Two Resources for Responding to Christian Nationalism: Read, Reflect and Engage
Two connected resources invite Grand Canyon Synod rostered ministers and lay leaders to deepen their understanding of Christian nationalism and consider how Lutheran faith speaks to the challenges it poses to church and society.
First, the July 2026 issue of Currents in Theology and Mission, “Declaring Independence from Christian Nationalism,” offers a substantial collection of theological, biblical and historical resources for study. Second, the independent Reclaiming the Heritage project invites people of faith to read and consider signing its declaration, “Democracy at Risk: A Response of the Faith Community.”
Connecting the two is the Rev. Conrad A. Braaten, a Grand Canyon Synod pastor currently serving as Interim Pastor at Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church in Clarkdale, Arizona. Braaten helped develop and edit the Democracy at Risk declaration, which is published as a Currents Focus feature in the new journal issue.
Start with the new issue of Currents
The July issue of Currents in Theology and Mission examines Christian nationalism from historical, theological, biblical and anthropological perspectives. Issue co-editors the Rev. Angela Denker and Dr. Craig L. Nessan of Wartburg Theological Seminary frame the collection around a fundamental theological question: Where does the church place its ultimate trust and allegiance?
Drawing upon the Barmen Declaration of 1934, they emphasize its confession of Jesus Christ as the one Word of God whom Christians are called to hear, trust and obey. They argue that Christian nationalism distorts the gospel by confusing Christian faith with national identity and political power.
The complete issue offers additional perspectives on race and white supremacy, Scripture, political power, Christian identity, the theology of the cross and faithful Christian witness. For congregations wrestling with these questions, it provides material for study, preaching, discussion and discernment.
Then explore “Democracy at Risk”
Separate from the journal, Reclaiming the Heritage is an independent project developed by pastors, deacons and lay leaders seeking to respond to threats to democracy from a faith perspective. At its center is the declaration “Democracy at Risk: A Response of the Faith Community,” which individuals are invited to read and sign.
Braaten helped adapt the declaration for a North American context with Paul Wee from work produced by the international Radicalizing Reformation project. Modeled after the Barmen Declaration, Democracy at Risk is organized around Scripture and a repeated pattern of affirmation, confession, gratitude and commitment.
Its theological foundation is deeply connected to the Lutheran Reformation. The declaration insists that no nation, ideology, institution—or even the church itself—can claim the ultimate allegiance that belongs to God. Drawing on Luther’s explanation of the First Commandment, it reminds Christians that we are called to “fear, love and trust in God above all things.”
The declaration also turns the church’s attention inward, emphasizing the Reformation conviction that the church itself remains under God’s judgment and is continually in need of reform. It calls Christians to examine where the church has remained silent in the face of injustice and how faith might lead to concrete commitments on behalf of neighbors and the common good.
We encourage Grand Canyon Synod leaders to engage both resources: begin with the theological study and perspectives offered in Currents in Theology and Mission, then visit Reclaiming the Heritage to read the complete Democracy at Risk declaration and consider whether to add your name.
Together, the resources offer opportunities for study and action rooted not in partisan allegiance, but in the Lutheran conviction that our ultimate trust belongs to God and that the church is called continually to discern what faithful witness to the gospel requires.
