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The Seven Deadly Sins of White Christian Nationalism: A Call to Action
Hear the call to overcome today’s culture of hate and bring healing and hope into our life together. While right-wing conservatives dare to call themselves Christians as they tear down equality and justice, commit horrific acts of violence, and fan the flames of fascism in America, Carter Heyward issues a call to action for Christians to truly hear God’s message of peace and love.
Heyward shows how American Christians have played a major role in building and securing structures of injustice in American life. Rising tides of white supremacy, threats to women’s reproductive freedoms and to basic human rights for gender and sexual minorities, the widening divide between rich and poor, and increasing natural disasters and the extinction of Earth’s species--all point to a world crying out for God’s wisdom.
Followers of Jesus must first call out these ingrained and sinful attitudes for what they are, acknowledging what the culture of white Christian nationalism is doing to our country and our world, and commit ourselves ever more fully to generating justice-love, whoever and wherever we are.
Heyward shows how American Christians have played a major role in building and securing structures of injustice in American life. Rising tides of white supremacy, threats to women’s reproductive freedoms and to basic human rights for gender and sexual minorities, the widening divide between rich and poor, and increasing natural disasters and the extinction of Earth’s species--all point to a world crying out for God’s wisdom.
Followers of Jesus must first call out these ingrained and sinful attitudes for what they are, acknowledging what the culture of white Christian nationalism is doing to our country and our world, and commit ourselves ever more fully to generating justice-love, whoever and wherever we are.
293 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 15, 2022
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134 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 16, 2023
Heyward presents a straightforward progressive Christian critique of White Christian Nationalism (WCN). In the first two sections of the book, using a lot of personal reflections, she declares the roots and current actions of those who aspire to see the American Experiment end with a White Christian Nationalist government sinful. Why is WCN so violent today? Her why is reasonably simple: while America has noble ideals, the levers of power have been held by white men who hold a belief the Christian faith should be central to the ethos of the nation - and are afraid of losing their power to a multicultural and "liberal" world. WCN, she decries as evil.
Let me be honest. I agree with virtually everything Hayward argues. What I find lacking is a historical context for her argument that the nation has always been driven by this aberrant theology. Additionally, I found the first two (of three) sections rather angry (and perhaps justifiably so) with prima facie statements. What I was looking for (and this may be the source of my low evaluation) was some historical roots of what today is the core of WCN theology. Simply, who were the major theologians and crafters of this non-Christ like Christianity? What scripture did they use? What did they write and how was the argument crafted? What research suggests that now is the time it is making such a clear effort to overthrow our democratic agenda? While it might be true we have always had a WCN component to the American politic, who and what are the thinkers over the decades who promote it? What quotes would give md some historical thread to follow? Perhaps I went looking for the wrong book, desiring a more academic approach?
Where Heyward shines is in the third and final section. Her analysis of how progressive Christians can stand up to the proponents of WCN is her best work. Often creative and expressive, she gives some crafted arguments here. That said, she often fails to get into theological specifics - for example, how to get a WCN (who often will claim the Bible is inerrant) to grasp a broader, universal Christ over a Davidic hero demanding total power.
Does Hayward make a case for WCN as a sinful ideology? Yes. But I fear she will convince only those who already agree with her.
Let me be honest. I agree with virtually everything Hayward argues. What I find lacking is a historical context for her argument that the nation has always been driven by this aberrant theology. Additionally, I found the first two (of three) sections rather angry (and perhaps justifiably so) with prima facie statements. What I was looking for (and this may be the source of my low evaluation) was some historical roots of what today is the core of WCN theology. Simply, who were the major theologians and crafters of this non-Christ like Christianity? What scripture did they use? What did they write and how was the argument crafted? What research suggests that now is the time it is making such a clear effort to overthrow our democratic agenda? While it might be true we have always had a WCN component to the American politic, who and what are the thinkers over the decades who promote it? What quotes would give md some historical thread to follow? Perhaps I went looking for the wrong book, desiring a more academic approach?
Where Heyward shines is in the third and final section. Her analysis of how progressive Christians can stand up to the proponents of WCN is her best work. Often creative and expressive, she gives some crafted arguments here. That said, she often fails to get into theological specifics - for example, how to get a WCN (who often will claim the Bible is inerrant) to grasp a broader, universal Christ over a Davidic hero demanding total power.
Does Hayward make a case for WCN as a sinful ideology? Yes. But I fear she will convince only those who already agree with her.
January 22, 2023
From a position of strong faith and deep engagement, Carter Heyword writes an eloquent list of the failings of Christianity entwined with governance in the United States today. Here are the sins: lust for omnipotence, entitlement, white supremacy, misogyny, capitalist spirituality, domination of earth and it's creatures and violence.
She does an excellent job describing the origin of each flawed religious assumption, why those beliefs are theologically wrong and what that mindset is doing to the US now.
The last chapters have suggestions for how to right some of these wrongs.
One of the suggestions is a challenge for me: to spend more energy being of service than worrying about my own spirituality. Ouch. After reading so much of the book with a certain righteous agreement about institutional failings, I am challenged to not walk away tutting about other people's problems, but to admit that seeing problems and making my internal life all about me is surely not a help.
She does an excellent job describing the origin of each flawed religious assumption, why those beliefs are theologically wrong and what that mindset is doing to the US now.
The last chapters have suggestions for how to right some of these wrongs.
One of the suggestions is a challenge for me: to spend more energy being of service than worrying about my own spirituality. Ouch. After reading so much of the book with a certain righteous agreement about institutional failings, I am challenged to not walk away tutting about other people's problems, but to admit that seeing problems and making my internal life all about me is surely not a help.
October 17, 2022
Carter Heyward is a theologian and retired Episcopal priest who live here in Brevard; indeed, I know a good many of the folks she mentions in her Acknowledgments.
The January 6 insurrection horrified and outraged her (as it did me) and spurred her to write this book which is clearly the crystallization of m years of thinking about what has been going on around us for the past 40 years or more but has gained momentum in recent years. It is a "movement spawned by white Christian Americans to superimpose their conservative religious values on the laws and leaders of the United States. " It is authoritarian, anti-democratic, and seeks to exclude the voices of those (in most cases the majority) who don't hold their views. They would like something very akin to a theocracy, and while they may or may not have thought through it or articulated it in these terms, a nation where white straight Protestant men hold power and privilege and all others -non-whites, gays, women, Jews etc. are marginalized. it is informed by the sins of racism, misogyny, entitlement, white supremacy to name a few.
I agree with most of what she writes, certainly that this is a political, civic and Christian heresy and a major threat to our democracy, especially since the GOP has rejected the very premise of our nation - the idea that "governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed." Some readers -and she acknowledges this - may be startled or even offended by some of her assertions about the nature and omnipotence of God. She does occasionally overstate her case and tends to be somewhat repetitive, but this does not diminish the importance of what she has to say.
The January 6 insurrection horrified and outraged her (as it did me) and spurred her to write this book which is clearly the crystallization of m years of thinking about what has been going on around us for the past 40 years or more but has gained momentum in recent years. It is a "movement spawned by white Christian Americans to superimpose their conservative religious values on the laws and leaders of the United States. " It is authoritarian, anti-democratic, and seeks to exclude the voices of those (in most cases the majority) who don't hold their views. They would like something very akin to a theocracy, and while they may or may not have thought through it or articulated it in these terms, a nation where white straight Protestant men hold power and privilege and all others -non-whites, gays, women, Jews etc. are marginalized. it is informed by the sins of racism, misogyny, entitlement, white supremacy to name a few.
I agree with most of what she writes, certainly that this is a political, civic and Christian heresy and a major threat to our democracy, especially since the GOP has rejected the very premise of our nation - the idea that "governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed." Some readers -and she acknowledges this - may be startled or even offended by some of her assertions about the nature and omnipotence of God. She does occasionally overstate her case and tends to be somewhat repetitive, but this does not diminish the importance of what she has to say.
January 7, 2024
Regardless of your religious leanings, this book is a tremendous look at our politics, our government and who we, as Americans, are. Hayward, one of the first female Episcopal priests (I am married to an Episcopal priest) and has taught in seminary and worked in parishes. She doesn't hold back in her opinions but she does present some pretty point blank questions on how we are behaving and making the world better (not so much) or worse (it's getting more and more that way daily). There's a lot to think about here and the book would make for a fine book discussion with an open minded group of people.
December 30, 2022
I am white and Christian, but white Christian nationalism is idolatry, pure and simple. It's just another way of the few gaining power over the many. It's about the wolf of control dressed up as the lamb of religion. Don't fall for this heresy. Out of her long experience as a professor of systematic theology, Carter Heyward fleshes out the details of why white Christian nationalism is just so completely wrong. It's always tempting for religious people to want to reshape their nation according to their own religious conceits, but the outcome is always disastrous for all.
August 6, 2024
What a necessary, important, sturdy work. I’m thankful we have this work to keep pointing to, to discuss around and ground ourselves in this continued work of bringing a Good Kingdom here and now. So many essential questions for the Christian, American spaces.
If you feel bogged down in the hard of the Seven Sins in part two, I recommend flipping to the corresponding Part 3 section, so you can also experience some of the light of that section!
If you feel bogged down in the hard of the Seven Sins in part two, I recommend flipping to the corresponding Part 3 section, so you can also experience some of the light of that section!
February 11, 2023
Our current Sunday Forum book at Messiah. The author does a great job of highlighting a variety of progressive Christian perspectives to counter the rise of Christian nationalism. I found it a fair bit basic but definitely works well for a general audience w good discussion prompts at the end of each chapter.
June 3, 2025
Read this for a race and social justice book group. While the book raises important and timely topics, the author left all of us in the group wishing she had done more to buttress her arguments, illustrate her points, or at least prod us to think beyond the text. Still, it'd a good starting point to delve into what is increasngly becoming a threat to pluralistic, democratic systems.
September 1, 2025
Love the structure of this book, and the amount of research she had to do is incredible. Returning to Jan. 6 with each of the sins was also a great point of orientation. The book got a little repetitive at times, and I would have enjoyed having the "call" in the same main chapter. I appreciated the discussion questions at the end of each chapter.
October 29, 2024
A well argued and almost comprehensive look at what the Christian Right has so dangerously wrong. Tracing the threads of patriarchy, racism, classism, and so much more, Heyward weaves together a map not only of what’s wrong, but how we can get it right if we choose to.
October 31, 2025
This was a tough read -- I took so many notes I had to pay a fine because the book was overdue even after they allowed me to renew it. I wouldn't give it up till I finished (the fine was worth it)...
May 25, 2023
Very eye opening account, spurred on by the January 6th insurrection. Good accounting of White Nationalist behavior.
Read
February 5, 2024I'm not the target audience for this, so I am not rating it. I would recommend it more for the Christian layperson over a religious studies scholar.
June 28, 2025
Laminated Cover
July 21, 2025
Deeply disturbing and thought provoking. Carter Heyward is now one of my new heroes. I am so glad to have been exposed to her knowledge and perception about religion in today's world.
November 7, 2025
Not a Christian myself, but Carter Heyward does an excellent job describing the 7 deadly sins and the history behind them. She also gives some very good ideas for discussion and action. She realizes that her writing may be a tad utopic, but she mentions many others who may have been utopic but fought on and helped good change happen. Unfortunately, the people who need to hear her message are the least likely to read her book.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews