Generation Joshua Escapes Christian Nationalism

Breaking down why a Generation is going no-contact with their Evangelical parents

Why No-Contact Happens: When Faith and Nationalism Become One

For many evangelical parents, faith and nationalism are intertwined — they represent a single identity. Questioning one equates to betraying the other. As a result, when adult children start to dissent, no contact frequently becomes their only means of self-protection.

Christian Nationalism isn’t just about politics, it is about pulling the kingdom of Jesus to earth and establishing God’s kingdom of white evangelicalism here.

Christian nationalism goes beyond simple voting behaviors or party loyalties; it serves as the framework through which one perceives life, morality, family, and identity. Evangelicals believe that the Bible is the infallible word of God, inspired by Him. They see it as containing all the necessary answers for today, remaining consistent through time. With this perspective, the Bible serves as their worldview lens, suggesting that Evangelicals feel less need for critical thinking and logic when guided by the word of God. For many adults who were raised in this environment, escaping this mindset means challenging and reevaluating their parents' core beliefs regarding God, nation, and personal identity.

Faith and Nationalism Were Fused from the Start

In many evangelical households, patriotism is synonymous with holiness. Books have been written about this one singular topic, to sum this up, the America/God Venn diagram forms a complete circle. America is God and God is America. I believed patriotic songs were worship songs during my preschool and early school years. I learned all the patriotic songs and the Pledge of Allegiance in Sunday School. I still vividly remember standing beside my mother in the “big” church, watching her raise her hands in worship as the congregation sang "God Bless America” or “O Beautiful for Spacious Skies."

Christianity extended beyond Jesus; it encompassed guns, flags, gender roles, and “family values.” When Bill Clinton misled the American public about his sexual conduct, my parents were outraged. Democrats were damaging the morals of this country and corrupting its citizens. I often heard about the immorality of being gay, while lesbians were frequently the subjects of jokes. I would listen to my mom assert that women shouldn't hold political leadership and that their husbands should always have political, pastoral, and leadership authority.

Frequently aligned with far-right ideologies, political loyalty was depicted as devotion to God. During tenth grade, the 2000 presidential election was at its peak. The right's political rhetoric and propaganda wasn’t a stranger in our home. One evening, while getting ready to go out, a friend—not raised in a religious environment—expressed her hope that Gore would win while my father was watching a news report covering the notorious recount and hanging chads. She continued to share Democratic viewpoints. I could feel the tension building; We couldn’t leave fast enough. I somewhat anticipated them saying, 'You can't hang around her anymore. What was made clear to me is that Christians consistently vote Republican. Period. You couldn't genuinely identify as an Evangelical and cast your vote for anything other than red. We were in favor of Reagan, Bush, and supported every other Republican, despite their contradictions to the core teachings of Christ. The home resembled more of a mission headquarters than a safe space. You didn’t just grow up Christian; you were taught that America was God’s chosen country, with the duty to protect it.

Questioning Beliefs = Betraying the Family

Parents didn’t just raise their kids with beliefs — they expected loyalty to those beliefs. I will say one thing that sums this up; Growing up, a phrase I often heard my father say to me, “You can dye your hair any color, get piercings all over, cover your body in tattoos- as long as you love Jesus, I don’t care and I love you.”

When adult children begin to deconstruct toxic theology or take a firm stance against harmful social and political ideology (like racism, homophobia, or Christian nationalism), it’s seen as an attack on the “family unit” as my dad would call it.

It’s more than mere disagreement; parents perceive it as a personal rejection. For them, distancing yourself from ideology means abandoning the family’s identity. This reflects the narcissism within the evangelical movement. Narcissists view others as extensions of themselves, so any opposition is seen as a rejection of them personally rather than their ideas or beliefs. This dynamic exists in nuclear families and extends to church communities.

Going no contact with Evangelical parents and escaping Christian nationalism makes a profound and decisive statement. You assert that you refuse to be part of a system that determines who is allowed to exist based on their willingness to conform. In a system where emotional manipulation makes autonomy feel dangerous, you are reclaiming your agency. When affection, connection, and validation depend on your ability to conform, the silence becomes deafening as you realize they loved who they wanted you to be, not who you truly are.

During a conversation with my mother in the 2020 election, I criticized Trump’s poor governing decisions, expressing to her that “Evangelicals are not Christians; rather, they act like a political party that is damaging this country. They are very close-minded and seek to control people’s faith through legislation.” She cautioned me, saying, "Be careful, I identify as an Evangelical.” I replied, “I thought you said you were a Christian.” The conversation abruptly ended with her getting off the phone.

As Generation Joshua, we had one job: take America back through holy war in the name of Jesus. We aren’t viewed merely as backsliders; we are seen as traitors because, within Christian Nationalism, disagreement isn’t seen as a difference, but as an act of war. If you, like me, were raised inside this hell, you are not a traitor. You do not owe loyalty to a belief system that refused to make room for you. We clawed out of hell and discovered something far better than the eternal life they promised us. We found freedom when we intentionally decided to do what they proved incapable of: love ourselves and others.