Christina Littlefield, coauthor of Christian America and the Kingdom of God: White Christian Nationalism from the Puritans through January 6, 2021, answers questions about her new book.
Q: Why did you decide to write this book?
Professor Hughes asked me to update Christian America and the Kingdom of God after I shared a Facebook post that went slightly viral and was republished as part of an academic blog, writing about how Christian nationalism was dangerous and unbiblical. I was motivated to write because a former fellow church member was propagating Christian nationalism in our community. This showed me how pervasive these ideas were, and how good Christians could embrace bad history and with it, specific ideologies. (https://www.patheos.com/blogs/rhetoricraceandreligion/2020/06/the-fallacy-of-christian-nationalism.html)
Q: What is the most interesting discovery you made while researching and writing your book?
This is more of a survey text than a primary source discovery text, but I was most convicted by the ways social reform minded Christians in the 19th century promoted a Christian America and how their very pursuit of the kingdom of God sometimes led them to act in non-Christian ways and even in ways that harmed fellow Christians, i.e. particularly Roman Catholics anyone else who wasn’t Protestant.
Q: What myths do you hope your book will dispel or what do you hope your book will help readers unlearn?
I hope it will help people differentiate between the dream of the planting fathers — those Puritans who desired to establish a Christian commonwealth, from the actual reality of the what the founding fathers instilled, a pluralistic democracy inclusive of all. This book shows the dangers of the Christian America myth, and alongside it, other myths like white supremacy, Chosen Nation, millennial nation. My hope is people will realize that the Christian America myth is untenable in our increasingly diverse religious landscape. Pursuit of a Christian America almost always leads to unchristian and undemocratic efforts to seize power, what we call an empire-state-of-mind. But there’s even more need for Christians willing to work alongside their neighbors for the good of all.
Q: Which part of the publishing process did you find the most interesting?
Just how long it can take from handing in the completed manuscript to publication date.
Q: What is your advice to scholars/authors who want to take on a similar project?
I would advise other scholars to look for where there are gaps in the scholarship or where they might be able to offer a fresh take. Our book is one of the only ones to offer biblical exegesis of what does the Bible say next to a comprehensive history of how Americans have pursued Christian nationalism.
Q: What do you like to read/watch/or listen to for fun?
I listen to a lot of Audible books on tape — mostly work in religious and journalism history. And yes, that is fun! But then I watch a lot of movies and television. My husband and I devour everything Star Wars, Marvel, love action, sci-fi and fantasy.
Richard T. Hughes is a professor emeritus at both Pepperdine University and Messiah College. He is the author of Myths America Lives By: White Supremacy and the Stories That Give Us Meaning, Second Edition, and coauthor of Reviving the Ancient Faith: The Story of Churches of Christ in America, Third Edition.
Christina Littlefield is an associate professor of communication and religion at Pepperdine University. She is the author of Chosen Nations: Pursuit of the Kingdom of God and Its Influence on Democratic Values in Late-Nineteenth Century Britain and the United States.