Columbia Basin Badger Club discusses ‘Christian nationalism and the American experiment’ | Opinion

Is Christian nationalism a threat to American democracy, or can it become a basis for healing our divided nation?

In an online forum at noon on June 8, the Columbia Basin Badger Club will explore this question, which has become a key issue in our politics and in how our laws are interpreted.

The First Amendment’s Establishment Clause states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….”

In the past the U.S. Supreme Court has applied the Establishment Clause, the first part of that passage, as forbidding the government from establishing an official religion, and prohibiting government from actions favoring one religion over another.

Recently, however, a number of cases before the court have emphasized the Free Exercise Clause, the second part, as the right to practice religion as one sees fit. Examples have included a wedding cake baker refusing service to a gay couple; a football coach openly praying with his players on the field after a game; faith-based schools receiving funding from public taxes.

Some say Protestant Christian values and culture were essential in the founding of our democracy and should guide current policy. Others argue freedom and equality, as articulated in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, must take precedence.

To examine this debate, our speaker will be Dr. Paul D. Miller, a professor of the practice of international affairs at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service who is devoted to ordered liberty at home and abroad.

This forum will explore a number of fundamental questions:

▪ What is Christian nationalism?

▪ What is the case for and against Christian nationalism?

▪ Is a Protestant Christian ethic necessary to preserve the American experiment?

▪ And is Christian nationalism the basis of our on-going culture wars?

As a political scientist, Miller has focused on international affairs, the American experiment, and America’s role in the world. He also served as director for Afghanistan and Pakistan on the National Security Council staff; worked as an intelligence analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency; and served as a military intelligence officer in the U.S. Army.

His books include “The Religion of American Greatness: What’s Wrong With Christian Nationalism,” which addresses the issues of this forum. He also has written “Just War and Ordered Liberty” and “American Power and Liberal Order.”

You can register for this event, which will include a Q&A session, at columbiabasinbadgers.com to receive a confirmation and links to join the Zoom forum and a half-hour “Table Talk” open-mic session afterward. Cost is $5 for nonmembers, while club members can join for free.

Dan Clark taught English at Kamiakin High School and is a board member of the Badger Club.