The danger of Christian Nationalism
The church should not seek political power for its own sake. The goal should be to honor God, not power and influence in and of itself.
We see plenty of Leftists, moderates and even some conservatives warning against the excesses of "Christian nationalism." They claim that we are going to have a theocracy where non-Christians are second-class citizens and so forth. This is not a post where I join that chorus. Instead, we should worry about a different danger: That the pursuit of political power will compromise the very principles that the Christian nationalist movement seeks to put in place.
(As an aside, Christian nationalism is not new. It is of the same fabric as the Moral Majority and the Christian Coalition in the 1980's and 1990's.)
The church and individual Christians should seek to influence government in a righteous direction. This is part of being salt and light, and it shows that we love our neighbors and we care for "the least of these." This means that there are Christians who should run for and serve in elective office, and that there are Christians should work as lobbyists, congressional staffers and employees of thinktanks.
But the church should not seek political power for its own sake. The goal should be to honor God, not power and influence in and of itself. Where do you draw that line? I do not know. The line is fuzzy and zigzags around. But Christians who seek to influence policy must be aware that there is a line, and of the temptation to seek power for its own sake instead of honoring God. We must constantly be on guard against this temptation.
Most importantly, the church should never compromise Biblical principles for the sake of gaining political power. Some who advocate for "Christian nationalism" are already doing that, abandoning the unborn to be slaughtered because "we have to win elections." That is putting raw political power over God's law, erasing the entire reason for Christian nationalism to exist at all. Christian nationalism is worthless if it ceases to be Christian, abandoning widows and orphans to predators.
Note: Abandoning the unborn (or "moderating" your position) is not the same as adopting an incrementalist strategy to get wins where you can. Politics is the art of the possible, after all. It is not an act of unfaithfulness to accomplish 30% of your goal when you are clear that the end goal is 100%.
But that is why the goal should be to honor God and remain fiercely loyal to your principles above all else. Christian nationalists are not "winning" when they abandon "the least of these" and refuse to break the jaw of the wicked to snatch the prey form their teeth, as seen in Job 29:16-17. Above all else, we should remember Psalm 146:3-4, not putting our trust in political leaders or political power. Our most powerful political weapon is and will always be the sovereignty of God.