One of the cool things about being a pastor is that you get called a lot of names through the years. Not clerical titles, mind you, “names.” Some of them are pretty old school, like the time I was called a Bible thumper. I could not help but think that from somewhere, the 1980s were calling, wanting their insult back. Others are pretty vile, to such a degree that I would never print or say any of them. Recently, though, I was tagged with a brand new one: Christian nationalist.
Up until a year or so ago, I had never heard that term; it seems to be a fairly recent creation. I first came across it on X (Twitter) when I saw a battle brewing over it between a few men who don’t seem to get along too well. It does not appear to be very clearly defined as yet, but it seems to center on the question of whether or not we produce the kingdom for the King, or the King sets up his kingdom among us. In theological terms, it seems to be a debate between premillennialism and postmillennialism.
For the uninitiated on those terms, premillennialism, in a very basic sense, means that Christ will return to a violently troubled world, set up his kingdom and rule everyone in righteousness for 1,000 years. Postmillennialism, in a very basic sense, means that through the efforts of Christians, the world will gradually get better and better until it is so good that Christ decides to come back and rule over it.
If you are not sure which view is more likely to be correct, go sit down and watch the news for a few hours; I think that will likely clear it up for you.
Christians have been engaging in the Great Commission for 2,000 years now, winning souls, baptizing converts and instructing disciples. And while that has inarguably changed the world for the better in many ways and changed some nations for the drastically better, the world as a whole is getting darker and more violent by the day — and we have not even reached the rapture or the tribulation period yet. We have had 2,000 years of best efforts to win the world to Christ, and it has not come to be.