Sunday, July 5, 2026 · Small Group · Acts 17:1-7

But What About Christian Nationalism?

A discussion guide you can run through with a community group, around the family table, or on your own.

Icebreaker

When you hear the phrase ‘Christian nation,’ what’s your gut reaction — pride, suspicion, confusion, something else? Where do you think that reaction came from?

Read Together

Acts 17:1-7 (ESV)

...they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also... and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”

Discussion

1
Kent drew a hard line: ‘I love my country. I do not worship my country.’ Where is that line for you — and how could someone tell the difference by watching your life?
2
Kent defined Christian nationalism as ‘wrapping the cross in the flag’ — treating being a good Christian and a good American as the same thing. Where have you seen that, and why is it dangerous for the church’s witness?
3
The founders deliberately refused to make America officially Christian, because ‘you can force people to submit, but you can’t force them to believe.’ Why is that instinct actually good for the gospel?
4
Read Acts 17:6-7. The Thessalonians were dragged into court for saying ‘there is another king, Jesus.’ What might it cost you to truly put Christ’s kingdom above every other allegiance?
5
Read Galatians 5:1. How is ‘freedom in Christ’ different from the freedoms we celebrate on the Fourth of July — and which one is shaping your daily life more right now?

Pray

Thank God for the country and its freedoms without making an idol of them. Pray for humility across political differences in the group, and that Christ would be each person’s highest King — ‘we have no king but Jesus.’

Leader Notes

This topic runs hot in a politically charged culture — set a tone of humility early. Kent’s sermon rejects BOTH Christian nationalism and cynicism: it honors the nation’s biblical heritage while landing firmly on ‘no king but Jesus.’ Don’t let the group become a partisan debate; keep pointing back to Christ and to the Galatians 5:1 freedom of the gospel. Some in the room serve or have family who served — honor that sacrifice as you go.

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