023, centered advocacy against Christian Nationalism by joining an International conference being held at Oxford, mobilizing voter turnout in swing states like Arizona and across the country, and launching their podcast series centered around Christian Nationalism. Many of the leading voices on Christian Nationalism are featured in their videos and podcasts, such as Andrew Whitehead, Kristin Du Mez, and Rev. Dr. Stephany Spaulding and it has been very successful.
A transformation in religious and political ideology has taken hold across the nation, Vote Common Good’s impact is visible and their work is grounded in a commitment to democracy and community: “We are dedicated to flipping the script [on]. . . the way we do politics in America. Flipping the script means changing the narrative with under-girded white Evangelical and Catholic reflective support for Republicans who have put other priorities over the common good for a variety of reasons.”
Lorien Touponse is a Senior, English Major, Women Gender and Sexuality Studies Minor. She has a passion for political activism and believes strongly in the separation of Church and State. In her free time she works for the Undergraduate Student Government at UConn as their Director of Student Services and runs initiatives relating to Mental Health, Sexual Health and Food Insecurity on campus. She hopes to become a lawyer to advocate for underserved communities and women’s rights.
For more information about the organizations and individuals resisting Christian Nationalism in the United States today, check out our Pluralist Resistance to Christian Nationalism project page.
Led by Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II, a Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign and former North Carolina president and national board member of the NAACP, Repairers of the Breach is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) not-for-profit training activists, artists, and faith leaders to organize and mobilize. Their advocacy around a moral policy agenda prioritizing love, truth, and justice thrust them into the conversation regarding Christian Nationalism.
ROTB was founded in2015 with the mission of reclaiming the language of morality from religious extremists that became prominent in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election. This effort is carried our through their Moral Fusion Organizing initiative, which supports grassroots and national movements for social change by advocating for multi-identity and multi-issue organizing. By reclaiming the moral language of the public square, ROTB challenges“so-called conservatives” who “hijack the powerful language of faith” in partisan debates. ROTB’s Poor People’s Campaign joins religious leaders of all races and faiths to combat systemic poverty, thereby promoting multiculturalism and cooperation in the face of pressing partisan divides regarding how to address poverty in the United States. Examples of efforts by the Poor People’s Campaign include the Moral March on Washington, teach-ins, and Moral Monday Rallies across the country.
Katherine Dattner is an honors political science major at the University of Connecticut. Her interests include public policy and international relations.
For more information about the organizations and individuals resisting Christian Nationalism in the United States today, check out our Pluralist Resistance to Christian Nationalism project page.
Jews for a Secular Democracy is a nationwide initiative of the Society for Humanistic Judaism that began in April 2018. Drawing from Jewish perspectives and pluralistic values, they combine education and community organizing to uphold secularism. They believe Jewish voices and community are necessary to oppose the ongoing elevation of Christian Nationalism.
Jews for a Secular Democracy works to defend Jews’ and other religious minorities’ right to freedom of religion, deconstruct “Judeo-Christian” rhetoric, and maintain separation of church and state. They define Christian Nationalism in tandem with political power and the imposition of Christian doctrine in policy. They specifically highlight attempts to curtail reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and secular public education. Recognizing how legal discrimination has historically been weaponized against the Jewish community, their advocacy aims to prevent similar treatment of others and the roll back of civil rights.
Jews for a Secular Democracy, Michigan 2022 Ballot Proposals: Deep Dive and Relational Organizing Training with Nomi Joyrich
Jews for a Secular Democracy is headed by Paul Golin. The organization operates chapters in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, and New York. They are also organizing action in Minnesota and Pennsylvania. They have been involved in many projects, including promoting secular education in New York nonpublic schools and yeshivas with YAFFED and defending reproductive rights through a ballot initiative with the Floridians Protecting Freedom Coalition.
Kojo Aurelien is a Digital Media and Design B.A. and Sociology Alumni of the University of Connecticut. He combined these dimensions in his work for the lab as a social media intern and research assistant.
For more information about the organizations and individuals resisting Christian Nationalism in the United States today, check out our Pluralist Resistance to Christian Nationalism project page.
Founded in 2022 by vocal evangelical Michael Wear, theCenter for Christianity and Public Life believes that the fate of American democracy rests on the character of Christianity within the country. Wear, now CEO and President, established the organization following his work as a faith adviser to President Barack Obama. The CCPL advocates that Christian resources should be funneled into supporting and bolstering the public good. One of their most prevalent beliefs is that Christians should be helping build healthy civic pluralism within the 21st century. Toquote Wear, “We believe that Christianity—its ideas, its institutions, its people—can and must contribute to building a healthier politics and nation for everyone.”
The CCPL is motivated to resolve the cynicism and volatility in modern public life and politics through a combination of public imagination and Christian civic formation. Wear previously led Public Square Strategies, a consulting firm aimed at helping religious and political organizations along with businesses when it comes to handling the modern American religious and political environment. Now, his work focuses more on supporting individual Christians and community leaders rather than companies and groups. The CCPL does not mention Christian Nationalism by name but has continually promoted a pluralistic vision of the United States that opposes Christian Nationalism and its reach.
The organization has three major programs: its annual “For the Good of the Public” Summit, the Public Life Fellowship, and the Young Professionals Network. “For the Good of the Public” aims to bring community leaders together to discuss issues and Christian resources that can contribute to the public good. The Public Life Fellowship Program is an intensive nine-month program offered to a diverse group of Christians regarding the role they can play in faith and public service. The Young Professionals Network, formally known as The Community of Young Christians in Politics (CYCP), is similarly comprised of a diverse group of Christians, however, it specifically focuses on professionals 35 and under to discuss challenges within their faith and career.
Adrish Das is a sophomore Political Science major and Sociology minor at the University of Connecticut.
For more information about the organizations and individuals resisting Christian Nationalism in the United States today, check out our Pluralist Resistance to Christian Nationalism project page.
Interfaith Alliance was founded in 1994 to provide an alternative voice to the Religious Right for people of all faiths. The organization aims to uphold the importance of freedom of religion by affirming the Constitution’s protection against any religious group imposing their beliefs on others. It leads several initiatives targeting extremism and threats to religion and democracy, including their initiative Challenging Christian Nationalism.
Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, President and CEO of Interfaith Alliance, leads the “Christian Nationalism is on the Ballot in 2022” briefing
Interfaith Alliance’s campaign against Christian Nationalism was introduced following the January 6th Insurrection. They recognize the danger this rising ideology poses to the general public, and specifically, other Christians. The organization criticizes Christian Nationalism for using Christian symbols and language in service of a political and cultural goal. Interfaith AlliancedefinesChristian Nationalism as “a cultural framework that conflates American identity with an exclusive form of religious identity… seek[ing] a fusion of religious and civil life – to the detriment of both… [with] anti-democratic notions of white supremacy, nativism, patriarchy, and authoritarianism.”
In September 2022, the president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance,Rev. Paul Raushenbush, led a policy briefing and discussion in Congress. Raushenbush has been present regularly on many panels, forums, and other media outlets to share the contents of apamphlet resource offering a brief introduction to Christian Nationalism and educating the public on the importance of combatting it to protect democracy.
Emma Harvison is a Senior at the University of Connecticut studying Human Rights and Political Science with minors in Spanish and Latin American Studies. She is thankful to be part of the Pluralist Resistance Team with the Meaning of Democracy Lab as she continues to study human rights to learn to be a strong advocate for others.
For more information about the organizations and individuals resisting Christian Nationalism in the United States today, check out our Pluralist Resistance to Christian Nationalism project page.
On February 16th, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are to be considered the same as children under the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act according to the Supreme Court of Alabama, whereas according to them, the act applies: “to all unborn children without limitation. And that includes unborn children who are not located in utero at the time they are killed.”
This has sparked significant debate not only regarding the legal and ethical aspects of in vitro fertilization (IVF) but also the ties that it has to the current presence of Christian Nationalism within our government institutions. This is due to the nonsecular nature of the rhetoric used within the different aspects of the court proceedings regarding IVF. The current influence of Christian Nationalism throughout America crucially helps to understand the implications of the ruling on reproductive rights and how church and state seemed to be intersecting.
Below, our research team rounded up some of the most interesting statements about Christian Nationalism’s influence on the ruling.
Concerning the ruling, the court’s chief justice Tom Parker stated:
“Human life cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God,” he wrote in a concurring opinion that invoked the Book of Genesis and the prophet Jeremiah and quoted at length from the writings of 16th- and 17th-century theologians. “Even before birth,” he added, “all human beings have the image of God, and their lives cannot be destroyed without effacing his glory.”
Joshua Sharfstein of Johns Hopkins University went into detail describing the religious aspects of the ruling alongside providing us with an additional quote from Chief Justice Parker:
“But beyond that, the concurring decision of the Chief Justice (Parker) and of the main justice are really redolent of a theological kind of discussion. As I was reading these opinions, what really struck me is that the rhetoric sounds more like Scripture than it does the language of the law. Here’s an excerpt:
‘We believe that each human, being from the moment of conception, is made in theimage of God, created by Him to reflect His likeness. It is as if the People of Alabama took what was spoken of the prophet Jeremiah, and applied it to every unborn person in the state.’”
It is clear that the ruling is embedded with Christianity in mind. Religious studies scholar Matthew D.Taylor says that:
“At that point, there’s no negotiation. There’s no compromise, there’s no like, “Oh, well, let’s meet in the middle and say let’s have a 16 week ban.” They are abortion abolitionists. What we see in Tom Parker’s ruling is more or less that rationale, using theology and Bible references to back that up and then pointing to his own belief in the Seven Mountains and saying, “This is why I did it.”
Taylor here brings up an interesting fact regarding Tom Parker and his belief in the Seven Mountains. The Seven Mountains Mandate is described as:
“A theological approach that once seemed fringe within evangelicalism but is now gaining traction. Backed by a network of nondenominational, charismatic Christians known as the New Apostolic Reformation, this mandate calls on its adherents to establish what they believe to be God’s kingdom over the seven core areas of society, including the government.”
The Seven Mountains Mandate is the heart of Christian Nationalism, whereas individuals who practice Christianity believe in a religious mandate that dictates the functioning of the country as a whole; a uniform belief that must be accepted by all. Many individuals have vocalized their concern following this Alabama ruling and the inherent religiosity that is being presented in the rationale. Referencing Tom Parker’s rationale, University of North Florida professor Julie Ingersoll, who studies religion and culture, proclaimed that:
“He framed it entirely assuming that the state of Alabama is a theocracy, and that that is a legitimate way of evaluating laws and policies…it looks like he decided to just dismiss the history of first amendment religious freedom jurisprudence at the federal level, and assume that it just doesn’t apply to Alabama.”
All while Tom Parker enacts political rulings on behalf of religious beliefs, a recent study highlights the grave concern that Christian Nationalism is undoubtedly present within American society. Rulings like the Alabama IVF decision are not random, they are instead based in reason that supports some American beliefs that allude to Christian nationalism:
“Today, 30% of Americans support tenets of Christian nationalism, according to a study…from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). Researchers asked more than 22,000 Americans how much they agreed with statements such as: “The US government should declare America a Christian nation”; “Being Christian is an important part of being truly American”’; and “God has called Christians to exercise dominion over all areas of American society.” Ultimately, about 10% of Americans qualify as “adherents” to Christian nationalism, and another 20% are “sympathizers”…. White evangelicals are particularly likely to support Christian nationalism: 66% hold Christian nationalist views.”
Not all groups agreed that the court’s decision was a bad thing, instead, they agreed with it as it illustrated their beliefs that religion should dictate governmental proceedings. Tony Perkins, the president of the conservative Family Research Council, agreed with the ruling on social media:
“Good to see this 7-2 decision by the Alabama Supreme Court to protect unborn life. In his concurring opinion, Chief Justice Tom Parker gives a beautiful defense of life and the Alabama Constitution.”
The Alabama IVF decision has been polarizing to the American discourse as it discusses the proper and improper use of religiosity as it pertains to legislation, as well as the debate on when human life is defined. As opponents of Christian Nationalism, it can be deduced that:
“The Alabama Supreme Court has grossly overstepped its role by classifying frozen embryos, single-celled fertilized eggs, as children. Justices have crossed a critical boundary to assign personhood to something created in a lab that exists outside of a human body…the outcome of this case will certainly affect access to fertility treatment across the country as more and more state legislatures advance policies that are based on an ideological and unscientific definition of personhood.”
As our team works to build a comprehensive database of the groups and leaders combatting (White) Christian Nationalism, we have compiled a YouTube playlist of videos created by those involved in this effort. Many of the videos feature experts on Christian nationalism in the US and discuss how people are working to resist its influence nationally and in local communities.
Director Ruth Braunstein talked to UConn Today about the Meanings of Democracy Lab’s new project mapping the growing field of resistance to Christian Nationalism in the United States. Thanks to a new $300,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, Braunstein will scale up this work through a podcast and interactive web platform where users can explore various resistance efforts.
The spread of Christian Nationalism is a source of bipartisan concern in American politics today, as it undermines the country’s foundational commitment to religious pluralism. As the UConn Today article explains:
Though [Braunstein] notes the country has not always lived up to its pluralistic ideals, she believes these ideals call Americans to create “a democracy where people of all religious faiths and no religious faiths are welcome to live in the way they choose — and not just welcome, but also part of the group of people who get to create that society.”
Americans across the partisan divide and across religious communities believe in this vision, and they increasingly voicing concern about the influence of Christian Nationalism on US politics. Braunstein observes, “As Christian nationalism was gaining power and influence in American politics, it was also unleashing a wave of resistance.”
The project is the first of its kind to try to map this field of resistance, which:
include[s] the “usual suspects” — “liberal religious groups, legal defense groups” — who have been resisting Christian nationalism for decades, “but also include[s] some new actors, including many conservative white Christians who were concerned about what Christian nationalism meant for both American democracy and American Christianity.”
Grant funding for this project comes from the Henry Luce Foundation’s Religion and Theology Program, through an initiative seeking to “Advance Public Knowledge on Democracy, Race and Religion in America.”
The Henry Luce Foundation seeks to deepen knowledge and understanding in pursuit of a more democratic and just world. Established in 1936 by Henry R. Luce, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time, Inc., the Luce Foundation advances its mission by nurturing knowledge communities and institutions, fostering dialogue across divides, enriching public discourse, amplifying diverse voices, and investing in leadership development.
Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope was founded upon the idea of bringing different religious denominations together as one voice for justice. The organization includes Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, and other religious communities who, as a collective, act towards civic engagement, criminal justice reform, and economic development, among other initiatives.
The We All Belong Campaign originated as part of MICAH’s goal to promote civic engagement and education as a way to push back against Christian nationalism. MICAH identifies Christian nationalism as a dangerous ideology that aims to sow division throughout the United States. Christian nationalism lumps Christian identity and American identity together, which distorts Christian values and marginalizes religious minorities and non-religious people. MICAH focuses on gathering around Martin Luther King Jr.’s Beloved Community, where everyone is loved and respected regardless of religious affiliation.
The Beloved Community believes in the power and necessity of pluralist democracy. This view is consistent with the principles of America’s founding, however, it is actively being undermined by Christian nationalism, which instead prioritizes only those who see Christianity as a favored elite and political class. Standing for democracy means separating church and state, which allows for a diverse acceptance of other religious traditions. Conflating Christianity with American identity erases the history and culture of other religious groups who also view themselves as Americans.
Photo Credit: MICAH; Rev. Dr. Richard Shaw signing the “We All Belong” Campaign Statement
Yana Tartakovskiy is a junior studying healthcare management and insurance studies major, political science minor. Her interests include healthcare laws and public policies shaping women’s health.
For more information about the organizations and individuals resisting Christian Nationalism in the United States today, check out our Pluralist Resistance to Christian Nationalism project page.
The campaign promotes understanding of Christianity and seeks to frame Jesus’ story in a positive light, but their approach has been polarizing even for those who identify themselves as Christian. The commercials have garnered mixed responses fromboth the political left and right. One reason for the controversy is who paid for these commercials. Hobby Lobby and its founder David Green spent almost $20 million on this campaign. He has previously advocated for greater representation ofChristian values in our legal system and poured money into the legal restriction of women’s reproductive autonomy. This is one reason why the commercials were initially viewed as an effort to promote Christian Nationalism and the idea that Christianity is the guiding principle of our nation.
And yet the commercials actually appear to be calling out the harms of Christian nationalism. The goal of this commentary is to reimagine the way people view Jesus. How could these beliefs that Christians share, they ask, be“twisted into a tool to judge, harm, and divide?” The He Gets Us commercials emphasized how, as Christians, one should not judge thy neighbor. In the “Foot Washing” commercial, there are various scenes of people washing each other’s feet, some in controversial situations including a police officer washing a Black man’s feet and two women outside of a family planning clinic. The commercials thus appear to support the idea of respecting all individuals and calling out harmful Christian Nationalist ideas of using the Bible to exclude people on certain the basis of race, sexuality, or political beliefs. The “Who is My Neighbor?” commercial furthers these ideas with depictions of homeless and Trans and/or gender fluid-appearing individuals. The phrase “who is my neighbor?” flashes onto the screen followed by “the one you don’t notice, value, welcome.” This commercial again promotes the message of inclusivity with a direct call-out to those who do not do so.
This campaign is seemingly directed toward Christians that may not follow what He Gets Us believes in: Jesus’ love. The campaign website states that Jesus“didn’t let pro-this or anti-that opinions prohibit him from seeing the value in all people”, which encompasses what both of these commercials aim to project. Though criticized for so directly promoting Christianity, the campaign also seems to be attempting to fight harmful Christian Nationalistic ideals from within, by promoting a role for Christian ideas of kindness, love, and inclusivity rather than political division and dominion. The critical public reaction to the ads, however, suggests that this is a difficult line to walk.
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