Chiang Kai-shek repeatedly wrote in his diaries about building China a Christian nation, yet while he mobilized the church in state-building and war efforts, he never formally integrated Christianity into state governance. His faith was genuine, but his belief in divine appointment reinforced his authoritarian rule. Seeing himself as chosen to save China from foreign aggressors and atheistic Communists, he viewed eliminating enemies as necessary toward national salvation. This paradox raises the question of how his religious convictions influenced his governance, particularly his use of coercion and state power.
This paper argues that Chiang’s Christian nationalism was shaped by three intertwined forces: his Confucian understanding of kingship, the constraints of governing a multifaith society, and his strategic efforts to present himself as a Christian statesman in Western media. While he cultivated this image abroad, his governance remained authoritarian, with his religious convictions justifying, rather than restraining, his militant leadership.