Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) argued that the GOP should be the party of Christian nationalists during an interview at an event for young conservatives on Saturday.
“We need to be the party of nationalism and I’m a Christian, and I say it proudly, we should be Christian nationalists,” she told Next News Network at Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida.
“When Republicans learn to represent most of the people that vote for them, then we will be the party that continues to grow without having to chase down certain identities or chase down certain segments of people,” she continued. “We just need to represent Americans and most Americans, no matter how they vote, really care about the same things and I want to see Republicans actually do their job.”
Christian nationalism is the belief that the United States was established as an explicitly Christian nation, and they believe that this close relationship between Christianity and the state needs to be protected, according to Joseph Williams, a professor in the Department of Religion at Rutgers. Critics say the theory is radical and opposes religious diversity.
However, Greene argued that being a Christian nationalist is a good thing, according to Newsweek.
“That’s not a bad word. That’s actually a good thing. There’s nothing wrong with leading with your faith,” Greene said. “If we do not live our lives and vote like we are nationalists—caring about our country, and putting our country first and wanting that to be the focus of our federal government—if we do not lead that way, then we will not be able to fix it.”
While Greene is calling for the the GOP to embrace Christian nationalists, the number of Republicans who identify as Christians has dropped in the last decade, according to a Pew Research Center survey.
