Dan, many accolades. I could never have said it with the charitable grace and love you have. Maybe someday :-)
As a baptized orthodox catholic, baptized born again, member of the Christian Left. I have no church except Jesus. I now "go into my room, close the door and pray to my father who is unseen... Mathew 6:6". Christianity in America or certainly the definition of it has changed. Evangelicals in most cases have morphed into "Christian Nationalists" as you point out with excellent specificity.
Anyone who wonders what happened to the reasonable, charitable, loving Christians. Should read the excellent book or audio "The Power Worshipers" by Katherine Stewart. Their leaders and by false teaching have suplanted Chritinaity with an unholy alliance with power, wealth and personal prosperity. Wrapped it in the US flag and patriotism to bastardize the Good News and claim it as their own personal property. The modern tenants of the faith are unrecognizable to anyone who actually practices the Christianity of the bible or tries to model their behavior on the Words of Jesus.
Scapegoats, Jingoism and Propaganda is on page one of their playbook. Its grade school history and the path followed by the Nazi's and authoritarians worldwide. The Christian Nationalist movement along with prosperity gospel are part of a master plan for American Theocracy (US version of Sharia Law). With Authoritarians at the helm (themselves or a false Idol).
They actually believe they can FORCE THE RETURN OF CHRIST by making the world a cesspool of corruption and every imaginable abomination. If they read their bibles and prayed fervently for wisdom. They would understand the NO MAN CAN FORCE GOD/CHRIST TO DO ANYTHING, to try would invite the lesson that Satan and his minions learned. GOD WILL NOT BE MOCKED, DO NOT TEST THE LORD YOUR GOD.
In reality, the Lord summed up the work for Christians in this world nicely: "The graces of faith, hope and love towards God and our fellow humans are preferable to all the spiritual gifts, and the greatest of these is love". 1 Corinthians 13:13
I would be scared sh_tless if I was in their shoes!
May the lord bless our Christian brethren with wisdom, knowledge, understanding and acceptance of the truth of "The Way". May the lords countenance shine upon them. May lies, deceit and the evil ones flee them. Amen
