The Shared Theocratic Dreams of Confederate Nationalists and Christian Nationalists in Contemporary America

This paper draws a direct line between Confederate nationalist ideology and contemporary Christian nationalisms in America. Although the absence of the slavery question in our contemporary context may obscure their connection, I argue that there is a persistent ideological tradition. Both movements claim an affinity with the Revolutionary era; both affirm that the nation exists in a covenant relationship with God, that democracy and secularization threaten the social order, and that chosen leaders embody God’s greater purposes for the nation. Drawing on antebellum sermons, speeches, and secession convention records, this paper traces how Confederate leaders developed a theocratic nationalism that was not defeated on the battlefield but was preserved within postbellum evangelical communities. It then examines how the ingredients of Confederate nationalism are animating contemporary Christian nationalisms. Finally, this paper asks what this historical continuity reveals about the likely trajectory of evangelical Christian nationalisms in the current political moment.