I’ve been reading a lot about Christian nationalism this year in an effort to wrap my head around a phenomenon that is so puzzling to me as a Christian living outside the U.S. This book stands out among others I’ve read, because it suggests a way of thinking about it that I hadn’t seen before. The author encourages his readers to view Christian nationalists as a mission field. Just as cross-cultural missionaries must study the group they’re working with to learn about their beliefs and what motivates them, rather than making arrogant assumptions, readers are urged to learn more about their Christian nationalist neighbours and try to find commonalities in order to have real conversations. I appreciate that this book humanizes Christian nationalists while still standing firmly against their most toxic beliefs. It includes practical guides for engaging with nationalist misreadings of scripture, like the idea that America is the new Biblical Israel. I also appreciate that the author acknowledges that members of marginalized groups stand a greater chance of being harmed by encounters with Christian nationalists, and thus should use extra care and discernment in decided whether to engage. I was very impressed by this book and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and IVP for the ARC!

Caleb E. Campbell’s "Disarming Leviathan" offers a thoughtful approach to engaging with Christian nationalists, but its usefulness may be limited to a certain audience—pastors.

There’s so much to admire about this book, and if you have any sort of religious background, it’s almost impossible to read it without a sense of grief. Campbell adopts a well-informed missiological approach and supplements it with personal research and historical background about the complexities of Christian tradition in the United States. He opens the book with a series of recently collapsed distinctions, such as the difference between a culture and a state or the rhetorical boundaries between sermons and political speeches, as observed in Turning Point USA’s programming.

"Disarming Leviathan" is at its strongest when Campbell draws from personal conversations and his own experience attending Christian nationalist events. The examples are really helpful, and I wish there had been even more because despite all the sociological and theological explanations of why people become radicalized, there’s a sense in which it still feels like an inexplicable turn. It’s still difficult to parse when Christianity ends and where nationalism begins, but maybe it’s impossible to make a clear delineation.

Despite the book’s strengths, I had a few concerns about its applicability to the average reader. Campbell often feels questionably optimistic, particularly in how willing people will be to connect “heart-to-heart” over many of these issues. Perhaps it’s my cynicism talking, but I wonder if some of the author’s ability to have these conversations is rooted in his pastoral role. He writes about connecting over shared values, but in my experience with Christian nationalist family members, the assumption is that your values are no longer shared—they are tainted; they are the trojan horse that smuggles an “agenda.” Because nationalism is predicated on celebrating power, I wonder if pastoral authority offers an inroad that isn’t available to the layperson.

Another quibble I had was Campbell’s recommendation of seeking out “shibboleths” (insider language) and avoiding “red flags” (outsider language) to connect with Christian nationalists. As an example, he recommends “we need strong borders” as a shibboleth and identifies “January 6th was an insurrection” as a red flag. I appreciate the sentiment, but the issue is that language informs reality, and the use or avoidance of these phrases tacitly affirms a whole array of presuppositions. If we don’t begin our conversations with accountability in our language, I’m skeptical of how far they can meaningfully go.

Many of these concerns are, however, dealt with as Campbell recognizes that some readers may simply not be able to have conversations with certain people. I just wonder how often any such conversation can occur. Much of this book is built on the premise that if we are compassionate and reasonable, we can interact with nationalists, but I just don’t see that happening when the idea of “reason” is rejected in favor of celebrating logical or emotional discontinuity. In the case of my family members, their mindset is that it “doesn’t add up” because it “adds up to more than you’d think.”

All of that said, I think "Disarming Leviathan" has a lot going for it. It just might be a better book for people in the throes of Christian nationalism than for those who wish to pull them out. I imagine that the transparency of Campbell’s care would resonate more than attempts to synthesize it for a specific context, and his role as a pastor may foster the “heart-to-heart” openness necessary for readers to receive it.

This book initially appealed to me as a Christian who has felt discomfort and confusion about the condition of the Church today when it comes to Nationalism and politics. Having felt the shift over the past five years drastically, I felt ready to pick up a book on this very polarizing subject. Ultimately, I appreciate Campbell for concisely putting his thoughts, heart, and information out to the world in a manner that is surely going to be looked down on. While I'm still wrestling with where I draw the line on the issues presented, I think the book was clear, passionate, and written well.
I anticipate that this book will have very mixed feedback on the content, but I am very happy to have read it and gotten to hear Campbell's perspective on a topic that is so prevelant to the American Church today.

I enjoyed the friendliness and humility of this book, with its willingness to actually engage with the nationalistic viewpoint even while being fully aware of its flaws. Definitely a healthy way to have the discussion!