What is Christian nationalism?
As a resource to the church, AMBS offers educational resources to learn about Christian nationalism and to provide practical tools for tough conversations.
Online Short Course: Challenging Christian Nationalism
Oct. 22 – Dec. 9, 2025
Join Drew Strait, PhD, Associate Professor of New Testament and Public Faith, in this six-week online Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary short course to deepen your understanding of White Christian nationalism and how faith communities can mobilize to disrupt it.
Drawing on biblical studies, theology and peace studies, we’ll explore how nonviolent resistance in the way of Jesus can counter extremist narratives that are radicalizing Christians.
No grades, no papers! CEUs available.
Free lecture: How to Challenge Christian Nationalism: Building Peace in an Age of Extremism
Drew Strait, PhD, shared insights from his new book, Strange Worship: Six Steps for Challenging Christian Nationalism (Cascade, 2024), at a public lecture on Oct. 8 in South Bend, Indiana. The event drew 93 in-person participants, and 117 devices connected via livestream.
Interested in learning about how faith communities can counter political idolatry, radicalization and violent extremism?
Take the next step!
- Gather a group to view and discuss the video of Drew’s lecture together.
- Gather a group to read and discuss Drew’s book; it’s written as a handbook with discussion questions for use in small groups and with a call/response for use in congregations.
- Invite Drew to speak to your group or congregation, either in person or online.
Table of contents
- Online Short Course: Challenging Christian Nationalism
- Free lecture: How to Challenge Christian Nationalism: Building Peace in an Age of Extremism
- A working definition of Christian nationalism
- Ready to read a bit more about Christian nationalism?
- View our past webinar
- Invite Drew to speak
- Want to explore seminary study?
- Building skills together
A working definition of Christian nationalism
With such a broad question, one place to start is by forming a working definition.
Christian nationalism, in short, is a worldview where one’s theological imagination is coopted by state power. It exchanges the church’s loyalty to the Lord of Peace for a false god fashioned by the myth of American exceptionalism.
In fact, Christian nationalism is a form of political idolatry that distorts our knowledge of God and neighbor through a xenophobic, racialized and militarized gospel that is at odds with the life and teachings of Jesus.
Ready to read a bit more about Christian nationalism?
In May 2022, Drew wrote “Our Moral Pandemic: Christian Nationalism and Political Idolatry,” which appears on the Sojourners website. In this piece, he outlines three steps for what Christians against White Christian nationalism can do right now.
In June 2021, Drew wrote a blog post for Mennonite Church USA’s MennoCon21 #BringThePeace series on “The Bible and Christian Nationalism.” In this piece, he offered four proposed actions for consideration.
View our past webinar
Political Idolatry: Countering Christian Nationalism
Join Drew Strait, PhD, Assistant Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at AMBS, as he provides an overview of the destructive force of White Christian nationalism.
► Explore the political metaphor of idolatry in conversation with texts from the Old and New Testaments.
► Learn how Christian nationalism distorts our knowledge of God and neighbor.
► Use these practical tools to help with today’s tough conversations to bear witness to the gospel of peace.
Resources from the webinar
- Watch the webinar on YouTube
- Webinar bibliography
- A 30-minute group study video that includes discussion questions for small groups
Invite Drew to speak
Want to invite Drew Strait to talk more about this topic?
Want to explore seminary study?
Get a feel for what studying with us would be like and/or supplement the study you’ve already done. Take a class — online or on campus — and get 50% off your first three credit hours! (This discount is for nonadmitted students only.)
Courses beginning in January 2025 include, among others:
- Apocalypse Against Empire: The Book of Revelation
- Practicing and Embodying Nonviolence
- God’s Shalom and the Church’s Witness
- Doing Theology in the Anabaptist Tradition
- Somatic Spiritual Practices
- Spiritual Practices: Water of Life
Building skills together
At AMBS, our academic programs build skills for spiritual growth, intercultural competence, contextual analysis and interpretation, leadership practice, and peacebuilding. You’ll engage deeply in the study of theology alongside a supportive community of scholars.
We offer Master of Divinity and Master of Arts programs for students both on campus and at a distance. Our generous need-based financial aid, matching grants and scholarships can help make your education affordable, whether you’re studying full time or part time.
Ready to join our learning community?
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Meet the AMBS Admissions Team
From your first inquiry about seminary study to your transition from applicant to student, we’re here to help you.
