Religious Freedom as Nationalism

• In Event: Religion, Minorities, and Nationalism in the U.S.

Abstract

Over the past two decades, religious liberty politics have become contentious – a “new front” in the culture wars, as some have described. As debates over same-sex marriage have shifted from the legal status to the rights of defectors, the polarization of religious freedom has grown. On the Right, religious freedom is framed as an essential human right under threat by culture progressivism and secularism. On the Left, religious freedom claims are increasingly seen as masking intolerant, exclusive views, often in conflict with minority rights and political equality. Despite these stereotypes, there have been no analysis of the connection between religious freedom and nationalism in public opinion.

Donald Trump’s campaign and presidency has brought renewed attention to types of nationalism, both white nationalism and Christian nationalism. Research increasingly suggests that Trump’s most fervent support is from those who wish to preserve (or return to) America’s cultural, Christian characteristics. In this way, white, Christian nationalism is integrated into political messages of status loss. Religious freedom advocacy does not have to be exclusive and nationalistic. In fact, there have been efforts by conservative Christian leaders and organizations to defend a broader, inclusive religious liberty. Yet, in practice, much religious liberty advocacy on the Right is in defense of Christians. This selective religious freedom advocacy is frequent throughout history.

The rise of both religious liberty and Christian nationalism politics begs questions about the relationship between these concepts. Is support for religious freedom synonymous with Christian nationalism, making it attuned only to exclusive claims of religious liberty? Or is there variation that provides opportunities for a future inclusive, more pluralistic religious freedom politics on the Right? Using surveys of evangelical clergy from 1988-2008, the 2016 American National Election Study, and original national surveys conducted in 2017 and 2018, I investigate the relationship between religious freedom and nationalism, both Christian and white nationalism. The results indicate clear links between nationalism, in both bivariate and multivariate models. This relationship has been present among evangelicals for the past three decades, and nationalism appears to serve as a wedge issue, helping Democrats become more supportive of Republican religious freedom causes. A survey experiment confirms this relationship, as Republicans and evangelicals are less supportive of religious freedom when it is used to defend non-Christian minorities. The findings provide important insight into current and future state of religious freedom in the U.S., as well as how parties use cultural, religious messages to build their coalitions.

Author

• Andrew R. Lewis, University of Cincinnati