Watch: Marjorie Taylor Greene sparks another controversy over Christian nationalism

Conservative Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia sparked yet another controversy this week after declaring in an interview that the Republican Party should embrace "Christian nationalism" — a controversial philosophy that would dissolve the separation of church and state and establish Christianity as law.

During a Saturday interview conducted at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Florida, Greene proudly described herself as a "Christian nationalist" and urged the Republican Party to openly embrace an ideology of "Christian nationalism."

A recent book published by Oxford University Press asserted that Christian nationalism would involve the following:

1. The federal government should declare the United States a Christian nation.
2. The federal government should advocate Christian values.
3. The federal government should not enforce the strict separation of church and state.
4. The federal government should allow religious symbols in public spaces.
5. The success of the United States is part of God's plan.
6. The federal government should allow prayer in public schools.

Greene told Taylor Hanson of the right-wing Next News Network, "We need to be the party of nationalism, and I'm a Christian. And I say it proudly: We should be Christian nationalists. When Republicans learn to represent most of the people that vote for them, then we will be the party that continues to grow without having to chase down certain identities or chase down certain segments of people."

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Amanda Tyler, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC) and the main organizer for Christians Against Christian Nationalism, criticized Greene's comments as dangerous in an opinion piece for CNN July 28.

"For years, I have been closely tracking Christian nationalism and sounding the alarm about it," Tyler wrote. "Greene's recent comments mark an alarming shift in the public conversation about Christian nationalism. Until recently, the public figures who most embrace Christian nationalism in their rhetoric and policies have either denied its existence or claimed that those of us who are calling it out are engaging in name-calling. But Greene is evidently reading from a different script now, explicitly embracing the identity as her own and urging others to join her."

"She is not alone in doing so," Tyler added. "Greene's embrace of Christian nationalism follows closely after troubling remarks from Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert: 'The church is supposed to direct the government, the government is not supposed to direct the church,' she said at a church two days before her primary election and victory in late June. 'I'm tired of this separation of church and state junk.'"

Tyler describes Christian nationalism as "a political ideology and cultural framework that merges Christian and American identities, distorting both the Christian faith and America's promise of religious freedom."

"Christian nationalism has been exploited in recent years by politicians like former President Donald Trump to further an 'us vs. them' mentality and send a message that only Christians can be 'real' Americans," Tyler observes. "Growing support for Christian nationalism comes at a time when the political ideology behind it poses increasingly urgent threats to American democracy and to religious freedom. Perhaps the most chilling example of Christian nationalism came on the most public of world stages, from some Trump supporters during the January 6 insurrection."

On February 9, BJC published a disturbing report that details the role Christian nationalism played in the January 6, 2021 insurrection.

"I care about dismantling Christian nationalism both because I'm a practicing Christian and because I'm a patriotic American," Tyler writes. "And no, those identities are not the same. As Christians, we can't allow Greene, Boebert or Trump to distort our faith without a fight."