*Editorial Note: Whenever Leading Voice Derek Vreeland emails me with a sense of pastoral urgency about something he’s written that feels timely for Missio Alliance to publish, I know we need to buckle up, for challenge and truth are coming our way. Derek’s latest piece, “How Christian Nationalism and the Prosperity Gospel Distort the Way of Jesus,” does exactly this. I knew it was time for us to talk further! ~CK

Missio Alliance (MA): I (Chris Kamalski) have never directly considered the overlap between Christian Nationalism and the Prosperity Gospel before. Can you tell us more about your journey in realizing how deeply these two false gospels overlap?

Derek Vreeland (DV): For years, I have been deeply concerned about the seductive falsehoods inherent in both Christian Nationalism and the Prosperity Gospel. Both movements use Christian language and imagery to indulge human desires for power and wealth. But it was only recently that I saw the single thread running through both movements—the pursuit of greatness without humility. I had thought Christian Nationalism was on the fringe, isolated to a few fundamentalist churches, but after the death of Charlie Kirk, I began to see that many Christians in my sphere of influence currently buy into the false hope of Christian Nationalism. I thought that if some people could see the errors of the Prosperity Gospel, then they could also see the errors of Christian Nationalism and repent. 

American Christians struggle with Christian Nationalism and the Prosperity Gospel because both ideologies mirror America’s own myths, particularly the myths of rugged individualism, exceptionalism, and the pursuit of success. Share on X

MA: How have you seen Christian Nationalism and the Prosperity Gospel creep into the Church over the years? What do we need to name in order to root out these false teachings?

DV: These false gospels have seeped into the church slowly and subtly because they often begin with honest intentions. Pentecostal evangelist and university chancellor, Oral Roberts, was one of the early pioneers of prosperity teaching in the charismatic movement. Much of early 20th-century Pentecostalism (including Roberts and his family) grew up in poverty. Roberts described the nature of prosperity as God’s gift of grace and our trusting God to meet all of one’s financial needs with a bit extra to share with others. Many Christians I have known over the years who buy into the false gospel of wealth and material abundance do so from a place of scarcity, trusting God to lift them out of the dust of poverty (Psalm 113:7).

Similarly, those I know who subscribe to Christian Nationalism would say that they love Jesus with all their hearts and they love their country too. They want their American neighbors to love Jesus as much as they do, and this love motivates them to advocate for legislation, policies, and policymakers who will inject American culture with Christian values. They would call themselves Christian patriots who are Christians first. I can respect how they prioritize their loves. However, it is helpful to see the difference between Christian Nationalism and Christian Patriotism, which Glenn Packiam sorts out so well on his Substack.

We need to name the fear behind each of these ideologies. We need to be honest about the fear of cultural change, the fear of losing social power, and the fear of a growing pluralistic and multicultural America. Equally, we need to be honest about the fear of lack and scarcity.

We must also name the idols that stand behind these false gospels. And that is exceedingly difficult because nobody wants to talk about their idols. We must name idolatry for what it is: confusing God’s Kingdom with political dominance or material blessing. Rooting them out begins with recovering the cruciform shape of the gospel.

MA: Why do American churches in particular seem to struggle so deeply in conflating these false ideologies?

DV: American Christians struggle with Christian Nationalism and the Prosperity Gospel because both ideologies mirror America’s own myths, particularly the myths of rugged individualism, exceptionalism, and the pursuit of success. Both ideologies are deeply saturated with American cultural values, and Christians who subscribe to either (or both) often haven’t taken the time to untangle their Christian identity from their American identity. When King Jesus calls us American Christians to deny ourselves, he is inviting us to disassociate from a national or political identity and find our true identity in his cross and resurrection. He calls us to reject the pursuit of “success in life” in order to gird a towel around our waist and become the servant of all. The true gospel of King Jesus confronts every empire (including our own) by calling us not to dominate or prosper, but to die to self and serve in love.

We must name idolatry for what it is: confusing God’s Kingdom with political dominance or material blessing. Rooting them out begins with recovering the cruciform shape of the gospel. Share on X

MA: You conclude your piece by writing “Both Christian Nationalism and the Prosperity Gospel promise greatness without humility. They confuse self-determination with discipleship, and success with sanctification. We must courageously, and with great clarity, reject the false gospels of both.” Say more about these conclusions.

DV: Courage is necessary because whenever we begin to infringe on people’s idols, people get upset! Just ask the Hebrew prophets. Courage for Christian leaders begins with a laser focus on Jesus and the Kingdom he came to bring. This kind of focus is born in prayer by the Spirit, because it requires “born-again eyes” to see the Kingdom of God as the way of self-giving love, and not the path of control or comfort. Naming false gospels requires deep formation in humility and love so that our confrontation doesn’t become another form of triumphalism.

MA: How can Christian leaders mature in courage as they name and expose these teachings in a spirit of truth and love?

DV: We mature in courage by staying close to Christ crucified and by actually listening to people who have been seduced by either Christian Nationalism or the Prosperity Gospel. Years ago, I learned from Pete Scazzero that listening is so close to loving that most people cannot tell the difference. From that posture of listening first, we can then speak the truth without undue emotional pressure, shepherding God’s people toward faithfulness and obedience to the gospel. True courage in Christian leadership is cruciform. It looks like love that listens first and tells the truth even when it costs us—and trust me, it will cost every Christian leader something.

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True courage in Christian leadership is cruciform. It looks like love that listens first and tells the truth even when it costs us—and trust me, it will cost every Christian leader something. Share on X