Brian Kaylor
@briankaylor.bsky.social
Baptist minister with PhD in political communication. New book: 'The Bible According to Christian Nationalists.' President & Editor-in-Chief - @WordAndWay.bsky.social [email protected]
http://publicwitness.wordandway.org
http://publicwitness.wordandway.org
Cheney funeral shows what we wrote in 'Baptizing America' about Cathedral: "The attempt to be both a house to worship Jesus & a house for all Americans simply isn’t tenable" (bookshop.org/a/110819/978...). They can't be both "house of prayer for all people" & "great church for national purposes" 3/3
Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism
How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism
bookshop.org
November 21, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Cheney funeral shows what we wrote in 'Baptizing America' about Cathedral: "The attempt to be both a house to worship Jesus & a house for all Americans simply isn’t tenable" (bookshop.org/a/110819/978...). They can't be both "house of prayer for all people" & "great church for national purposes" 3/3
As I noted last week, it's one thing to give a person a funeral but it's another to lift Cheney up as national hero in religious terms (bsky.app/profile/bria...). Service was also full of #ChristianNationalism, blessing nation & Cheney's politics as Christian. All from "liberal" clergy. 2/
November 21, 2025 at 9:42 PM
As I noted last week, it's one thing to give a person a funeral but it's another to lift Cheney up as national hero in religious terms (bsky.app/profile/bria...). Service was also full of #ChristianNationalism, blessing nation & Cheney's politics as Christian. All from "liberal" clergy. 2/
Yes! We need more reporters to thoughtfully use the term (like you do) to help explain a powerful movement today.
November 21, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Yes! We need more reporters to thoughtfully use the term (like you do) to help explain a powerful movement today.
When people talk about bias in journalism, focus often on how stories are framed. But bigger bias can be what gets covered (or not) in first place. So it's concerning both NYTimes religion reporters don't understand #ChristianNationalism. Again, both are great reporters; just wish better on this 5/5
November 20, 2025 at 3:04 PM
When people talk about bias in journalism, focus often on how stories are framed. But bigger bias can be what gets covered (or not) in first place. So it's concerning both NYTimes religion reporters don't understand #ChristianNationalism. Again, both are great reporters; just wish better on this 5/5
#ChristianNationalism now is not just an academic term. Multiple denominations have passed statements using it, so it's also a faith declaration now. Which is part of the history of religion: new ideas/terms coming into usage. Also, lots of faith terms used today started as critical descriptors. 5/
November 20, 2025 at 3:00 PM
#ChristianNationalism now is not just an academic term. Multiple denominations have passed statements using it, so it's also a faith declaration now. Which is part of the history of religion: new ideas/terms coming into usage. Also, lots of faith terms used today started as critical descriptors. 5/
Complaint that asking 10 people would bring 10 definitions of #ChristianNationalism is odd. That might suggest one asked wrong 10 people. Also, same thing could be said about term "evangelical" or other faith terms NYTimes uses. Part of reporting is to sort through all that & help explain terms. 4/
November 20, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Complaint that asking 10 people would bring 10 definitions of #ChristianNationalism is odd. That might suggest one asked wrong 10 people. Also, same thing could be said about term "evangelical" or other faith terms NYTimes uses. Part of reporting is to sort through all that & help explain terms. 4/
It's true the term largely came from academics before more popular usage (although there's older use of term from adherents). Academic foundation's actually helpful because there's lots of research to explain what CN is & show how it operates as a worldview. That is, it's not just a made-up idea. 3/
November 20, 2025 at 2:54 PM
It's true the term largely came from academics before more popular usage (although there's older use of term from adherents). Academic foundation's actually helpful because there's lots of research to explain what CN is & show how it operates as a worldview. That is, it's not just a made-up idea. 3/
Both Dias & Graham explained they don't use term #ChristianNationalism. It's troubling that both religion reporters at national paper of record still won't use that term in the year of Project 2025. Seems like they're missing out on massive angle for understanding religion in US today. 2/
November 20, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Both Dias & Graham explained they don't use term #ChristianNationalism. It's troubling that both religion reporters at national paper of record still won't use that term in the year of Project 2025. Seems like they're missing out on massive angle for understanding religion in US today. 2/