Countering the Temptations of Christian Nationalism: Matthew 4:1-11

The temptations Satan offers Jesus are strikingly similar to the temptations of Christian Nationalism. How should the Church respond?

The reflection below is one I wrote for “Jesus and Justice in Public,” a study-action guide by the Wisconsin Council of Churches. They developed this guide to help the Church respond to the rising, substantial threats of White Christian Nationalism that have become increasingly violent and include attacks on our democracy. The guide offers hands-on ways that the Church has historically engaged in civic life and what these practices can look like in our modern context. 

I was invited to write a series of homiletical helps so that preachers can connect these lessons to the the readings in Lent from the Revised Common Lectionary for Year A.  However, these essays can be used at any time of the year. This reflection is for the First Sunday of Lent.

The allures of Christian Nationalism

In her book, The Psychology of Christian Nationalism, Episcopal priest and pastoral psychotherapist Pamela Cooper-White explains both the conscious needs and unconscious lures of Christian Nationalism for people who are drawn in by its extremist beliefs.  Conscious motivations include the need for belonging and a sense of purpose; fear of loss of white social status, resentment, and a desire for power; fear of loss of patriarchal authority; and the irrational allure of conspiracy theories (41).

But there are deeper drives that adherents of White Christian Nationalism may not hold in conscious awareness that nevertheless cause them to act in ways that are self-sabotaging and violent toward others.  The magnetism of “groupthink,” the draw of a narcissistic leader, and the effects of one’s personal trauma can all “lead people to become Christian nationalists of varying degrees [in ways] that defy all rational analysis” (99).

The temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4:1-11 and the temptations of Christian Nationalism

In Matthew 4:1-11, the three temptations Satan offers Jesus are strikingly similar to the allures of Christian Nationalism.

• The ability to turn stones into bread parallels Christian Nationalism’s promise of control to those who feel they have lost their status and agency.
• The goading of Jesus to throw himself down off the pinnacle parallels a belief system that pushes people to, in a sense, sacrifice themselves for the cause of their leaders, mistakenly believing that they will be magically protected from any consequences.
• The promise of political power in exchange for worshiping that which opposes God is a counterpart to the demand for unquestioning loyalty to violent, narcissistic leaders who care only about their own power and nothing about their followers.

Sermon ideas

A sermon addressing Christian Nationalism based on Matthew 4:1-11 might ask: How can our church model basic decency, compassion, and caring? What are ways we can honor our neighbors, protect the weak, and minister to those who have been hurt by this abusive, corrupt, and racist system?

Ultimately, there is a power that is greater than a demonic belief system that promises so much but provides so little while harming so many.  That power is one of generosity, curiosity, creativity, joy, nonviolence, justice, and peace. It is a regenerating, rejuvenating power that is found in the leading of the Spirit, the God of our Holy Scriptures, and the embodiment of Christ.  And it is Christ who strengthens us to resist those demonic temptations and stay true to our faith in God.

Central Question, Central Claim, Central Purpose for sermon on Matt. 4:1-11

(The Central Question, Central Claim, and Central Purpose statements are a way to organize and provide direction for a sermon that I developed in the book Introduction to Preaching: Scripture, Theology, and Sermon Preparation (Rowman & Littlefield, 2013). Here are possible Central Statements for a sermon countering Christian Nationalism based on Matthew 4:1-11.)

Central Question. How can our church be an agent of the Holy Spirit in the wilderness, ministering to those who have been drawn in or harmed by the abusive, corrupt, and racist system of Christian Nationalism?

Central Claim. Christ strengthens us to resist the demonic temptations of Christian Nationalism and stay true to our faith in God.

Central Purpose. This sermon will challenge listeners to confront the temptations of Christian Nationalism and renew their ministries of prophetic truth-telling, advocacy, and activism.

To see the full series of sermon helps, download “Jesus and Justice” here.

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The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade is the Associate Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky and ordained in the ELCA. Dr. Schade does not speak for LTS or the ELCA; her opinions are her own.  She is the author of Preaching in the Purple Zone: Ministry in the Red-Blue Divide (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019) and Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit (Chalice Press, 2015). She is the co-editor of Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019). Her newest book is Introduction to Preaching: Scripture, Theology, and Sermon Preparation, co-authored with Jerry L. Sumney and Emily Askew (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023).