White Christian Nationalist Capture and Foreign Policy Attitude Consolidation
Department
History, Philosophy, and Political Science
Location
Bethel University
Start Date
25-10-2023 4:00 PM
End Date
25-10-2023 5:00 PM
Description
A growing body of research has identified white Christian nationalism as a social identity with cultural and religious components. White Christian nationalism is distinct from American white evangelicalism, but it has captured a significant portion of its adherents. The effect of this capture has been to normalize policy views according to nationalism sentiments rather than religious doctrine. This paper argues that such normalization also extends to foreign policy attitudes. White Christian nationalism is changing foreign policy thinking amongst American evangelicals. This capture of American evangelicals by the identity of white Christian nationalism can explain previously puzzling attitudes regarding attitudes on issues as diverse as foreign aid distribution, torture of terrorism suspects, and support for authoritarian governments. This paper explains how the emergence of white Christian nationalism within American evangelicalism provides a better explanation for foreign policy attitudes than partisan affiliation.
Recommended Citation
Moore, Christopher, "White Christian Nationalist Capture and Foreign Policy Attitude Consolidation" (2023). Day of Scholarship. 31.
https://spark.bethel.edu/dayofscholarship/fall2023/oct25/31
White Christian Nationalist Capture and Foreign Policy Attitude Consolidation
Bethel University
A growing body of research has identified white Christian nationalism as a social identity with cultural and religious components. White Christian nationalism is distinct from American white evangelicalism, but it has captured a significant portion of its adherents. The effect of this capture has been to normalize policy views according to nationalism sentiments rather than religious doctrine. This paper argues that such normalization also extends to foreign policy attitudes. White Christian nationalism is changing foreign policy thinking amongst American evangelicals. This capture of American evangelicals by the identity of white Christian nationalism can explain previously puzzling attitudes regarding attitudes on issues as diverse as foreign aid distribution, torture of terrorism suspects, and support for authoritarian governments. This paper explains how the emergence of white Christian nationalism within American evangelicalism provides a better explanation for foreign policy attitudes than partisan affiliation.