We must push back against both propositionalism and race-essentialism. Both approaches are too shallow to effectively answer the question, “What is a nation?”
We have to reckon with the fact that there is much about America that is unique, and thus the question, “What is America?,” or, “What is an American?,” becomes a good bit trickier and more complex than comparable questions are for other nations. The uniqueness is rooted in our history, particularly in our origins and in recent developments (though the recent developments are shared by other Western nations).
Historically, America had to deal with the race issue in a rather unique way from the start. We were a multiracial as soon as the first whites got here. The interaction with Indians and imported Africans have shaped our identity from the start, even if often by way of exclusion. European nations, by contrast, do not have this same historical experience. The Roman Empire contained multiple ethnicities but even then was not multiracial in the way America was from the outset. So much of our history, identity, and experience is taken up with this issue. The first phase of dealing with it culminated in the Civil War and the formation of Indian reservations. The second phase of dealing with it culminated in the civil rights movement, which turned into a rolling revolution, steamrolling over everything that stood on the way of individual autonomy/expression.
The other more recent development is the enormous influx of immigrants, especially non-Western and non-assimilating immigrants in the 20th century, into the 21st century, and especially exacerbated by the recent open borders policy of Democrats which was obviously an attempt to (a) increase their voting bloc and (b) destroy whatever was left of America’s Christian heritage. Obviously other Western nations have likewise been plagued by this leftwing imposed invasion, which amounts to an attempted suicide (hopefully now averted by the change in immigration policy under the current administration).
It seems to me there is more about America that is unique than just our more recent ethnogenesis (e.g, we are a relatively young country). The ethnicity question was complicated from the beginning by the fact of having multiple races in closer proximity than most any other nation has experienced. American identity was more permeable and fluid from the outset. The only way we have successfully handled this is through the influence of Christian faith (and so insofar as the propositional nation advocates get their propositions from Christianity, they do have a point, even though they ignore other aspects of American identity). Because of our Christian foundation, Roman Catholics from Ireland and Italy were able to be incorporated into America, albeit with a great deal of controversy, in way that Muslims and Hindus never can. The race-essentialists want to solve the race question with brute force but that obviously creates its own issues.
While I think there are many things that can be done to help our situation with political power in the hands of the right, I also think it will be impossible for America to function long term apart from the restoration of public and private Christian piety. American history is rooted in a flawed but true expression of Christian faith; America’s future requires a recovery of that same faith if we are to attain any kind of greatness. And that means that questions about the role of the church in American public life, to take just one example, are a pressing, but largely ignored political issue. My fear is that many on the right, particularly the race essentialists, are allowing nature (eg, race) to drive out grace (eg, the role of the church).
To give one simple example: I keep hearing “J.D. Vance is the future” — and perhaps so. We could certainly do a lot worse. There is much about Vance to love. At the same time, there is a push for white solidarity, often from the same quarters. But given the ethnic background of Vance’s wife, both things can’t be true. Vance’s own “American experience” points to some of the complications that cannot be easily untangled.
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An older X post:
What is America?
We are not a propositional nation, though certain propositions have definitely been important in defining our identity. Neither are we just a continuation of Anglo or European peoples in a new location, even though the history of Western civilization is foundational to our heritage.
America is something new and different. An American is a different kind of human who did not exist before. America is hard to define because it is a genuinely new ethnicity. Again, an American is not merely a transplanted European (or African, etc.). Sure, we borrowed from other cultures, but we created something new in the process – the sum total of American culture is much greater than its parts. It is not just a conglomeration of different cultures that have migrated here, it is new and unique and dynamic.
American culture is not exactly like any other nation’s culture. American culture is, well, American.
What ties together the propositions and the heritage that went into making America a new ethnicity? The link is the Christian faith. Christian faith supplied the defining propositions. And the people who settled here were Christian stock. The Christian faith has been the glue that has held America together and given us coherence as a people. The story of America simply cannot be told in secular terms. The American story is impossible to understand without grasping the role of the church and the gospel in our corporate life. Even our increasing secularization can only be understood as apostasy, as a falling away from a faith that once defined us.
America’s current identity crisis is entirely a result of losing her Christian faith en masse. Without the faith that created this nation, we cannot figure out who we are, what we are supposed to do, or what we should strive for. Without Christian faith, we cannot figure out how to get along or how to understand our great institutions. The only way to get America back on track is to restore that faith.
American existence is always fragile. Some have referred to America as an “experiment” and it’s easy to understand why. Some things America has tried have been wildly successful. Others times, we’ve blown up the lab. The fragility of our existence has sometimes been masked by prosperity or power. But the only way for the experiment to continue in a meaningful and coherent way in the future is for America to once again center her identity on the Christian faith. A completely secularized America will cease to be America. For America to be her true self, she must be a Christian America – not that everyone must personally be Christian, of course, but that a prevailing Christian ethos must shape and ground our unique ethnicity.
In summary: America’s identity crisis is really a faith crisis.
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Another older X post:
The desire to be “unburdened by what had been” is the essence of progressivism. It’s revolutionary. It’s waging a war on history and tradition. It attacks Western civilization and America. It attacks received customs and patterns of life. It renarrates everything from the past to try to break loyalties. It aims to make you hate your heritage, your country, and perhaps even your sex and skin color if they deem you part of an oppressive group. It believes everything in the past has been terrible but *this* generation of progressive revolutionaries will change all that and set everything right if only given enough power and money. Just burn it all down and start over with the new regime in charge. Those who want to unburden us from what has been are full of messianic pretensions.
It’d be much better to preserve what is good from the past, from what has been, and then build upon it. If you tear down everything from the past, you have no foundation to build upon.
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From December ’24:
Pat Buchanan offered the Christian version of MAGA back in the 90s and was roundly rejected. When the conservative movement bracketed him out and marginalized him, it was a huge, huge loss. But most of his predictions about the future of the West and America have proved to be true. Unfortunately continued social decline means that by the time the average American voter figured out that Buchanan had been right all along, we ended up with a much more secularized version of MAGA, not nearly as rooted in the history of Christian civilization and the wisdom of the Christian political tradition as what Buchanan called for.
Trump’s version of MAGA is very incomplete and piecemeal. For example, we really can’t make America great again without restoring marriage and protecting life in the womb and suppressing the worst forms of sexual perversion. Trump’s version of MAGA does none of this. It is almost entirely focused on the issue of immigration which is important, but not the only issue that needs fixing.
Many people who have been onboard the MAGA train need to prepare to be disappointed in Trump. It’s inevitable.
He’ll get some good things done, certainly.
He’ll make some mistakes, unavoidably.
He’ll break some promises.
He’s much better equipped than he was in his first term, but he will still face stout opposition to his agenda.
My hunch is he will disappoint those expecting mass deportations of non-criminal illegals. I think the deportation project will prove to be very difficult, especially when the media highlights every misstep and sob story, and blue cities generally refuse to cooperate. (I know the media does not have the power it once did, but it still has some influence.) The whole thing will be a test of Trump’s political will – and that of the American people. The best way to deal with a lot of illegal immigration (besides locking down the border and completing the wall) is to cut off welfare benefits, insist on English only in public institutions, and go back to punishing businesses that hire illegals. If we did these things, many will self-deport. But I don’t see the Trump administration pursuing these strategies right now.
I think DOGE will disappoint to some degree no matter what, though I remain hopeful that it will shrink at least some government bloat. Musk is very capable and is very responsive to the MAGA base so I don’t think he will be easily deterred from his mission. But how much can he realistically do? It will require Congress’ help to really gut a lot of the deep state and when is the last time Congress did not disappoint?
If we still have a Department of Education and we’re still funding Planned Parenthood in 2026, a lot of the energy put into MAGA will begin to dissipate. Trump needs to score some visible and significant victories early on the keep the momentum and sense of a mandate going. I think he can do that, but there are certainly challenges.
Trump is a lot like Obama was at the moment, in that his presidency is a canvas on which people are painting their own political aspirations/ideals. When Trump fails to conform to their pre-drawn image of what his presidency should be like, what will happen? How patient can the MAGA base be? Can the movement avoid the kind of infighting that would cripple it (and that so often characterizes conservatism and populism)?
I am very hopeful and prayerful about the Trump administration. His administration is very unique in the level of energy/enthusiasm and problem-solving creativity it’s bringing to the table. There are huge opportunities ahead of us and a successful Trump era could truly launch a golden age of American prosperity. But it will not be easy.
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Is there anti-white bias in America today? Absolutely yes – JeremyCarl ‘s excellent book demonstrates that, beyond the shadow of a doubt
I highly recommend reading The Unprotected Class.
What’s the answer to this anti-white bias? I do not think a white identity politics is the solution.
For one thing, I don’t think whites will ever embrace it in sufficient numbers.
And that means, secondly, that such a movement will have a very low political ceiling – and without electoral victories, there is limited political power.
So what’s the best way forward, terms of a real workable, winning strategy?
We actually need less race-based identity politics and more vision casting for the kind of America we want to live in.
Even the immigration issue should not be framed primarily in terms of racial politics, but what’s best for all Americans.
Unfettered immigration hurts black Americans and Hispanic Americans, as well as white Americans.
This is not about the color of the immigrants but sustainable order and prosperity for the people who are already rooted in this land we call America.
A lifeboat that takes on too many will sink – there’s no getting around that.
Something like the “Heritage American” model put forward by @contramordor is politically superior to “white boy summer.”
Of course there are other things that would help – for example, the systemic destruction of American history is hugely problematic – when young people are trained to think of America as historically wicked and oppressive in every way, it’s not surprising they are willing to vote for candidates who all but promise to destroy what America has been.
A better knowledge of how economies work, and how important social trust and the rule of law are to prosperity would also help.
And of course, with no stable family structures people are cut off from both the past and the future and become nihilistic.
So there are many things we can be doing to “save” America.
But I don’t think promoting a white identity politics is the way forward.
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Whatever we think might be broken with the American system and the American economy — and no doubt there are many things that need fixing — we should not let our criticisms over shadow the glorious reality that we live in the most prosperous and comfortable nation that has ever existed. Do not let a sense of entitlement drive out gratitude. America has provided the platform on which more prosperity has been built for more people than any other nation in history — no small feat. So yes, make your criticisms and offer your proposed fixes, but also be incredibly grateful for the God-given blessing that comes with being American.
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