New Creation Conversations 097 - Dr. Andrew Whitehead on Christian Nationalism and the Idols of the American Church

Welcome to episode ninety-seven of New Creation Conversations. This week’s conversation is with Dr. Andrew Whitehead. Andrew is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the Association of Religion Data Archives at the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at IUPUI (Indiana University/Purdue University at Indianapolis). He is a graduate of Purdue University and got his PhD in sociology from Baylor University. He is one of the foremost scholars of Christian nationalism in the United States. He’s written 50+ peer reviewed articles and has been featured across several national outlets including The New York Times, NPR, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, CNN, The Today Show, The Economist, Rolling Stone, and The Guardian.

 His first book, Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States (published by Oxford and co-written with Sam Perry), won the 2021 Distinguished Book Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. We spend our time discussing his most recent book, American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church (Brazos). In the book, Andrew not only describes the history and problems related to Christian nationalism, but he also takes on its three great idolatries: power, fear, and violence.

There has been a lot of healthy conversation in the US church on this issue over the last few years, and Andrew’s book brings a lot of the issues into a clearer light. The book is timely, especially as we get ready to head into another potentially divisive presidential election season. One of the things I like most about the book is that Andrew doesn’t just analyze the problem but gives examples of churches and communities of faith that are working for the good of our world without being absorbed into its idolatries. It’s an important book and a rich conversation.