Patterns of Christian Nationalist Engagement and Connections to Spirituality

Despite the increasing prominence of Christian nationalism within the U.S. population and its concerning associations with anti-democratic attitudes and racial bias, little is known about how highly spiritual individuals engage with Christian nationalism. Moreover, while extant research has examined demographic and political associations with Christian nationalism, the present study attempted to understand how Christians who are pursuing vocational training in the service of others may simultaneously support Christian nationalism’s messages of exclusivity and authoritarianism. Using latent profile analysis on Christian nationalism items, we examined how 746 Christian emerging religious leaders engage with this ideology. We assessed demographic and psychosocial (e.g., ideological commitment, spiritual impression management) predictors of different profiles and explored associations between these subgroups and various constructs of spirituality (e.g., spiritual grandiosity, spiritual struggles) and social engagement (e.g., social justice, authoritarianism). We discuss our findings and their implications for the future of religiousness and nationalism.