This article is an opinion piece whose contents represent the standpoint of its author and not UPF Lund or The Perspective’s editorial board.
Christian nationalism is an ideology that aims to merge Christianity with a nation’s character. This doctrine has a long, deeply embedded history in America that is very much still alive today. In fact, Christian nationalism is so ingrained in the country’s foundation that the Trump administration has been able to weaponize it to gain citizen support for the war it is conducting in Iran.
America was founded as a haven for religious refugees. The first European inhabitants who established a settlement in America were Puritans, a radical reform movement seeking to purify Christianity. Those who entered the Puritan congregation felt they were chosen to be members of God’s army. As a play on the Bible verse Matthew 5:14, which reads as “[y]ou are the light of the world, [a] city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden”, the Puritan leader John Winthrop in 1630, is quoted as saying, “America is a city upon the hill chosen by God.” This metaphor is deeply embedded in the concept of American Exceptionalism – meaning that the United States is a beacon of democracy, morality, and hope – an idea still prevalent in American politics today.
In his stirring pamphlet Common Sense (1776), US founding father Thomas Paine compares Americans to ancient Israelis, chosen by God, to build a Christian nation in line with God’s divine will. This sentiment is echoed by the US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who regularly argues that the country was established as a Christian nation and that military troops should embrace God. Hegseth has initiated monthly prayer services for employees of the defence department at the Pentagon, which some critics say violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment by endorsing religion with taxpayer money. Hegseth even went so far as to invite pastor Douglas Wilson, an open Christian nationalist, to preach at the Pentagon this February, blurring the lines between state and religion. Wilson is also a public proponent of biblical patriarchy and postmillennialism, the belief that Armageddon and Christ’s second coming are to happen after the millennium.
Furthering this sentiment, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), a religious freedom organisation, reports it has received complaints from 200 troops claiming that superiors are using radical Christian rhetoric to justify the war. One soldier claims that their commander had “urged us to tell our troops that this was ‘all part of God’s divine plan’ and he specifically referenced numerous citations out of the Book of Revelation referring to Armageddon and the imminent return of Jesus Christ”. The complainant goes on and says that his commander had “said that ‘President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth’”.
MRFF’s president goes on to say “[a]nytime Israel or the US is involved in the Middle East, we get this stuff about Christian nationalists who’ve taken over our government, and certainly our US military”.
Online culture is exacerbating the rise of Christian nationalism, with popular figures like Nick Fuentes openly advocating for America to be explicitly governed by Christian values. This sentiment is directed to an audience consisting mostly of young men, and at college campuses. Recent polling suggests that 42% of young American men say religion is very important to them, a staggering rise from 28% in 2022-23. This is also exacerbating the gender difference, with only 30% of young women reporting religion as being very important to them. This rise in religious young men is not necessarily a cause for concern. However, its effects in government are alarming.
At the same time that young men are increasingly interested in religion, American rhetoric has transformed from capitalistic ideology towards religious. While American leadership focused on capitalist society, democracy, and freedom during the Cold War, their rhetoric has become increasingly religious as they face an opponent driven by religion. This shift began once President Bush initiated the war on terror after 9/11, with Bush famously referencing hymns in his 2003 State of the Union address.
Rather than the United States being a neutral actor on the global stage guided by a rules-based international order, the rise of Christian nationalism suggests a nation increasingly guided by a sense of divine purpose. From its Puritan origins to contemporary political rhetoric, the idea of America as “chosen” has never fully disappeared – it has simply evolved. What is perhaps most concerning today is not the presence of religion in public life, but how it is being mobilized to justify political and military action. When war is framed as part of God’s plan, it becomes harder to question, harder to oppose, and easier to escalate. If this trajectory continues, the line between faith and state risks becoming not just blurred but effectively erased, raising urgent questions about democracy, accountability, and the true motivations behind American foreign policy.
By Victoria Olsson
May 15, 2026
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