A Christian Nation?

Hawley wants a nation of “biblical Christianity” and “Christian politics” but oddly omits the church’s role in shaping society. An over 4000-word article only mentions “church” 3 times, and even there, peripherally. How does a Christian nation emerge, much less endure, without strong churches? Civil Society is missing from his analysis, implying, maybe unintentionally, that the nation’s religion is chiefly an expression of governmental policy. A more traditional American perspective would originate religion in civil society but understand and affirm that the population’s religiosity inevitably is reflected in public policy. For example, if most members of a community strongly want to restrict alcohol sales on Sundays, their local government will likely oblige. Spirituality is also largely missing from the article. Instead, his “Christian nation” project is described as a cultural-political endeavor. But how successful can such a project be when Christian affiliation and vitality in America are decreasing? Are not our culture and politics largely reflections of that decrease? Aren’t churches and individual Christians, in their failure to transmit the faith more widely, ultimately responsible for this decline in Christian influence?