There are no simple answers when it comes to confronting Christian nationalism in America, according to Diana Butler Bass , an author, historian and public theologian who discussed the hot-button topic at Drury University on Friday evening. Instead, she suggested folks must acknowledge the complexity of the issue and be willing to have nuanced conversations with neighbors, family and friends.
About 250 attendees filled the seats at the Findlay Student Center ballroom, listening as Butler Bass discussed the history of Christian nationalism in the United States and how to combat it. This lecture was part of a tour Butler Bass is embarking on in swing states.
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Butler Bass said that understanding the current issue at hand will require delving into a complex national history.
“I think we’re letting a single historical explanation — ‘Christian nationalism is evil, it’s the boogeyman’ — that we’re letting it bear the weight of a lot of our problems,” Butler Bass said. “A better path is to put out propositions like (America is shaped by Christianity, especially Protestantism, but America is not a Christian nation) and try to understand what the real role of religion in the United States has been.”