Body
NPR began a new series exploring the relationship between church and state in America, focusing on people who believe the United States is—and should remain—a Christian nation. On Morning Edition, host Steve Inskeep discussed the series preview with NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose, who said recent coverage of actions by the Trump administration and the growing public debate over “Christian nationalism” prompted NPR to go deeper.
DeRose said a new survey found that Americans report religion is gaining greater influence over government, and that in the same survey most people also said the rising influence makes them uncomfortable. He said NPR’s reporting looks at how those views intersect with policy and political messaging tied to Christianity, including administration officials’ public religious language and events.
Inskeep asked why NPR is addressing the topic now, and DeRose pointed to multiple developments. He cited “a recent Justice Department report on anti-Christian bias” that describes policy differences as being motivated by anti-Christian animus, as well as an early-month prayer service on the National Mall that included cabinet members praying in front of a giant cross. DeRose also referenced other times, including comments or appearances from within the administration, that he said specifically promoted Christianity.
To illustrate the pitch of that promotion, the segment played voices saying, “We have been - and by the grace of God, we always will be - a Christian nation,” and “In the end, we do not answer to bureaucrats in Washington. We answer to God in heaven.” The program also included Paula White-Cain, head of the White House Faith Office, saying, “Prayer’s not a religious act. It’s a national necessity,” and President Trump saying, “We have to bring back our religion. We have to bring back Christianity in this country.”
Inskeep asked whether the remarks represented what some describe as “Christian nationalism,” and DeRose defined Christian nationalism as an ideology that merges Christian identity with national identity. He said Pew Research recently released a study on public attitudes toward religion’s influence on American government and that Pew’s lead author, Chip Rotolo, reported that fewer people had been aware of the term “Christian nationalism” until recently—an awareness that, in turn, has led to sharper reactions.
DeRose told listeners that Rotolo said Pew found “about 3 in 10 Americans have an unfavorable view, and about 1 in 10 Americans have a favorable view.” He added that although that means more people dislike the term than like it, Rotolo’s work also showed that many people did not previously have an opinion when the topic was introduced—prompting NPR to examine the underlying policy ideas rather than the label alone.
DeRose said Rotolo broke the term into three concrete ideas that Pew tested: that the Bible should have greater influence than the will of the people in making laws; that the government should stop enforcing church-state separation; and that the government should declare the U.S. an officially Christian nation. He said the survey found nearly 40% endorse at least one of those ideas, and he said that when the label “Christian nationalist” is set aside, support for the specific concepts appears broader.
To clarify how supporters define the underlying nationalism, DeRose said he would draw on R. R. Reno, editor of the conservative Christian journal “First Things,” who said, “Nationalism is rooted in a judgment that we have to restore solidarity, that we need to defend national sovereignty, that we need to buttress the things that we share in common.” DeRose also presented Reno’s view that “Christianity provides a sense that the purposes of life are much greater than merely the political,” which Reno said functions as a limit on political extremism.
Critics of Christian nationalism, DeRose said, argue it undermines the founding American principle of separation between church and state. He said that in the Pew poll more than half of Americans want the government to enforce that separation, and that they do not want increased promotion of Christianity by government.
Inskeep asked what NPR’s series will cover next, and DeRose said upcoming reporting will include work by NPR reporters, partner coverage from Religion News Service, and a member station reporter. Among the stories he previewed were reporting on a Christian lawmaker in Ohio influencing education policy, the use of a painting of George Washington praying to argue the Founding Fathers were devout Christians even though the depicted moment is described as apocryphal, a Christian worship song used at conservative political rallies, and how the Trump administration quotes Jesus to promote specific policy initiatives.