Christian Nationalism and the Idols of Power with Andrew Whitehead

Why do claims of “persecution” surge whenever Christians lose cultural power? PRRI’s 2024–25 state-by-state analysis shows three in ten Americans qualify as Christian nationalism Adherents or Sympathizers—a durable share shaping law, policy, and public life.

Sociologist Andrew L. Whitehead—author of American Idolatry and coauthor of Taking America Back for God—joins Will and Josh to unpack why power, fear, and violence function like modern “idols,” and how that maps onto fights over schools, parental rights, religious liberty, and the 2024–26 political landscape.

Moving from gut-level intuition (Haidt’s “elephant”) to reasoned analysis (the “rider”), we explore how Christian nationalism frames “liberty” as domination, why persecution narratives persist, and what the latest PRRI data reveals across all 50 states. Keywords: Christian nationalism, religious liberty, school choice, persecution narratives, 2024 election, SCOTUS, political theology. If you’re wrestling with faith, power, and democracy—and what a faithful public witness might look like—this conversation brings clarity without the culture-war fog.

Andrew L. Whitehead is a professor of sociology at Indiana University Indianapolis and executive director of the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA). He is the author of American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church and coauthor (with Samuel L. Perry) of Taking America Back for God. His research and commentary appear in outlets like The New York Times, NPR, and Time.

???? Resource Links
American Idolatry — Andrew L. Whitehead (Brazos Press): https://www.amazon.com/American-Idolatry-Christian-Nationalism-Threatens/dp/1587435764
Amazon
Taking America Back for God — Andrew L. Whitehead & Samuel L. Perry (OUP): https://global.oup.com/academic/product/taking-america-back-for-god-9780197652572
Oxford University Press
PRRI: “Christian Nationalism Across All 50 States” (2024 AVA): https://prri.org/research/christian-nationalism-across-all-50-states-insights-from-prris-2024-american-values-atlas/
PRRI
Related reading — The Flag and the Cross (Gorski & Perry, OUP): https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-flag-and-the-cross-9780197618684
Oxford University Press
Related reading — White Too Long (Robert P. Jones): https://www.amazon.com/White-Too-Long-Supremacy-Christianity/dp/1982122862
Amazon
Related reading — The Founding Myth (Andrew L. Seidel): https://www.amazon.com/Founding-Myth-Christian-Nationalism-American/dp/1454943912

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Christian Nationalism
03:08 Defining Christian Nationalism
06:04 Cultural Markers of Christian Nationalism
09:03 The Spectrum of Christian Nationalism
11:58 Power Dynamics in Christian Nationalism
14:47 Historical Context of Christian Nationalism
17:48 Christian Nationalism and Education
20:56 Moral Foundations of Christian Nationalism
23:53 Christian Nationalism and Political Influence
26:40 Christian Nationalism and Electoral Influence
28:56 Understanding the Likert Scale in Measuring Beliefs
32:06 Ethics in Leadership and Christian Nationalism
37:25 The Persecution Complex in Christian Nationalism
44:12 Navigating Law and Christian Nationalism
49:15 Identifying Christian Nationalism in Society