Owen Strachan is a prominent figure in Evangelicalism who was once quite the advocate of Critical Race Theory narratives, but in 2018 changed sides and even published a book to that end and became the provost of a seminary in the process. But with Critical Race Theory in the rear view mirror for many Evangelicals, wrongly so, a new debate has emerged from the ivory towers of Mid Eva. Rather than focus on the rampancy of Side B theology in the church or women pastors, they have set their sights on the secondary issue of Christian Nationalism to be destroyed.
In the process of attacking Christian Nationalism, Owen Strachan reverted back to woke tactics to call people racist for not supporting Post-War consensus views. Earlier this month we reported that Owen Strachan denounced Christians who believe that Replacement Theory is real as racist. He has also labeled Christian Nationalist Kinists, baselessly accusing them of opposing interracial marriage. This sentiment was echoed by Samuel Sey, a prominent Mid Eva writer.
But now Owen Strachan’s baseless attacks against brothers in Christ have been picked up by liberal media. Bob Smietana, a liberal from Religion News Service wrote about him mid August. Now MSN published/curated an article citing Owen Strachan to attack Christian Nationalists as racist, echoing liberal “Christian” media.
In an article titled, “‘Fight this wicked ideology’: Evangelical fundamentalist declares war on white Christian nationalism” Owen Strachan is elevated to a cudgel to attack Christians before a secular audience.
More than 40 years later, the GOP/Religious Right alliance is as strong as ever. And the term “Christian nationalism” is being used to describe MAGA-minded white evangelicals who are extreme even by Religious Right standards.
So, the liberal media is framing Christian Nationalists as white Christians, essentially.
Strachan, according to Smietana, has described Christian nationalism as “the unbiblical view that we must preserve white ethnicity to build a Christian nation.” And the extremists he is calling out include Gab founder Andrew Torba and author Matt Walsh (a self-described “theocratic fascist”).
The author of this piece, Alex Henderson, employs Matt Walsh’s tongue and cheek Twitter/X bio to make his case. Owen Strachan was blatantly misrepresenting Andrew Torba’s views at the time decrying them to be opposed to interracial marriage when he was arguing that preserving a people group is good. Right or wrong, the real issue is that Torba is white and not talking about an ethnic minority in America.
However, Strachan’s characterization of Christian Nationalism as cited in this article is a bad faith misrepresentation, as Christian Nationalism is a fancy term for how Protestants have historically viewed the role of the civil magistrate. The ideology can be applied in Africa just as it can the United States. However, Christian Nationalist recognize that mass immigration threatens the cultural cohesion of a nation, citing Europe as a prominent example.
This hot nonsense is catching on in evangelical and Reformed circles--opposite it like you would oppose the plague. https://t.co/xMZH6LpF4S
— Owen Strachan (@ostrachan) August 17, 2023
Owen Strachan is waging his personal war, and in the process has found himself being favored in the eyes of the pagan media. This should make us all pause and think.
Huh.
— Jeff Wright (@merelyjwright) August 24, 2023
Who would have guessed that the ravening progressives at MSN would find common cause with the new anti-Christian Nationalists in the same way they found common cause with the Russ Moores and David Frenches of the world?https://t.co/CIfWTFQ7Ir
G3’s Josh Buice responded by circling the wagons around Owen Strachan whose Russell Moore trajectory is being called into question.
Slander is a big accusation there Josh.
— Jeff Wright (@merelyjwright) August 25, 2023
Can you be clear what you have in mind?
And maybe we should get our fellow elders involved to help us navigate this. What say?
Calling believers racist is apparently cool over at G3, but pointing out how being a pawn for the media to attack believers is not.
The Anti-Christian Nationalists are going to have to come to grips with their strange bedfellows in this debate and decide whether their fight is worth it.
