The Holy Post is a liberal Evangelical podcast founded by Phil Vischer and Skye Jethani. Skye Jethani published a video in between their glorifying of faith deconstruction series to go on a rant against Christian Nationalism featuring pudding cups. It amounts to perhaps one of the lowest IQ arguments in the subject that objects to Christians seeking and applying wisdom found in the Bible for their daily lives.
In his analysis, Skye Jethani provides a flawed definition of Christian Nationalism that centers exclusively on America. Evangelical Dark Web’s definition is that Christian Nationalism is the belief and practice of Christianizing a nation, either establishing or restoring a Christian heritage to a people, through the spreading of the gospel, establishing of institutions, and aligning civil laws with the Law of God. This definition aligns well with that of Stephen Wolfe, the most authoritative author on the subject. Skye Jethani ultimately wants to focus on America to denigrate the White Evangelical voting bloc for wanting political power.
Jethani soothes a story of pudding cups being used to accumulate frequent flier miles. The moral of the story is that the pudding was a means to an end, and likewise, Skye Jethani argues that under Christian Nationalism, Christianity is a means to political power.
The evidence he used for this claim are quotes by Stephen Wolfe, William Wolfe, and Franklin Graham that speak to bad things happening to America should it reject its Christian heritage. This is practical wisdom. America is reaping what it has sown for its sin. Jethani concludes that the ultimate goal of the movement is worldly blessings, and therefore it is a form of Prosperity Gospel. The Prosperity Gospel asserts that part of Christ’s work of salvation is to impart health and wealth. The salvific claim of the Prosperity Gospel is in fact what makes it a heresy, not that it often teaches on the financial wisdom found in Scripture.
Christian Nationalism by contrast makes no salvific claims. It is not a works-based salvation, Christian Nationalism is a faith-based work. The Bible has a multitude of wisdom to provide civil magistrates. And before the rise of principled pluralism which believes that the government should be secular and neutral, Christianity was rather united in the view that Christian rulers should govern Christianly. It’s not a conspiracy of Constantine, as Rome was only the third nation to make Christianity its official religion.
Skye Jethani also rants against so-called purity culture for being a Prosperity Gospel promising good sex and happy marriages to teenagers. This straw man fallacy also ignores the practical wisdom that well documents the fruits of abstaining from sexual sin and the fruit of the flesh. It is not sinful nor a false gospel to point out practical wisdom found in the Bible and natural revelation. God has woven a natural law best described as sowing and reaping, whereby there are natural consequences to sin and righteous conduct.
This isn’t a Prosperity Gospel but a warning woven in God’s providence pointing to our need for a savior. In the end, Skye Jethani is not arguing against Christian Nationalism, he is arguing against wisdom. And in his retardation, many will be led astray.
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There are plenty of good criticisms of Wolfe’s brand of Christian Nationalism, such as why he feels the need to even mention irrelevant factors such as skin color and ethnos, much less focus on them, as well as the fact that the anglosphere is at the epicenter and forefront of imposing godlessness such as porneia and murder of the unborn, and doesn’t have any notable record of standing as a bulwark against diddly squat. Such unbiblical categorizations inevitably lead one to bear false witness.
But the argument that God’s standards are mean, burdensome, harmful, miserable, and unloving is not one such valid criticism.
“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” – 1 John 5:3
“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Jesus
What an insult it is to Him for professing Christians to imply that His way is burdensome. If this is their opinion, they need to remove the word “Holy” from the name of their podcast.
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times. Both sides need to stick with scripture and only scripture. God’s word is the bulwark. Those who stand on that immovable and unchanging rock shall not be moved – regardless of skin color or ethnicity.