I often write about the Supreme Court’s edict in Carson v. Makin, which forces Maine to fund private Christian schools if it chooses to fund private secular schools as well. In light of this ruling, Maine should stop funding private secular schools and unburden the state from funding private Christian schools.

The obvious reason is that government funding of Christian schools violates the constitutional principle of the separation of church and state. However, the Supreme Court apparently didn’t take the U.S. Constitution into account when it issued its decision in Carson v. Makin. As I have said before, this court makes defending the Constitution a constitutional violation.

However, there is a deeper reason Maine should not fund private Christian schools, a reason hiding in plain sight: the dangers of Christian nationalism.

Gaining public funding for private Christian schools is but one strategy Christian nationalists are using to Make America Christian Again. Their goal is to destroy the separation of church and state. White Christian Nationalists want to create two distinct classes: white, cis, straight, evangelical Christian men and everyone else. According to Andrew Seidel in “The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is Un-American,” they want to “alter our history, values, and national identity. Then [they will] codify Christian privilege in the law, favoring Christians above all others. Finally, it legally disfavors the nonreligious, non-Christians, and minorities such as the LGBTQ community.”

Some people deny the existence of Christian nationalism despite monumental evidence to the contrary.

Christianity Today, a stalwart of defending true Christianity, describes Christian nationalism as a national political ideology of “American nationalists who believe their American identity is inextricable from Christianity.” Christian nationalists want there to be a close relationship between Christianity and the state and believe there should be political efforts to “secure a privileged position for Christianity in the public square.”

Christianity Today also wrote an article praising the documentary movie, “God and Country,” released to theaters this month. They write, “‘God & Country’ is a brilliant piece of documentary filmmaking. It succeeds in warning against political extremism in the name of Christ and makes a significant and necessary contribution to our understanding of American religion and politics in the Trump era.”

Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry write in “Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States” that Christian nationalism is a political theology that co-opts Christian narratives and symbolism. White Christian nationalists’ goals “include declaring the United States a Christian nation, government explicitly advocating Christian values, not enforcing separation of church and state,” and the belief the “success of the United States is a part of God’s plan.” They believe those chosen by God are white conservative Christians who “should control the political process while others must be closely scrutinized, discouraged, or even denied access. This ideology is fundamentally a threat to a pluralistic, democratic society.”

Two Christian legal firms, Alliance Defending Freedom and First Liberty Institute, are working to destroy the separation of church and state. One target is the elimination of public schools: “Alliance Defending Freedom seeks to recover the robust Christendomic (i.e. Christian dominated) theology of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th centuries, CE.”

The First Liberty Institute “has worked to erode the church-state wall for decades. Seidel noted in his book “American Crusade”: “The Institute wants Christian supremacy. It fought to keep evolution out of public schools and (include) bible classes, Jesus portraits, and school-imposed prayer in public schools. Like other Crusaders, the Institute wraps this supremacy in religious freedom.”

Some of the extremely influential white, fundamental Christian nationalists in our government who pose an existential threat to American democracy include Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who was paid thousands to deliver lectures to ADF; U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, who clerked for Chief Justice John Roberts and was on ADF’s fellowship faculty; Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who was a senior litigator for ADF; Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who said she was being “attacked by the Godless left” after receiving multiple negative comments for identifying herself as a Christian nationalist; and Rep. Lauren Boebert, who said, “The church is supposed to direct the government; the government is not supposed to direct the church.”

If Maine continues funding private secular schools, the state will be obligated to fund private Christian schools. This will aid and abet the destruction of all public schools and threaten our American democracy itself.

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

Opinion: Bill ensures more options for state’s homeless

Next »

Maine Compass: Maine students miss too much school. What can be done?