The role of Christianity in government and ‘Christian nationalism’ discussed at National Conservatism Conference
Seminary president Albert Mohler and pastor Doug Wilson discussed the role of Christianity in the government on July 8, agreeing that Christians should focus on maximizing the Christian underpinnings of the state in the Western world, particularly the United States, according to media reports.
The two theologians met on stage during a panel titled “The Crisis of Meaning and Morality in the West,” at the National Conservatism Conference held July 8-10 in Washington, D.C.
Wilson, who has pastored Christ Church for more than 30 years, recently wrote a book on bringing Christianity back into modern culture. Mohler has been president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary since 1993.
Mohler insisted that conservatives must remember their need for God, the Christian tradition, and ontological truth. “To be conservative is to hold allegiance to certain fixed truths and principles.”
Wilson encouraged Christians to engage in the public square and politics, denouncing those who want Christians to keep their faith private and out of public debates.
Numerous legislators and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy spoke during the conference. Other speakers included Timon Cline, an attorney who is editor-in-chief at American Reformer; Jack Posobiec, senior editor of Human Events; Adam Candeub, professor of law at the Michigan State University College of Law, and Mark Bauerlein, senior editor at First Things and emeritus professor of English at Emory University.
During his speech, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said he is an advocate for what is called “Christian nationalism.”
Referencing St. Augustine’s “City of God,” Hawley told attendees, “We are a nation forged from Augustine’s vision.”
“A nation defined by the dignity of the common man as given to us in the Christian religion,” he continued. “A nation held together by the homely affections articulated in the Christian faith: love for family, love for neighbor, home, and country.”
Defending Christian nationalism, Hawley said that the “nationalism of ancient Rome led to bloodthirst and conquest. The old pagan tribalism led to ethnic hatred. The empires of the East crushed the individual and the blood and soil nativism of Europe in the two centuries led to savagery and genocide.”
“By contrast, Augustine’s Christian nationalism has been the boast of the West,” he said, adding that it has been “our moral center and it has supplied our most cherished ideas.”
The National Conservatism Conference, a project of the Edmund Burke Foundation, is designed to bring together public figures, journalists, scholars, and students who understand that the past and future of conservatism are inextricably tied to the idea of the nation, to the principle of national independence, and to the revival of the unique national traditions that alone have the power to bind a people together and bring about their flourishing, according to the organization’s website.
Related:
Watch the National Conservatism Conference promo on YouTube: