The Future Nondenominational Christian Nation

Yesterday, I wrote an article attacking the idea of “Christian nationalism” by pointing out that, historically, Christians have been unable to figure out what their religion even says. However, one thing I did not mention — primarily because the article was long enough without it for me to be satisfied — is that Christians have attempted to unite with other denominations for political purposes, and the results tend to be mixed.

In 1964, during the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church officially reserved the position that protestant denominations are heretical, instead calling them “separated brethren.” The Second Vatican Council — a series of talks that began in 1962 and ended in 1965 — were filled with various attempts to modernize the church in response to the Civil Rights Movement and the increase of liberalism in United States culture. This was the same council that, for example, held that it is wrong to hold all Jewish people responsible for the death of Jesus Christ.

It is important to note that the Second Vatical Council was primarily political in nature, with the end goal being the Church modernizing just enough of its teachings to not become obsolete in the United States. The specific allowance of both protestants and Jews in Catholic political movements allowed for the creation of the religious right, with the goal being…