Despite evidence to the contrary, America, a so-called Christian nation, has the reputation of being a morally strong nation that cares for all its people. It is hard to imagine, therefore, that a major sector of Christianity (one-third or so) wants to destroy the American constitution and all it stands for.

When we consider what Christian Nationalists (the one-third sector) have already done to divide America and their agenda to dominating all aspects of the American culture, we must conclude that it is a destructive, oppressive and even deathly menace for the other two-thirds of the nation. Obviously the reputation for moral integrity is misapplied.

In response to this trend, sincere, capable journalists and scholars employ their talents to challenge and expose religious/political despots. Many others who are not journalists engage in politics, peaceful protests, violent protests, elections, legislation, editorials, blogs, sermons, prayer meetings and other platforms to voice their concern about radical religious/political/patriotic ideologies and, in some cases, actually fight for justice. These are timeworn strategies that people know and trust — despite all the evidence to the contrary that they don’t work. Nevertheless, these are the strategies that journalists and activists continue to practice — and two-thirds of us are glad they do. Sadly, however, none of this activity changes hearts and minds.

That a majority of Americans of all political stripes think that America is moving in the wrong direction is evidence that partisan activism is not really effective. The political/ideological divide is expanding, not closing. The exception to this rule appears in the camp of Christian Nationalists whose members are becoming more rabid in their beliefs and practices and who are making gains in legislative houses across the nation,

The good guys and the bad guys are locked in an ideological stalemate. There may be a little movement at the edges, but for the most part, most people are becoming more entrenched in their ideologies instead of shifting toward moderation. Their hearts and minds are made up. Everyone is talking, many are praying, and many are protesting, but no one is listening — except to the useless, divisive rhetoric heard in highly partisan echo chambers.

For sure there is a measure of self-satisfaction that accrues to those who contribute to and listen to echo chambers. But beyond feeding our minds and inflating our sense of responsibility for being informed, concerned citizens, echo chambers do nothing to change the hearts and minds of Christian Nationalists.

Here is the problem: If books, podcasts, blogs, articles and other media that express our concerns about the threats of Christian Nationalism only report, analyze and lament the hurt Christian Nationalists inflict on our neighbors, and our nation, we are only preaching to the choir. Information is good and information is necessary. But if the information we share does not change hearts and minds, we are only reinforcing, and maybe contributing to, the social and religious polarization that defines America.

Those of us who are concerned about Christian Nationalism must be thoughtful, strategic and unified about what we share, how we share it, with whom we share it, and where we share it. Echo chambers will always exist, but we must explore new ways of extending the reach of our message to those who do not want to hear what we have to say.

If we don’t get creative about sharing our message, the hearts and minds of those who need to hear our message will never change. That is a scary prognosis for America’s future, but it won’t happen if journalists and scholars use their platforms for activism as well as reporting.