The unthinkable is happening.
Christians in America are under attack from the establishment media, the Hollywood community, and a myriad of left-adherent activists within our nation.
It was never supposed to be this way. Not in the Land of the Free.
Apart from our Christian Founding, people in America generally tried to maintain a kind of "live and let live" attitude, particularly when it came to an individual’s personal religious and political beliefs.
But somehow this cultural tenet, like so many others, has mysteriously been turned on its head.
Christians are suddenly being tarred with the label "Christian Nationalist."
So what exactly is a Christian Nationalist?
To the best of my knowledge it is a phrase that is currently being used to foment hatred against those who believe in the New Testament and who view the Founding documents of our country as a national treasure.
Things seem to be escalating at a rapid pace.
The pejorative has been turned into a meme that is being used to repeatedly massage people’s minds and turn Christians and patriots into pariahs.
It may also be a means to further suppress free speech as well as the free exercise of religion.
Apparently it began last year with verbal assaults that were aimed at U.S. House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La.
Speaker Johnson had acknowledged his sincere religious beliefs, and the Christian Nationalist label has been used ever since to defame him and the GOP.
Mainstream news outlets have been releasing hit pieces disguised as journalism.
—Time Magazine published an article titled "The Christian Nationalism of Speaker Mike Johnson."
—Politico.com followed suit with a piece called "The Christian Nationalist Ideas That Made Mike Johnson."
—The New York Times joined in with an article titled "Christian Nationalism Is No Longer Operating Beneath the Surface."
—More recently, in anticipation of the upcoming 2024 presidential campaign, Vanity Fair featured the title "Trump Allies Hope to Spread Christian Nationalism in the White House."
—The Nation published an article called "Hit Trump on Theocracy, Not Hypocrisy."
—The Hill.com deployed "America is facing a threat of biblical proportion: The rise of Christian nationalism."
Other mainstream and left-wing outlets spewed out similar messages.
In an MSNBC appearance, Politico.com national investigative correspondent Heidi Przybyla indicated that a belief in the notion that rights come from God is an indicator of "Christian Nationalism."
"The thing that unites them as Christian nationalists — not Christians, by the way, because Christian nationalist is very different — is that they believe that our rights as Americans, as all human beings, don’t come from any earthly authority. They don’t come from Congress. They don’t come to the Supreme Court, they come from God," Przybyla opined.
Referring to natural law as "a pillar of Catholicism," Przybyla suggested that although natural law was once used for good, "an extremist element of conservative Christians" now apply it to abortion and same-sex marriage.
Bishop Robert Barron, founder of Word on Fire, a Catholic organization, responded to Przybyla in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter).
After citing language contained in the Declaration of Independence, Bishop Barron pointed out the peril of denigrating the ideas contained within this foundational document.
"It is exceptionally dangerous when we forget the principle that our rights come from God and not from the government," the bishop said, "because the basic problem is if they come from the government (or Congress, or the Supreme Court) they can be taken away by those same people."
He then issued an ominous warning: "This is opening the door to totalitarianism."
Hollywood, too, has gotten into the Christian Nationalist name-calling craze.
Rob Reiner has taken a lead role in a not so subtle attempt to negatively brand a huge portion of the population.
Acting as a kind of unofficial marketer of the propaganda, he has produced a film that is chock-ful of falsehoods.
He recently promoted his movie on MSNBC by pushing the meme while simultaneously maligning both Johnson and former President Donald Trump. Then he pulled out the race card.
"They believe that this is a white Christian nation," Reiner said, seemingly implying that "they," i.e., Christian Nationalists, are inherently racist.
In the documentary itself, respected institutions and organizations, including The Heritage Foundation, Turning Point USA, and Hillsdale College, are also disparaged in the propaganda process.
All of this started me thinking about the "Deplorables" label of the past.
I remembered that it took the air out of their sails when the label was embraced by those who were in support of the former president.
So here goes.
I love Jesus. I love our country. And I love all people.
If that makes me a Christian Nationalist, so be it.
James Hirsen, J.D., M.A., in media psychology, is a New York Times best-selling author, media analyst, and law professor. Visit Newsmax TV Hollywood. Read James Hirsen's Reports — More Here.
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