The Case for Coercive Christianity

There are many out there who think that the Christian way is persuasion, not coercion. They thus reject the idea of writing Christian moral teaching into law. It is time to address this concern.

63. The Case for Coercive Christianity

As some Christians begin to assert a more muscular presence in the public sphere, working out on the fly what to call themselves —is “Christian Nationalism” the banner we want to fly, and if not this moniker, then what?— there are other Christians expressing concern not just with the idea of Christian Nationalism, but with the whole notion of Christians asserting themselves, as Christians, in the public sphere. They tend to lean on the idea that it is important for Christians to defend the neutrality of the public sphere. Christians need to be the biggest advocates for the freedom of religion and the like. When you present the case to them that this idea of a neutral public space is a myth, that there is always an operative ideology, a belief system at work imposing itself, the most common argument I see being made in response is that a robust Christian politics is un-Christian. You mustn’t write the Christian faith into law because this would be coercive. Christianity is all abo…