American Idolatry – How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church

An expert on Christian nationalism identifies three areas--power, fear, and violence--where nationalism conflicts with core gospel beliefs and reveals its theological and spiritual costs in the church before pointing a way forward.

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Foreword INDIES 2023 Book of the Year Award (GOLD Winner for Religion)

2024 Midwest Book Award Winner (Religion & Philosophy)

"Heartfelt, incisive, and worthy of thoughtful consideration."--Library Journal

"A fascinating investigation of politics and racism in American Christian evangelicalism."--Foreword Reviews

Power. Fear. Violence. These three idols of Christian nationalism are corrupting American Christianity.

Andrew Whitehead is a leading scholar on Christian nationalism in America and speaks widely on its effects within Christian communities. In this book, he shares his journey and reveals how Christian nationalism threatens the spiritual lives of American Christians and the church.

Whitehead shows how Christians harm their neighbors when they embrace the idols of power, fear, and violence. He uses two key examples--racism and xenophobia--to demonstrate that these idols violate core Christian beliefs. Through stories, he illuminates expressions of Christianity that confront Christian nationalism and offer a faithful path forward.

American Idolatry encourages further conversation about what Christian nationalism threatens, how to face it, and why it is vitally important to do so. It will help identify Christian nationalism and build a framework that makes sense of the relationship between faith and the current political and cultural context.