Public Theology in an Age of Christian Nationalism: Exploring Scripture, History, and Faithful Public Witness in Divisive Times
Event Type: Asynchronous Online Course
Instructor: Dr. Dwight Friesen (learn more about Dr. Friesen below)
Registration Opens: Oct. 1, 2026
Format: 5 Self-guided Lessons (1-2 hours each)
1 Live Zoom Gathering Tuesday: Nov. 17, 2026 4:30-6:15pm pacific / 7:30-9:15pm eastern (optional)
About this Course
In a time that calls for courageous conversations, how do we embody hope instead of fear?
Questions about faith, politics, and public life have become increasingly difficult to navigate. Churches are divided, relationships are strained, and many Christians find themselves wondering how to follow Jesus faithfully in a culture shaped by competing loyalties and growing polarization.
This course is an invitation to explore these questions through the lenses of Scripture, theology, history, and psychology. Together we’ll look at the rise of Christian nationalism and consider how followers of Jesus have responded to similar moments across history, facing questions of allegiance, power, public witness, and what it means to remain faithful when the world around us pulls toward division.
Grounded in The Seattle School’s distinctive integration of theology and psychology, this course pays attention not only to ideas, but also to the stories, fears, hopes, and longings that shape our public life together. We’ll explore practices that help us embody compassionate witness in our own communities and most importantly, we’ll consider how we remain in relationship with people we love—even when our convictions differ.
This self-guided course is for anyone feeling isolated and overwhelmed by the current cultural moment as well as for those seeking inspiration and resources for finding ways forward together.
Course Details
Course Lessons
#00 Introductory Lesson (10-45 mins)
#01 Locate: Naming the Moment (1-2 hours)
#02 Discern: Jesus Against Empire (1-2 hours)
#03 Practice: Remaining Human (1-2 hours)
#04 Engage: Public Theology (1-2 hours)
#05 Witness: Practicing the Jesus Way Together (1-2 hours)
#06 Live Zoom Gathering with Instructor: November 17, 2026, 4:30-6:15pm pacific / 7:30-9:15pm eastern (1 hour 45 mins)
Course Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Locate yourself within the history of Christian engagement with nationalism(s) and how followers of Jesus have responded to periods of crisis.
- Embody a way of Jesus in the everyday stuff and relationships of life, subverting the dominant values of empire and nationalism.
- Cultivate Christlike ways of courageously and compassionately inviting others into conversations that aren’t about winning but that open paths of sustained connection and possibility.
- Develop a plan for a credible public witness in the way of Jesus relevant to your community.
Included with Course
- 5-week daily devotional centered on the Christian lineage of love and resistance
- Multi-week study guide for personal or group facilitation designed to help reflect upon, develop, and adopt confessional statements in response to Christian nationalism
Frequently Asked Questions
What technology do I need?You will need a device with reliable internet through which you can access Zoom, such as a computer, tablet, or smartphone.
The Live Zoom Gathering will be recorded and posted on the course page a few days after the event date. The live gathering is optional: a chance to interact with your instructor and fellow learners. If breakout rooms are used during the gathering, these will not be included in the recording. Likewise, the recording will only be viewable by registered students during the course access window.
The course is available online from Oct. 1, 2026 through Dec. 11, 2026 at 11:59pm pacific. You may move through the lessons at your chosen pace during this access window. Note: registration closes Dec. 1 2026 to ensure that students have time to complete the course before the access window closes.
This Continuing Education course has no assignments, quizzes, or required homework. The lessons are designed to take 60-120 minutes in total, including any reading. Lists of optional recommended reading may be included for your own enrichment.
Additional Questions?
Dr. Dwight J. Friesen (he/they) is a practical and public theologian, educator, pastor, and community convener whose life’s work centers on a vital question: What does it mean to follow Jesus faithfully amid the powers that compete for our allegiance?
For more than two decades, Dwight has taught practical theology at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, exploring the intersections of faith, culture, place, power, and public life. Their work with Parish Collective grounds these questions in neighborhoods seeking belonging and flourishing, while multifaith work connected with the United Nations has brought Dwight alongside religious and civic leaders working toward sustainable cities and the flourishing of people and planet.
An immigrant to the United States, formed within the Anabaptist peace tradition, and a registered conscientious objector, Dwight brings a deeply personal perspective to questions of faith, nation, violence, belonging, and allegiance.
Across their teaching, writing, pastoral ministry, and public work, Dwight seeks to cultivate faithful presence and a shalomic imagination—inviting people beyond merely resisting Christian nationalism toward a courageous, peaceable, public way of following Jesus for the flourishing of all and everything.