March 1: The “bloody shirt” of “Christian nationalism”

In which, Christianity’s place in politics is once again a going concern, Biden and Trump make dueling visits to the border, and Africa is ground zero for the new global power politics.

The “bloody shirt” of “Christian nationalism” 

In Reconstruction America, “waving the bloody shirt” referred to the politically opportunistic use of the traumatic experience of the American Civil War to demonize political opponents. 

Cover of Puck magazine , from 1887, depicting Rep. John Sherman waving a 'bloody shirt'

Democrats originally deployed the metaphor against Republicans, but Republicans also accused the Democrats of similarly exaggerated rhetoric. Ironically enough, the story that gave rise to the “bloody shirt” accusation turned out to be disinformation/misinformation. The more things change…

That use of stirring memories of past violence to stoke public fear and vilify one’s opponents has found a new iteration in the Biden administration’s fixation on the dangers of “Christian nationalism” and its alleged links to the January 6 (2021) riot in DC. “Christian nationalism” is a term that’s been hotly debated over the last four-ish years ever since some GOP members of congress referred to it. However, it’s taken on a life of its own in the last couple of weeks as media outlets ran several stories seeking to link Christian nationalism to that other bogeyman of the Biden administration: “ultra MAGA” or “radical MAGA”. 

Certainly individuals like Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene who have self-identified both as Christian nationalist and MAGA have provided the material for the media and the Biden administration to make such linkages. However, you’d be wrong to think that such linkage was being used to merely describe a radical fringe of American Christians or Republicans. In fact, the media coverage this week on “Christian nationalism” seems to indicate an expanding definition of “Christian nationalism” to include mainstream conservative thought on concepts like natural rights, while the Biden administration is pressured to target Christian pastors of what are considered mainstream churches.

This is not me saying that “Christian nationalism” is not a thing, or that there is no linkage between “Christian nationalists” and “MAGA”. That would probably be worth a much longer piece. What I do want to draw attention to, though, is something I’ve written on at several different points over the last year and that is a continuing trend by the Biden administration and its media allies to deploy very specific language and linkages to describe and denigrate political opponents. It amounts to a “bloody shirt” narrative that poses a real danger to the health of the body politic in the upcoming election (it’s already having the desired effect). It supercharges polarization, and risks becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy by contributing to an election context where opponents see violence and/or corruption as the only means to “save democracy.” 

And, if you’re wondering why I’m putting these catchphrases in quotation marks, it’s not because I don’t think they’re a thing. It’s because I don’t think they mean what Team Biden thinks they mean. So, I’m not going to validate those particular meanings.