Hedging on Christian Nationalism: A Critique of Noetic Regression

Dr Neville Buch

Abstract

Nick Spencer’s article, “Christian Nationalism,” provides a valuable taxonomy of a burgeoning global phenomenon, yet from the perspective of Dr. Neville Buch’s Matrix of Sociology and the Dynamic of Cognition (DoC), it ultimately “hedges” by failing to diagnose the movement as a profound state of denoetization and Passive Nihilism. While Spencer correctly identifies the “coterminosity” of Christianity and the nation as the movement’s core, he treats this primarily as a descriptive political problem rather than a cognitive “immense regression”. This critique “leaves no stone unturned,” utilizing the insights of Hannah Arendt, Bernard Stiegler, and Bernard Williams to argue that Christian Nationalism functions as a “theological mask” for strategic domination. By failing to apply the rigours of Active Nihilism and “crap detecting,” Spencer’s analysis remains a “vindicatory narrative” that risks validating the very symbolic misery it seeks to describe.

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Critique: The “Theological Mask” of National Totality

Nick Spencer’s overview of Christian Nationalism (CN) correctly identifies the term as a “dustbin” for things people dislike. However, from a Stieglerian perspective, this vagueness is not merely a linguistic accident but a symptom of symbolic misery—the mechanical liquidation of the human capacity to judge.

I. Coterminosity as the Destruction of Plurality

Spencer defines CN as seeing “Christianity” and “the nation” as coterminous. In Arendtian terms, this is a movement toward totality that seeks to erase the fundamental condition of plurality—the fact that “men, not Man [person], live on the earth”. By merging these identities, CN creates a “stultifying political and social conservatism” that reduces the individual to a “puny human node” in a nationalistic network. Spencer’s analysis notes the “exclusivist and authoritarian” nature of this merger, but it fails to identify it as a “vicious circle of historical forgetfulness,” where the historical contingency of the nation is treated as a divinely ordained natural fact.

II. The “Theological Mask” and Strategic Domination

Spencer breaks down CN into “flavours” like Charismatic dominionism and Catholic Integralism. Buch’s Matrix reveals these are not merely theological variations but “theological masks” used to shield partisan agendas and justify elite domination.

• Charismatic Dominionism: Spencer identifies the “seven mountains mandate”. Sociologically, this is Strategic Domination (Habermas), replacing Communicative Action oriented toward mutual accord with an “unholy spirit” of mass-populist power.
• Integralism/Reconstructionism: These movements represent Institutional Arrogance, valuing dogmatic purity over the Person archetype. They attempt to “short-circuit” the “long circuits” of individuation—deep reflection and writing—by imposing a “mechanical techné mindset” on spiritual life.

III. Vindicatory Narratives vs. Spiral Historiography

Spencer suggests that much of CN is a “visceral reaction” where the “political tail wags the theological dog”. However, by simply reporting these justifications, Spencer risks producing what Bernard Williams calls a “vindicatory narrative”—one that justifies the status quo by ignoring its problematic origins. A more robust response requires Spiral Historiography, which re-reads these “ancient texts with modern inclusivity” to expose how they have been weaponized. For example, Manning Clark identifies such movements as “spiritual warfare” meant to end in “material conquest”. Spencer’s “hedging” occurs because he does not utilize the POLICE model (Philosophically Ontology Logic Intersect Compatibility Education) to “police” the logic-based choices of the movement, filtering out “institutional bullshit”.

IV. Passive vs. Active Nihilism

Spencer concludes that CN is a “convenient ideology” for troubled times. This is the essence of Passive Nihilism—a retreat into the comfort of established ideological frames. The required ascent, absent in Spencer’s piece, is Active Nihilism: the systematic negation of idols and external metaphysical certainties through skeptical doubt. Without this “pharmacological” necessity, the subject remains in a state of denoetization, unable to reclaim Human Authorship over their social Existence.

Conclusion

While Spencer provides a useful map of the socio-political landscape, he does not go far enough in his “crap detecting.” Christian Nationalism is not just a “cluster of things”; it is a cognitive regression that replaces Aristotelian flourishing with Instrumental-Rationality. To truly understand the “Meaning of the West” (Cupitt), we must move beyond Spencer’s taxonomy and engage in a reflective self-criticism that uncoils the mind from the comfortable prejudices of the “national demos”.

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Dynamic of Cognition (DoC) Table: Critique of Spencer’s “Christian Nationalism”

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Footnote

Spencer notes the usage spike but misses the cognitive diagnosis of denoetization. “Coterminosity” is a totalizing image that erases Arendtian plurality. Nationalism in CN acts as a “theological mask” for strategic dominance. “Visceral reactions” indicate a state of Passive Nihilism rather than rational deliberation. Spencer’s reportage functions as a vindicatory narrative according to Williams. The failure to “police” theological logic allows institutional arrogance to persist. Active Nihilism is the necessary “pharmacological” cure for CN’s symbolic misery. The goal must be the restoration of Human Authorship over the “what” of the nation.

Featured Image: Henri Bergson, Pierre Bourdieu, Bernard Stiegler

Bernard Stiegler’s Memories of the Future.pdf:

Bernard_Stiegler_Memories_of_the_Future

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Neville Buch

Professional Historian at Professional Historians Association (Queensland) Inc.

Neville Buch (Pronounced Book) Ph.D. is a certified member of the Professional Historians Association (Queensland). Since 2010 he has operated a sole trade business in history consultancy. He was a Q ANZAC 100 Fellow 2014-2015 at the State Library of Queensland. Dr Buch was the PHA (Qld) e-Bulletin, the monthly state association’s electronic publication, and was a member of its Management Committee. He is the Managing Director of the Brisbane Southside History Network.

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