How does the “deep story” at the center of White Christian Nationalism recall other origin stories we have considered, such as the that of the Pilgrims and Puritans and nativist and racist versions of the Melting Pot narrative?
White Christian Nationalism Question 1
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In the “deep story” described by Gorski and Perry, America was founded as a traditional Christian nation by white men and has been blessed by God. White Christian Nationalists argue that America is now threatened by immigrants and racial minorities. White Christian Nationalism repeats the structure of older U.S. origin stories by imagining America as a chosen divinely favored nation whose purity is degraded by foreigners. Like the Pilgrim and Puritan origin stories, it casts America as a sacred “city on a hill,” watched by the world and divinely favored. White Christian Nationalism inherits that mission, but more explicitly connects it with race and political power. Project 2025, a White Christian Nationalist project, puts many of these beliefs into political policies. For example, Project 2025 guides a future conservative administration to limit the power of the CDC, break up the Department of Education, enforce immigration laws more harshly, and restrict LGBTQ rights.
Additionally, White Christian Nationalists recall nativist versions of the Melting Pot narrative as both stories define Americanness through assimilation into a white norm. This nativist version of the Melting Pot pushes immigrants to surrender and lose their differences to become “American.” White Christian Nationalists believe “true” Americans are white and Christian which means that white immigrants who seek to become American must completely assimilate. Moreover, non-white immigrants do not even qualify as an American and are completely excluded even if they do assimilate in some ways.
The “deep story” functions as a national origin story that revolves around the fact that America was founded specifically as a Christian nation by traditional Christian (white) men. Because of this religious foundation, the Nation is blessed by God, and all of the Nation’s success is due to destiny and a divine plan. The “deep story” revolves around the fact that America was founded by settlers like the Pilgrims and Puritans established this country as a Christian nation for the purpose of spreading Christianity. This origin story completely leaves out the Native Americans who resisted, and the non-Christian Pilgrims as they are a threat to this origin story.
The White Christian Nationalism “deep story” incorporates the Puritans vision of “city upon a hill” as it is believed that the success of the United States is part of a divine plan. The United States will continue to be blessed by God as long as the nation remains faithful to its perceived foundation of Christian roots. The “deep story” uses a “city upon a hill” to prove that America is a safe haven for Christians and it is a nation that must lead all others as it is lifted for all to see. Enemies to this origin story are those who are not devout Christians, and anyone who goes against the word of God, which means there will always be internal and external conflict such as immigrants, non-believers, and those not willing to promote America as a nation of Christians.
The nativist and racist melting pot narrative agrees with the “deep story” origin story as both stories define Americans as one coherent group of white and religious men. The melting pot assimilated those who were different into a white identity, and those who didn’t assimilate were viewed as corrupt. This is similar to the “deep story” as those who are not white Christian men, and those who do not convert to become white Christians are viewed as a threat to this origin story.
The “deep story” at the center of White Christian Nationalism connects pretty directly to the Pilgrim and Puritan origin story. Both rely on the idea that America was founded as a special, chosen nation set apart by god, with white Christians cast as the rightful population of the country. It also lines up with the nativist versions of the Melting Pot narrative we looked at, which weren’t really about everyone blending together equally but about everyone assimilating into a white, Protestant mold. The deep story does the same thing by treating that mold as the default and framing anyone outside of it as a threat. What ties all three together is the idea that the country belongs to a specific group and that letting other people in changes what America ‘really’ is. It’s basically the same story being told over and over, just updated for whatever moment it shows up in.
The deep story at the center of White Christian Nationalism is a modern depiction of the earlier origin stories by framing the nation as the “city upon the hill.” It dictates that our nation is morally pure, chosen, and divinely gifted. Just like the narratives of the pilgrims and the Puritans, the deep story of white Christian nationalism depicts our nation as a promised land, creating a sense of sacred land and a responsibility to keep it that way and establish that it is the nation that should act as an example to all. The story emphasizes examples of suffering and perseverance of White Christians, but pays no regard to the displacement of indigenous peoples, enslavement of African Americans, or any other origin story that directly contradicts the preserved “greatness” of America. It instead depicts Christians as the authentic founders and rightful inheritors of our nation.
This story connects to the original ideals of the melting pot of our nation. Early on, the melting pot was a euphemism for America’s great multiculturalism; however, this was a facade, and the melting pot only included those from Northern European countries. White Christian nationalism builds on this exclusionary origin story under the facade of inclusion by portraying cultural change in the United States as a loss of status and foundational properties, reinforcing the idea that real Americans are being replaced. This mythologized past of the nation belonging to one group allows for a legitimization of inequality and the expanded belief of white Christian superiority over other people.
The “deep story” at the center of White Christian Nationalism reflects other origin myths in its selective ideas about who counts as a “real” American. Just like the Pilgrim and Puritan narratives, which set America as a nation chosen by God for white Christians, omitting the ideas that the Founders had many different religious ideas and that the land on which America was built was stolen and built on by enslaved people. It also echoes ideas from the Western genre, which often depict white men bringing civilization to a “wild” frontier, ignoring indigenous people who already lived there. Gorski and Perry write about the idea that white Christian men think they must sometimes use “righteous violence” to defend their freedom, an idea that is often reflected in Western mythology. The “deep story” also reflects nativist ideas of the Melting Pot, which only welcomed immigrants who were already white, Protestant, and Northern European, treating the others as threats to America and its way of life. Put together, these myths clearly paint a one-sided picture of who belongs and who doesn’t: a white Christian “us” and “outsiders.”
The deep story at the center of White Christian nationalism is defined by a shared narrative and reflects origins of nativist Puritan and discriminative Melting Pot approaches. Defined by Gorski and Perry, the deep story of America’s identity is embodied by white Christian male authority figures. Traditionally founded as a Christian nation, the United States’ success is believed to be as divine intervention and a blessing from God. This view is dictated by white conservative men who control what history gets expressed. This deep story recalls the Puritan “city upon a hill” video which touches on the sacred journey of Puritans that ultimately justified colonial violence and westward expansion. This nationalist view is similar to White Christians’ as it controls the historical narrative and centers around the white male religious figure. The racist versions of the Melting Pot assimilate immigrants to American customs, erasing history, culture, and identity. Minorities are undermined by the forced assimilation to “American ways” as White Christian nationalism is considered the ideal United States citizen. This harmful approach and conformity negatively impacts the identity of marginalized populations. The Melting Pot ideology was originally designed to unite and promote American culture. However, this only brought forth xenophobia, discrimination, and a rise of white superiority.
The White Christian Nationalist “deep story” echoes previous origin stories such as the Puritans and the Pilgrims by framing the U.S as a divinely chosen nation under threat from outside forces. An emphasis on the moral exceptionalism that these groups had a sacred mission sent from God to build and more importantly, as of recently, preserve this righteous society. Similar to the Puritans and their “city upon a hill” belief, White Christian Nationalism views the nation as fundamentally Christian, and the current sociopolitical climate falling from that original intention. This allows adherents to this belief to believe they have been wronged and are fighting to reclaim something that they rightfully own and belong to.
Similarly, the White Christian Nationalist deep story can be connected to the racist and nativist versions of the Melting Pot through its definition and assimilation of non-white, non- Christian minority groups and immigrants. Current cultural and social changes can be contested by the “deep story” that this newly increased racial, religious, and ethnic diversity represents a displacement from what “should be” happening. To reinforce the authenticity of a “true American” and in order to maintain a white nationalist hierarchy, these White Christian Nationalist beliefs must pose certain people as outsiders and insiders.
The “deep story” at the center of White Christian Nationalism (WCN) reflects earlier American origin myths, including those of Pilgrims and Puritans as well as nativist and racist versions of the Melting Pot narrative. At its core, this “deep story” claims that the United States was founded by and for traditional Christians, portraying the nation as divinely chosen and guided by God’s plan. This narrative, however, simplifies and distorts history by ignoring the religious diversity and pluralism present from the country’s founding.
WCN closely parallels Puritan origin stories, which framed early settlers as the “chosen people” escaping religious persecution and establishing a covenant with God in a promised land. Similarly, WCN casts contemporary Christian Americans as rightful heirs to the nation, reinforcing the idea that moral and political authority belong to a specific religious group. In both cases, this framing elevates one group while excluding others.
The “deep story” also mirrors the nativist and racist interpretation of the Melting Pot, particularly in the late 19th and 20th centuries, when assimilation was often defined narrowly around white, Western, and Northern European Protestant identities. Like WCN, these versions of the Melting Pot positioned certain groups as more “fit” for assimilation while marginalizing immigrants, Catholics, Jews, and people of color. In both narratives, belonging is conditional and hierarchical rather than inclusive.
This pattern can also be seen in modern political rhetoric surrounding immigration, such as arguments to preserve a “real America” or fears of cultural “replacement”, as they echo earlier nativist anxieties by implying that nonwhite or non-Christian groups threaten the nation’s identity.
Ultimately, these narratives all stem from perspectives that tend to legitimize power by casting their demographics in a more central or normative light. Recognizing these patterns reveals how origin stories are not neutral accounts of the past, but can be biased renderings of civic belonging that shape our dynamic understanding of demographic inclusion today.
White Christian Nationalism tells a very specific story about where America came from and who it belongs to. The way this story goes, America wasn’t just founded, it was chosen. God-fearing white men, men like the Pilgrims and Puritans, sailed to the New World with a purpose: to build a Christian nation. And because of that holy beginning, everything good that has ever happened to America is seen as proof of God’s blessing. The nation’s success isn’t luck or hard work. It’s destiny. Of course, for this story to hold together, certain people have to be left out. The Native Americans who were already here, who fought back and resisted, don’t fit the narrative. Neither do the early settlers who weren’t Christian. Acknowledging them would poke holes in the myth, so the myth simply ignores them.
The old Puritan image of America as a “city upon a hill” sits right at the heart of this worldview. It’s the idea that America isn’t just a country, it’s a calling. A light held up for the rest of the world to follow. But that also means the blessing comes with conditions. Stray too far from the Christian foundation, let in too many of the wrong people, and God’s favor might disappear. That fear of losing something sacred is what turns immigrants, nonbelievers, and anyone outside the fold into threats. The nativist version of the melting pot fits neatly alongside all of this. On the surface it sounds welcoming enough, come here, blend in, become American. But in practice, blending in meant becoming white and Christian. Those who could pull it off were accepted. Those who couldn’t were seen as a corruption, something foreign that didn’t belong. It’s the same instinct as the founding myth. There is one true kind of American, and everyone else is either a convert or a threat.