Christian nationalism is a 'perversion of Christianity' — and tightening its grip on GOP: conservative

When President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, Brent Leatherwood — who headed the Southern Baptist Convention's (SBC) Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) — applauded him for his "selfless act" and for making "the right decision for our nation."

Leatherwood never endorsed Harris' presidential campaign; he was merely commenting on Biden's willingness to make a tough decision. Even so, Leatherwood was promptly booted from his ERLC post.

In a scathing column for the conservative website The Bulwark, Jonathan V. Last slams that firing as a prime example of the toxic grip that far-right "Christian nationalism" has on evangelicals and the Republican Party this election year.

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"The ELRC's executive committee, led by Pastor Kevin Smith, announced Leatherwood's firing on Monday night," Last explains. "Such are the demands of Christian nationalism."

Last makes it clear that he has no problem with Christianity, noting that Biden and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) are Catholics and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) is a Baptist. But the Never Trumper attacks Christian nationalism as a dangerous, mean-spirited ideology that demands total obedience to former President Donald Trump.

"Christian nationalism is a perversion of Christianity," Last argues. "But it's more than that. It's a perversion so deep that its adherents seem happy to cut themselves off from the root of their faith. They are seeking first the Kingdom of Don."

Last continues, "The kind of Christian nationalism displayed by Pastor Smith this week isn't simply another variant of Christianity. The 'Christian' part of it is an afterthought. Inside the packaging, there's simply a different colorway of nationalism. The Christian nationalists upset at someone saying something nice about Joe Biden are spiritual cousins not of Hakeem Jeffries or Nancy Pelosi, but of Jack Murphy and Curtis Yarvin."

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