1 Corinthians 5:11-13 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. 12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”
Like an iceburg the true cost of pursuing "Christian" Nationalism may not be readily apparent, but it lies beneath the surface, doing its damage whether we see it or not.
What does the myth of a "Christian" Nation cost the Church? {See my: The Myth of a Christian Nation - by Gregory Boyd: a summary and response} Among its many steep costs is this: The Church becomes known for what (who) it is against, not what (who) it is for. As Gregory Boyd rightly said, "The brutal fact is that we Christians are not generally known for our love - for the simple reason that we, like the pharisees of old, generally judge more than we love." (The Myth of a Christian Nation, Boyd, p. 133-134). A Church focused on obtaining power over its political enemies will inevitably devolve into an us vs. them mentality. How can we share the Gospel with them, how we can be servants, when we're busy trying to destroy them?
In a "Christian" Nation, moral authority is reduced to a tactic, we can't (or hesitate to) criticize our 'team' for immorality, but at the same time we are incentivized to criticize "them" whether warranted or not.
But that's not at all what the Apostle Paul tells the followers of Jesus Christ to do. We are told that judgement begins, and ends, with us. God will deal with the rest of the world, our task is to make sure that immorality has not home within our community.
Thus "Christian" Nationalism pushes the Church in the opposite direction from what scriture commands. Instead of cleaning our own house, we throw stones at "them", instead of having zero tolerance for sin within our community, we make room (even celebrate) unrepentant sinners who happen to be good at the political power game.
The cost of "Christian" Nationalism is far to high for the Church, the Gospel, and each one of us.
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