Can a Nation Be Christian?

I recently had a conversation on Facebook. In response to a national call for prayer, I responded by saying: “Since we are not a Christian country, I can’t imagine why the government would.”

The person who made the original statement then asked the important question: “Do you think countries can be Christian?” That question made me think.

I think the answer is yes and no.

It reminds me of a conversation I had with another person regarding Christian music. They said that there is no such thing as Christian music. Only people can be Christian, not things.

The same principle would apply to a nation. A nation cannot have a personal relationship with Jesus, only people within the nation.

But going back to the music analogy, while there may be some blurry lines (is U2 Christian music?), that phrase is not meaningless. We can see certain examples and recognize it as Christian music.

What about nations?

Before getting to a Christian nation, let’s look at another example. Does the phrase “Muslim nation” make sense? Could we recognize one if we saw it? I think most people would accept identifying Saudi Arabia or Iran as Muslim nations.

What makes a Muslim nation a Muslim nation? Part of it would be that the majority of the population would hold to that faith. Also, the government and law code would probably be heavily shaped by that faith. So Turkey, despite having a large Muslim population, may not be described as a Muslim nation, as they seek to be governed by secular principles (even if not all Turks are in favour of that).

So what about a “Christian nation”? Theoretically, the same principles could apply. If a nation was majority Christian, and by that I don’t mean just having a Christian heritage, but actually holding to that faith.

Also, the government would have to be heavily influenced by Christian faith. I don’t mean just being shaped in the past by influential Christians, or even participation in the present by Christian believers.

There would have to be an acknowledgement that Christianity was the official faith of the nation, while acknowledging that some citizens may hold to another faith. Christianity would need to have priority of place.

Are there any Christian nations today? There are a number of European countries that have state churches. But even then, it is more of a matter of heritage than an acknowledgment of the truth of Christianity. Often in those nations with state churches, the active participation in those churches is quite low.

In my study of history, I think there are examples between the time of Constantine and the Enlightenment of Christian nations, at least in the sense described here.

What about my nation of Canada? Is Canada a Christian nation?

We are far from a Christian nation. I remember back to the events of 9/11. I watched the memorial services from the United States and Canada. The United States had a multi-religious service with Billy Graham speaking. The Canadian service only mentioned “God” once and that was in the singing of our national anthem.

Canada does not promote one religion over another. I am a military chaplain who is a Christian. But I know other military chaplains who are Jewish and Muslim. I actually think that Canada’s version of religious pluralism is healthy.

So could a nation be Christian? Yes it would be possible. Would it be likely in this day and age? Not really.

That is not a bad thing. I don’t think that Christianity was ever meant to be the framework for a government or nation. The Church was originally a grass roots movement and it is at its best when it is not relying on special privileges.