In my years of studying and then speaking about Christian nationalism in churches, community centers, campuses, and countless Zoom rooms, I have learned that a large and diverse community of people is eager to challenge the political ideology of Christian nationalism. But the problem can seem too big and amorphous to know where to start. This book lays out a step-by-step process for exploring the problem of Christian nationalism and taking action to defend religious freedom for all.

We will not end Christian nationalism if Christians do not actively work to dismantle it: to rid it from ourselves, our congregations, and our larger communities.

For Christians who are committed to this cause, basing our activism in our faith provides the motivation and the sustenance to persevere in this hard work. And make no mistake: this will not be an easy road. Christian nationalism is deeply entrenched in US society. Because generations have let Christian nationalism fester, the ideology has grown deep roots, creating an underground system that makes it that much harder to extricate. Nor can this outcome—ending Christian nationalism—be accomplished in my lifetime or yours. We must accept that a problem that has gone unaddressed for centuries will take several generations to resolve. This book offers a starting place for each person willing to contribute to this multigenerational project. It does not, however, make false promises about how smoothly or quickly this work will go.

I hope this book will be helpful to you no matter who you are. I expect it will be particularly useful for my fellow Christians—particularly white Christians—who are feeling compelled to respond to Christian nationalism. I have included references to scripture throughout these pages so that we can continually ground ourselves in the biblical tradition. Billions of people across two millennia have found the Christian scriptures formative, and we can find inspiration and support for our work for faith freedom for all in the words of sacred text.

In various points in this book, we explore how deeply interconnected racism is with Christian nationalism. White Christians need to learn the history, question assumptions, and be willing to shift our own narratives about what it means to be Christian and what it means to be American. We also need to raise our self-awareness—particularly our awareness about the power we hold because of our whiteness—to avoid the very real danger of perpetuating white Christian nationalism in our efforts to dismantle it.

Though my primary audience is white Christians who want to engage in this long-haul work of ending Christian nationalism, I hope this book will also be a helpful resource to people of color, people from other religious traditions, and people who are nonreligious who are part of or want to join the large movement to end Christian nationalism.

I consider this book to be an act of doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly, as in Micah 6:8.

I approach this project with humility, knowing that a vast community of organizers, advocates, activists, scholars, journalists, faith leaders, lawyers, and others is engaged in this work. My hope is that my story, and the stories and wisdom of others I share in the book, will inspire an even larger group of people to join this cause.