A Christian Prince for America? And How He Might Act in 2026
By Chris Hutchinson - Posted at Chris's Random Writings:
Published June 20, 2026
"From what I see, the most vocal advocates for Christian Nationalism in our day have been largely silent about many failures of the current U.S. administration to actually reflect Christian values."There has been a bit of a dust up lately in some Presbyterian circles about the alleged need for us to develop a more robust political theology for our time. The idea is that we have allowed the post-World War II political liberal order to become our de facto orthodoxy, and we should look to an older era of our Reformed heritage for guidance, and perhaps even re-consider some form of an established state church.
My general approach to all this is that I agree at certain points. I agree that we don’t want to engage in chronological snobbery. Current assumptions are always worth examining. Nor should we be Pollyannaish about the general progress of democracy and human rights since World War II. What has been gained can be lost. Likewise, I am not opposed to benign forms of American civic religion that have provided a degree of outward piety and decency, even if it does not have the power to save souls.
At the same time, I am on record as supporting my denomination’s commitment to the doctrine of the spirituality of the Church, that Church and state operate separately, “as planets moving in concentric circles” (Book of Church Order 3-4, referencing Matthew 22:21). At best, aligning the cause of Christ with the power of the sword always brings complications. At worst, it can bring horrible miscarriages of justice done in the name of God, causing great harm to the message of God’s grace.
But for the sake of argument, let’s consider what this older model might entail for 2026. How might a Christian government adjudicate various issues and controversies of our day? What positions might it take, and is this really what these advocates for an older Reformed model are after?
