When you ignore the context of the Bible to apply it in a way that works for you, bad things happen. I liked Ronald Reagan as a President, and as a young man would have cheered on his nationalistic blending of American patriotism and Christian imagery. But the truth is, his use of John Winthrop's use of Jesus' imagery from the Sermon on the Mount is wrong, and dangerous.
Matthew 5:13-16 New International Version
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
The 'you' that Jesus is addressing in his sermon are his followers, in other words those who seek God, living by faith and doing righteousness. Shockingly to his contemporaries who thought otherwise, the people of God don't belong to either an earthly kingdom or a specific ethnicity. In fact, the Kingdom that Jesus established transcended both political kingdoms and racial barriers, becoming a spiritual kingdom both more widespread and more powerful than any kingdom of men that ever was or will be.
I appreciate that Ronald Reagan loved America, I do too. But America is not, indeed cannot, be the 'city on a hill' to which all men should aspire. Is America the ideal destination for millions, if not billions, in our world today? Absolutely, and we can be proud of that distinction. Yet America is NOT the salvation of anyone's soul. It may be the world's best place for political and economic freedom, but it offers nobody freedom from sin and death. It cannot, it is a country, not the Kingdom of God. The purpose of God in our world is not political freedom or economic prosperity (although both are certainly a blessing), but instead the moving of the Spirit throughout the world to bring men, women, and children to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and lives transformed by the Spirit to selfless discipleship.
When we conflate America and the Kingdom of God in our overzealous patriotism (leading to Christian Nationalism), we do a disservice to not only the true meaning and purpose of the Church, but that of America too. We ask too much of our country, expect it to represent too much, achieve too much, and we ask far too little of the Church. No earthly kingdom was ever supposed to be to us what the Church must be.
The only true ideal that shines forth and draws all people to its light is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It alone can set people free, it alone can transform the hearts and minds of the Lost and save souls by the power of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That was the city that Jesus was talking about.
America has no monopoly on the Light of Christ, no monopoly on God's blessings, let's not pretend otherwise, doing so leads not toward the light but in the other direction.
Related writings of mine:
The blasphemous "One Nation Under God" painting by Jon McNaughton
A profoundly biblical and powerful book: The Myth of a Christian Nation - by Gregory Boyd: a summary and response
Sermon Video: What is the Kingdom of God like? - Mark 4:26-34
An unhealthy overemphasis on politics
Rejecting Idolatry: No, Mike Pence, we will not, "Fix our eyes on Old Glory"
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