'Advocating Christian nationalism': Analysis unveils Josh Hawley’s 'chilling radicalism'

10 July 2024

During a speech at the National Conservatism Conference in Washington, D.C. on Monday, July 8, far-right Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) declared his allegiance to Christian nationalism.

The far-right MAGA Republican told the crowd, "Some will say I'm calling America a Christian nation. And so I am. Some will say I'm advocating Christian nationalism. And so I do."

In a scathing opinion column published on July 10, MSNBC's Steve Benen attacks Hawley's remarks as ignorant of U.S. history.

"The senator's points were obviously related," Benen explains, "but it's worth scrutinizing the claims separately — because Hawley made two related but distinct mistakes. The first is the idea that the United States is a 'Christian nation.' This is, to be sure, a popular idea within the GOP's theocratic wing, but it's also offensive, ahistorical nonsense."

Benen adds, "The United States is based on a secular Constitution, which in turn created a secular government…. But then there was the rest of the quote, in which the senator boasted about 'advocating Christian nationalism.'"

Benen argues that Hawley's "rhetoric" is "at odds with" the United States' "highest ideas," as the "sentiment behind" it is: "You'll be tolerated, but you're still The Other, relegated to second-class status.'"

"It's an approach that starts with a radical premise — adherents of one faith tradition must enjoy exalted status in the United States — before advancing to insist that American Christians must rule, dictate, and govern in ways they see fit," Benen warns. "To see and hear a prominent Republican senator publicly espouse such radicalism is chilling."

Steve Benen's full column for MSNBC is available at this link.

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