Christian nationalism
Christian nationalism is a form of religious nationalism that focuses on promoting the Christian views of its followers, in order to achieve prominence or dominance in political, cultural, and social life. In countries with a state church, Christian nationalists seek to preserve the status of a Christian state.
By country
Brazil
In Brazil, Christian nationalism, a result of a Catholic-Evangelical coalition, has a goal of curbing the influence of "moral relativism, social liberalism, alleged neo-Marxism in its various forms, and LBGTQ rights".A 2024 Pew Research Center survey found that 13% of Brazilians self-identified as "religious nationalists".
Canada
The COVID-19 pandemic saw a rise in Christian nationalist activity with many groups using anti-lockdown sentiments to expand their reach to more people. The group Liberty Coalition Canada has garnered support from many elected politicians across Canada. In their founding documents, they argue that "it is only in Christianized nations that religious freedom has ever flourished". Their rallies have attracted the support of Alex Jones and Canada First, a spin-off of Nick Fuentes' group America First. Many of Liberty Coalition Canada's leaders are pastors who have racked up millions in potential fines for violating COVID protocols and in many cases express ultra-conservative views.A 2024 Pew Research Center survey found that 3% of Canadians self-identified as "religious nationalists".
Finland
The small far-right and pro-Russian Power Belongs to the People party has been described as Christian nationalist by Helsingin Sanomat. , associated with MP and former chair of the Christian Democrats Päivi Räsänen, has also supported openly fascist candidates of Blue-and-Black Movement that seek to ban the LGBT movement and "non-native religions". The association also supports VKK and Freedom Alliance. The Blue-and-Black Movement itself is also inspired by the Christian fascist Patriotic People's Movement and its leader is a member of the traditionalist Lutheran Mission Diocese. Aforementioned local far-right pro-Russian parties have recruited combatants for the Russian side in Ukraine, who have then after gone to the Russian Imperial Movement's training camps in St. Petersburg and become fighters in the Russo-Ukrainian War.The Finnish Bible Belt of Ostrobothnia has been significantly shaped by the conservative Finnish Lutheran revival and Awakenism. The area was also the place of origin of the Finnish fascist movements Lapua Movement and Patriotic People's Movement, and revivalism was a dominant force among Finnish fascists and Nazis. Even in the modern day, the Revivalist chooses to ordain their priests in Russian Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria because of its strong opposition to the LGBT movement and women in ministry.
There has emerged a Finnish Christian nationalist media ecosystem. Neo-Nazi Nordic Resistance Movement has published Magneettimedia newspaper that Suomen Kuvalehti characterized as Christian nationalist. The newspaper and its distribution were funded by department store tycoon and holocaust denier Juha Kärkkäinen. In 2013 the newspaper was circulated to some 660,000 households. Theological magazine Vartija also defined as Christian nationalist the alt-tech website , and the television channels and. It further observes that "It has been noticeable that those on the extreme right, both religiously and politically, have found each other": there is an informal group of over 500 religious members of the far-right Finns Party.
Ghana
In Ghana, Christian nationalists seek to uphold what they see as "traditional markers of Ghanaian identity including, Christianity, social conservatism, and antagonism to 'progressive' 'Western' ideas, such as LGBTQ+ equality".A 2024 Pew Research Center survey found that 17% of Ghanaians self-identified as "religious nationalists".
Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary under the leadership of Miklós Horthy is often seen by many historians as Christian nationalist in nature. Historian István Deák described the Horthy regime in the following way:In 1944, the regency of Horthy was overthrown, and Nazi Government of National Unity led by Arrow Cross Party of Ferenc Szálasi was installed in its place. Although both Arrow Cross and established conservatives partook in "National Christian or Christian Nationalist ideology", Arrow Cross' antisemitism was much more extreme, and the Government of National Unity unleashed the Holocaust in Hungary. According to researcher and Holocaust survivor Moshe Y. Herczl:
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has often advocated for Christian nationalism, both within Hungary and as a type of international movement including other European and American Christian nationalists.
A 2024 Pew Research Center survey found that 1% of Hungarians self-identified as "religious nationalists".
Poland
, who organizes the annual far-right nationalist Independence March attended by tens of thousands, is a member of a Traditionalist Catholic Society of Saint Pius X church. Bakiewicz is the former leader of National Radical Camp that has been described as neo-Nazi, neo-fascist and adherent of Catholic nationalism. The Law and Justice government sponsored Bakiewicz by over 1 million euros. In 2017, Bakiewicz held a speech during the Independence March, kissing a crucifix and calling for a crusade against "cultural marxists" and for a Catholic theocracy. The attendees of the Independence March used slogans such as "We want God" and "White Poland".The Christian nationalist All-Polish Youth has also been linked to neo-Nazis and caused controversy when its members were pictured saluting swastika flags. All-Polish Youth is the unofficial youth group of the neo-fascist National Movement and one of the main participants of the Independence Day march. All-Polish Youth's self-declared aim is to "to raise Polish youth in a Catholic and patriotic spirit" and it operates under the slogan "Great Catholic Poland". National Movement, then led by Robert Winnicki, described as an "ideological soulmate" of Bakiewicz, sponsored the November 2017 anti-Israel demonstration that was attended by 60,000 people. Algemeiner characterized the demonstration as "Ultranationalist and neo-Nazi".
Former Polish ruling party PiS has been described as Christian nationalist. Under PiS, there was a near total ban on abortion, and many areas in the country were declared "LGBT-free zones". PiS allegedly facilitated co-operation between conservative institutions and far-right extremists. In 2023, the PiS affiliated fundamentalist Catholic group Ordo Iuris started a campaign for the release of a neo-Nazi activist Marika Matuszak convicted of attacking an LGBT event, and she was released by PiS Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro. Sejm member and chair of the Together Party Adrian Zandberg criticized PiS Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki for "commemorat a unit that openly collaborated with the Gestapo" for paying tribute to the Holy Cross Mountains Brigade and said Hubert Jura may be a hero to Morawiecki, but not to him.
Romania
The leader of the National-Christian Defense League Nichifor Crainic was described as a "veteran Christian-nationalist and anti-Semitic combatant" by the International Commission on Holocaust in Romania. Ion Antonescu's order to confiscate Jewish property was justified as "a way to honor the old traditions of Romanian Christian nationalism and culturally unite the country with the new European celebration of national freedoms." Professor of theology and cleric Ioan Gheorghe Savin hailed the formation of Romania into an antisemitic fascist National Legionary State as a "full victory of Christian Nationalism". A. C. Cuza and Octavian Goga, the leaders of the National Christian Party that adhered to Nazism and fascism used the label to describe their movement. Cuza stated that Nazism "will restore Aryan and Christian culture against the international Jewish domination." Christian Nationalist and fascist Iron Guard was responsible for the Bucharest Pogrom and Iași pogrom in which over 13,000 Jews were killed. According to a police report from 1937, 1.2% of legionnaires were ordained priests, numbering several thousands. Legionary death-squads included a significant number of Orthodox seminary students.Russia
has been described as a global leader of the Christian nationalist and Christian right movements. As President, Putin has increased the power of the Russian Orthodox Church and proclaimed his staunch belief in Eastern Orthodoxy, as well as maintaining close contacts with Patriarchs of Moscow and all Rus' Alexy II and Kirill.In the 1990s, Ilya Lazarenko led the Front of National Revolutionary Action that according to their self-stated purpose supported "Orthodox national idea", primacy of Orthodoxy and "Great National-Socialist Russian Empire".
According to the human rights activist Raphael Walden:
The most radical Russian nationalists are members of the ROCOR or True Orthodox Church or Old Believers, due to Moscow Patriarchate's ecumenism, ties with the KGB and due to the church recently opening dialogue with Jewish communities.
The Russian Imperial Movement is a prominent neo-Nazi Christian nationalist group that trains militants all over Europe and has recruited thousands of fighters for its paramilitary group, the Imperial Legion, which is participating in the invasion of Ukraine. The group also works with the Atomwaffen Division in order to network with and recruit extremists from the United States.
Alexander Barkashov was a parishioner of the Russian True Orthodox Church, and the first cells of the neo-Nazi Russian National Unity were formed as brotherhoods and communities of the RTOC. RNU is closely linked to the Russian Orthodox Army responsible for sectarian violence and antisemitic attacks in Donbass. The extreme nationalist Russian Catacomb Church of True Orthodox Christians has canonized Russian nationalists Konstantin Voskoboinik and Bronislav Kaminski as martyrs for their anti-communist stance which caused controversy due to their collaboration with the Nazis.
In September 2025 in St. Petersburg, multiple international far-right groups founded the International Sovereigntist League Paladins. The groups were described as "white" and "Christian nationalist". Its self-stated mission is to defend “white Christian values” and according to them “White Christians cannot coexist with non-whites.” The organization is named after the SS-Standartenführer Otto Skorzeny's group of the same name. The event was preceded and followed by a procession led by Patriarch Kirill.