Christian America and the Kingdom of God

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.

“This very thoughtful, very thorough book describes and attacks what the authors name as white Christian nationalism. It offers both meticulous documentation of this phenomenon and its disastrous fruit, and critiques it on the basis of Scripture, notably the central biblical concept of the kingdom of God. The authors join many of us who are attempting to resist a version of Christianity and of US national identity that we believe to be both illusory and dangerous. May they find many readers for their important work.”--David P. Gushee, author of Defending Democracy from its Christian Enemies "If American Christians are serious about their citizenship in the kingdom of God, they should start to think in complex and nuanced ways--both theologically and historically--about how Jesus’s Kingdom relates to the values, ideals, and yes, the sins, of the United States. Richard Hughes and Christina Littlefield’s Christian America and the Kingdom of God is a great place to start. This book is a gift to the academy and the church.”--John Fea, author of Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?: A Historical Introduction

• Foreword Preface Acknowledgments Part I. Coming to Terms with Christian Nationalism Chapter 1. Resisting an Empire State of Mind Chapter 2. Evaluating the Case for a Christian America Chapter 3. Defining Christian Nationalism Part II. Biblical Considerations Chapter 4. The Witness of the Hebrew Bible Chapter 5. The Witness of the New Testament: The Gospels Chapter 6. The Witness of the New Testament: Paul and Revelation Part III. A History of White Christian Nationalism from the Puritans through January 6, 2021 Chapter 7. Digging Deeper: The Early Roots of the Christian America Myth Chapter 8. The Christian Century: The Battle for Christian America Chapter 9. The Social Gospel: Kingdom Builders with an Empire State of Mind Chapter 10. A Fundamentalist Vision for Christian America Chapter 11. The Rise of the Christian Right Chapter 12. Expanding Empire and Apocalyptic Fervor: The Christian Right under George W. Bush Chapter 13. Obama the Antichrist: The Teavangelical Pursuit of a White Christian America Chapter 14. A New Cyrus: Donald Trump Delivers for Christian America Chapter 15. But at What Cost? Chapter 16. Christian Nationalism since January 6 Chapter 17. What Now? Notes Index