Those Christian nationalists? They’re not one of us

You’ve heard, no doubt, of the “No True Scotsman” fallacy. The idea is that when a counterexample is posed to some general truth (i.e., “Scotsmen are brave”), that counterexample is fallaciously refuted by saying that anyone who doesn’t fit that truth cannot be a “true” instance of the type. Point me to a cowardly Scot and I’ll assert that he can be no Scot if he’s cowardly.

We Christians commit this fallacy a lot. When we are confronted by examples of Christians who bring us into disrepute, or who violate what we take to be the proper behaviour of Christians, or who assert things we think are anathema, we often attempt to put distance between them and us by denying that they are Christians at all. I’ve been studying Christian nationalism a lot in the past few years and I’ve found myself playing “No True Scotsmen” with them. Those “Christian nationalists” – they’re not one of us. (Cue Kendrick Lemar: “They not like us.”)

It’s not that simple

But there’s a difference between being unchristian and not being a Christian. We cannot (or should not) wash our hands of our siblings in Christ when they embarrass or offend us. I believe that Christian nationalists accept and promote things that are in deep and flagrant contradiction with the authentic political meaning of the Christian faith. In that sense, I think that Christian nationalism is unchristian. I believe that Christian nationalism is a major problem in North American public life and a major problem for the people whom they target for discrimination and exclusion. But Christian nationalism is OUR problem. And that means that we have some responsibility for it.

Reformed nationalists

This is particularly true for Reformed Christians. Though much is made of the role of Christian nationalism in more “evangelical” groups in the United States, some of the most prominent and problematic framers of American Christian nationalism are theologically Reformed (as they were in South African Christian Nationalism during the Apartheid era). Stephen Wolfe – in his book The Case for Christian Nationalism – draws on many authors that are central to my faith and tradition: Calvin, Althusius and Bavinck. Now, I think he makes a damnable hash of their political theology, but I can’t deny that he and I are part of the same tradition. He is inspired by some of the same texts I teach and promote, even if he takes from them exactly the wrong things – jettisoning what is best and doubling down on what is worst (or inessential) in their teaching. But if Wolfe is no Scotsman (or Christian, in this case), then neither am I.

We don’t need to be proud of our erring siblings in Christ, but we mustn’t deny our kinship with them. We need not hang around them or give them a platform, but they are our problem, not someone else’s.

This article was published in the July 2025 issue of Christian Courier with the title “Untrue Scotsmen.” If you like that title better, maybe you’d enjoy a print subscription!