Matthew 5:43-44 New International Version
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
How does the Kingdom of God advance? By doing exactly what is contrary to fallen human nature. Our natural response to having an enemy in life is to seek to crush that enemy, but disciples of Jesus Christ are called to a far more difficult and radical commitment: love our enemies and pray for them.
'Christian' Nationalism, by immersing itself in the fight for control of the kingdoms of this world, and the fights among those kingdoms (i.e. geo-political rivalries and wars), has chosen to live according to realpolitik rather than the commands of Jesus. How can we love our enemy, they say, when we're at war with them for control of America? The stakes are too high to trust lover over power is the lie they're telling themselves. How can we pray for our enemy, they say, when they are a rival to our nation? We are God's chosen nation, his instrument in this world, is the lie their pride is telling them.
Lip service that 'Christian' Nationalism may pay to Jesus' teaching and attitude aside, the reality demonstrated again and again is that the struggle for societal/governmental control and domination inherent to 'Christian' Nationalism's ethos has already concluded that what Jesus taught his followers is unrealistic, if not outright naïve. In fact, one recent political figure mocked Jesus' command to 'turn the other cheek' at a gathering of supposedly Christian political operatives. {Donald Trump Jr. tells young conservatives that following Jesus’ command to ‘turn the other cheek’ has ‘gotten us nothing’ - Baptist News Global, by Mark Wingfield}. That gathering was sponsored by Turning Point USA whose website (at the time) proudly proclaimed: “We play offense with a sense of urgency to win America’s culture wars.”
Here's the thing, Jesus didn't call us to "play offense...to win America's culture wars." Jesus called us to live self-sacrificially while praying for our enemies. Will this strategy 'win' in this world? Probably not, but that's not where our priorities are supposed to be as Christians. 'Christian' Nationalists may have a long and bitter list of enemies, people and organizations they're willing to fight to the death (sometimes literally) to defeat, but followers of Jesus Christ have been forbidden, by God, from indulging our sinful nature in this vain pursuit. Our calling is higher, purer, and far more difficult: "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
No comments:
Post a Comment