The Moral Foundations of Christian Nationalism

Abstract

Why does Christian Nationalism (CN) resonate with some Americans but not others? We employ Moral Foundations Theory (MFT) to fill this gap. MFT posits that individuals possess a moral matrix made up of concerns for group cohesion (authority, loyalty, and sanctity), egalitarian ideals (care and fairness), and individual autonomy (liberty). Using a nationally representative survey (N = 1,125), we find that support for CN is largely motivated by concerns for in-group loyalty and sanctity but not authority, while opposition is motivated by concerns for fairness, but not care. We also find that moral foundations map onto each of the commonly used CN survey measures in two distinct patterns, one statist and the other akin to civil religion, where the former is linked to loyalty and the latter to liberty. These results suggest that controversy over Christianity’s place in politics is driven by disagreement over foundational moral concerns, but not always in the ways we expect.