Christian Nationalism in Hungary
22 August 2023
By Dr Adi Schlebusch
Every year on the 20th of August, Hungarians celebrate what is known as St. Stephen’s Day or Foundation day. It is the oldest holiday in Hungary and on this day the first Christian king of Hungary, Stephen (975-1038) as well as the Christianization of the Hungarian people is celebrated.
Stephen was crowned as grand prince of the Hungarians in 997 A.D. Although his father Geza had also been baptised in a Christian Church, Stephen would become the first Hungarian leader to openly practice Christianity devoutly. On Christmas day in the year 1000 A.D. he was crowned the first king of the Hungarians. He openly encouraged the spread of Christianity in Hungary and instituted punishments for violations of God’s Law. He also ensured the independence of the Hungarian Church by establishing a national archdiocese.
A couple of days ago, Hungary celebrated St. Stephen’s Day by suspending an incredible drone display of a Cross above Budapest. Check out the video here.
This is Christian Nationalism in practice. This is what the promotion of Christianity in the public domain looks like. This is an example of what article 36 of the Belgic Confession describes as the civil government’s duty to promote the Kingdom of Christ. Whereas many Western nations now hang pride flags on public buildings, Hungary has chosen to rather publicly display Christian symbols. Every nation always has its national religion. Every nation is religious. The religion a nation adheres to shapes their culture and naturally manifests in the symbols they publicly display. My hope and my prayer therefore is that more and more nations will follow in Hungary’s footsteps and become Christian nations.