STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
In a new survey, Americans say religion is gaining greater influence over our government. In the same survey, most people say the rising influence of religion makes them uncomfortable. This week, NPR is taking a close look at the relationship between church and state. NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose is on the line. Jason, good morning.
JASON DEROSE, BYLINE: Good morning.
INSKEEP: Why look at this now?
DEROSE: Well, we've covered a series of moves by the Trump administration that made us want to go deeper. Among them, a recent Justice Department report on anti-Christian bias that describes policy differences as being motivated by anti-Christian animus. Earlier this month, the administration organized a prayer service at the National Mall that included Cabinet members praying in front of a giant cross. And at other times, people from within the administration have appeared to specifically be promoting Christianity.
(SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE)
JD VANCE: We have been - and by the grace of God, we always will be - a Christian nation.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: In the end, we do not answer to bureaucrats in Washington. We answer to God in heaven. We do. We answer to God in heaven.
PAULA WHITE-CAIN: Prayer's not a religious act. It's a national necessity.
TRUMP: We have to bring back our religion. We have to bring back Christianity in this country.
DEROSE: Those are the voices of Vice President JD Vance, President Trump and Paula White-Cain, the head of the White House Faith Office.
INSKEEP: I guess we should note - presidents have said things like, God bless America, God bless the troops, for many, many generations. But this seems to be a little bit more.
DEROSE: Right.
INSKEEP: And some people use the phrase Christian nationalism. Is that this?
DEROSE: Well, Christian nationalism is this ideology that merges Christian identity with national identity. Pew Research just this month released a study looking at how people view religion's influence on American government. The lead author of that report is Chip Rotolo. He says, until recently, a lot of people didn't even know what the term Christian nationalism means. But as understanding has increased, so have reactions to it.
CHIP ROTOLO: Now about 3 in 10 Americans have an unfavorable view, and about 1 in 10 Americans have a favorable view.
INSKEEP: OK. So more people dislike it than like it, but it sounds like most people didn't even have an opinion of Christian nationalism.
DEROSE: Right. But Rotolo also asked about three concrete ideas related to Christian nationalism. One, that the Bible should have greater influence than the will of the people in making laws. Two, that the government should stop enforcing church-state separation. And three, that the government should declare the U.S. an officially Christian nation. And Pew's survey found that nearly 40% endorse at least one of those views.
INSKEEP: Oh. So if you take away the label Christian nationalist, you do find a lot of support for this. What about people who explicitly support Christian nationalism? What are they saying?
DEROSE: Well, let's break that term apart, Steve. Here's how R. R. Reno, the editor of the conservative Christian journal "First Things," defines nationalism.
R R RENO: Nationalism is rooted in a judgment that we have to restore solidarity, that we need to defend national sovereignty, that we need to buttress the things that we share in common.
DEROSE: He says that's good, and Reno says the Christian version of nationalism is even better.
RENO: Christianity provides a sense that the purposes of life are much greater than merely the political, and this functions as a limit on political extremism.
DEROSE: But critics of Christian nationalism say it undermines the founding American principle of the separation of church and state. In that Pew poll I talked about earlier, more than half of Americans said they want the government to enforce that separation. They don't want this increased promotion of Christianity by the government.
INSKEEP: I appreciate learning that there's this big mix of opinions, Jason, and so maybe it is a good time to have this series. What's ahead in it?
DEROSE: Well, we'll hear from NPR reporters, our partners at Religion News Service and from a member station reporter. Among the stories, we're looking at how a Christian lawmaker in Ohio is influencing education policy there, how a painting of George Washington praying is used to argue the Founding Fathers were devout Christians, even though the moment depicted is apocryphal. We'll report on a Christian worship song being used at conservative political rallies, and I'll have a story about how the Trump administration quotes Jesus to promote specific policy initiatives.
INSKEEP: NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose giving us a glimpse of the series Church & State. We'll be listening. Thanks.
DEROSE: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
