Listen to the Word of God: 62 Scripture passages that refute 'Christian' Nationalism - #21: Mark 8:36

 

Mark 8:36     New International Version

What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?

Hard to go wrong with quoting C.S. Lewis, so here goes:

“Let him begin by treating patriotism…as a part of his religion.  Then let him, under the influence of partisan spirit, come to regard it as the most important part.  Then quietly and gradually nurse him on to the stage at which the religion becomes merely a part of the ‘cause’, in which Christianity is valued chiefly because of the excellent arguments it can produce…once you have made the world an end, and faith a means, you have almost won your man, and it makes very little difference what kind of worldly end he is pursuing.” (C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, 1942, letter 7)

The whole world isn't worth a soul, how can America be?

Are you willing to walk away from living like Jesus in order to 'save' America?  Willing to lie, cheat, steal, bully, use violence, accept gross immorality when it comes from 'our team', embrace what-about-isms and hypocrisy, and on and on?

If you are, you're a fool.  

Satan is more than happy to trade your usefulness for the Kingdom of God {which any Christian gives up when they embrace immoral behavior, for whatever reason} for such a comparatively worthless prize.

Scripture Abuse: 2 Chronicles 7:14, idolatry, nationalism, and antisemitism

Note: I know a number of committed Christians, people whom I love and respect, who have been known to use 2 Chronicles 7:14 as a promise to America.  While I feel that a proper grammatical/contextual/historical interpretation of this passage precludes such an interpretation and application (see below), I am not questioning their faith, only offering them a warning about the danger of misplaced/misunderstood patriotism.

I saw this image shared on Facebook this week.  As someone who has previously highlighted various verses in my Bible, I don't take issue with the desire to make it easier to find a passage in the future, or to remember what one thought about a passage with a note in the margin.  This is not that.  To draw an American Flag on top of the words of Scripture raises serious questions, to put it here at 2 Chronicles 7:14 points us in the direction of why someone might do this.

2 Chronicles 7:14  New International Version

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Why is this interpretation/application of 2 Chronicles 7:14 both erroneous and dangerous?

1. It ignores the context

1 & 2 Chronicles are, as the name suggest, a chronicle of the of the Kingdom of Israel (after the schism, Judah), from the reign of King Saul to the Exile to Babylon.  It was written after the Exile as a history for the people who had returned to the Promised Land, offering them understanding as to why things had happened in their past, and hope for the future.  The specific context of 7:14 is that the LORD is speaking to King Solomon after the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem.  In that conversation, God promises to Solomon that when the Israelites fail to obey the Covenant, there will be a chance for them to return to God through repentance.  Why?  Because God has promised them in his Covenant both blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, and God is faithful to his word, if they repent he will heal them.

2 Chronicles 7:14 is a promise from God to Israel.  It is a promise derived from, and inherently connected to, the Covenant that began with Abraham and was expounded further upon to Moses, David, and now Solomon.  It was not a promise for any surrounding tribe or nation at that time, nor any other nation later in history.  In fact, as Genesis unfolds Abraham learns that Isaac, and Isaac alone, is the Child of Promise.  In the next generation, God specifically chooses Jacob over Esau, once against showing that it is God's sovereign will that matters.

Romans 9:10-15  New International Version

Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac. 11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” 14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to Moses,

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

2. It ignores the grammar

America is not 'my people', they are not 'called by my name'.  I know that millions of Christians believe that we are, but there is no legitimate way that how these terms are used by God when he spoke to Solomon could be stretched to now include the United States.  Why?  The descendants of Abraham were specifically called by God, set apart by God, and made into a tribe and nation by God.  They were 'my people' in every possible way.  Where is the parallel to America?  At what point, and in what way, were the people who inhabit this land called by God to be here?  The Israelites bore the name of God, wherever they went they represented God to the world around them, their distinctive practices in the Law of Moses setting them apart.  Where is the parallel to America?  In what way, historically or in the present, are the American people distinctive culturally in a way that marks us out as God's people?  When considering American distinctives, are ANY of them marks of a people who belong to God?

Numbers 6:27  New International Version

“So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

In addition, 'their land' is a reference to the Promised Land.  It can be no other land in the context of God's conversation with Solomon.  It didn't mean any other geographic place on earth.  To say that God's promise also applies to England, Spain, Australia, South Korea, or America is to ignore what the text originally intended and decide, on our own, that it can be extended globally.  

For a longer treatment of this issue steeped in scriptural analysis see: The Myth of a Christian Nation - by Gregory Boyd: a summary and response

3. It replaces the Church with America in the hearts and minds of Christians

The promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14 is an Old Covenant promise, not a New Covenant promise.  That alone should give us pause as to why it would be applied by Christians to their own circumstances.  Beyond that, the promise is made to God's people, not to a nation state.  When American Christians (or Christians in any other nation) utilize this verse to talk about their country, they're blurring the line of belonging between the Kingdom of God / Family of God to which they belong as followers of Jesus Christ, and the Kingdom of this World to which they belong as earthly citizens.  

Even if the promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14 were applicable to the New Covenant people, it would apply to the Church not any nation.  Why?  When God instituted the New Covenant through the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels and the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost he did so with peoples called out from every tribe, language, and nation.  The wonder at Pentecost of hearing the Gospel in their own languages by Jerusalem's diverse pilgrim crowd illustrated this new emphasis.  

Galatians 3:26-28  New International Version

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Revelation 7:9  New International Version

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

It is unfortunate that after the favor placed upon Christianity by Constantine that the idea of Christendom developed.  Many of the evils that Christians were involved in from that point on involved protecting Christendom, a 'Christian nation' or collection of Christian nations, from worldly threats.  Christendom as a concept opened up Christians to the embrace of the idea of winning converts with the sword, of utilizing evil 'that good may result' because of supposed political necessity, of conquering 'in Jesus' name' and shouting 'God wills it!' as they slaughtered infidels.

Whether one loves America or not, America is NOT the Church.  It never was, it cannot be.  We blur the lines of allegiance, obligations, and fidelity at our peril.

4. It raises America in our hearts and minds toward a place of idolatry. 

I love this country, and count it a great blessing to have been born in this land and have its citizenship, but that blessing cannot compare to having been called by the Spirit of God to become of follower of Jesus Christ, joining the Family of God and becoming a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven.  In every way, our faith requires that our allegiance to God come first.  If my nation, tribe, community, family choose to abandon God, sin against God, or ignore his call to live righteously in this world, I must choose what faith require over those bonds.  Have Christians done this consistently and properly throughout history?  Sadly no.  They have too often thought of themselves as Dutchmen, Englishmen, Russians, or Americans first, and only secondarily as Christians.  This is, to not mince words, idolatry.  Whenever devotion to any other unit (family, community, tribe, nation) rises in importance and obligation above the total commitment to the Cross and the Gospel that God demands of those whom he has redeemed, it is sinful idolatry.  We may not want to hear this, but we must.

I hope that America has a long and glorious future, but I have no idea if this will be.  God has made no such promises to this nation or any other outside of ancient Israel.  I have no idea if America will be a force for good in our world, if it will embrace its potential and reject its flaws.  I do know, with certainty, that the Church will endure until the Day of Judgment.  I do know that God's Spirit will continue to work in its people, globally, because he has indeed promised that he will do so, that his Church will triumph and bring glory to his name.  As flawed as it can be, and as often as its people have failed to live up to their calling, the Church's future is secure.

Matthew 16:18New International Version

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

5. Reading America into Old Covenant texts is a form of antisemitism.

Antisemitism is the darkest stain on the dress of the Bride of Christ.  That it is an inexcusable evil goes without saying.  There is a long standing tendency for Christians to disregard the Covenantal promises made by God to Abraham's descendants and to appropriate them as their own.  Does this fly in the face of Paul's impassioned argumentation in Romans?  Yes, but it has happened anyway.  

To read America into 2 Chronicles 7:14 is to lessen the uniqueness of God's call to Israel.  It downplays God's choice of this people, and decides to replace it with another people of our choosing.  We, the Church, cannot replace Israel in God's plans, to go beyond that false theology and think that America can stand beside Israel and claim the same promises (conveniently ignoring the curses), or worse yet replace Israel as the sole recipient of those promises, is folly, arrogance, and antisemitism. 

Conclusion

Patriotism can be a good thing, but it also potentially very dangerous, especially to Christians.  Love of country can be a good thing, but it is also potentially very dangerous when it skews our thinking.  America is not the Church and America is not Israel, and 2 Chronicles 7:14 does not belong to either of one of them.  

Would God 'heal this land' if repentance swept the nation?  Yes, but not in the same way that 2 Chronicles 7:14 promises (good harvests, freedom from illnesses, rest from enemies), and not because we are 'his people' or 'called by his name'.  Repentance would lead to a form of healing because the very nature of existence reflects the nature of God, thus always making evil a dead end path and righteousness a blessing.  This dynamic is true for every individual and every grouping of people, whether they know God or not.  To invoke 2 Chronicles 7:14, and claim its promise as our own, goes beyond this, leading to both false hope in promises God has not made to us, and distortions of the necessary boundaries between our Heavenly and Earthly citizenships.

2 Chronicles 7:14 Isn’t About American Politics - by Russell Moore

Further writings from me on related topics:

Mark Meadows, Ginni Thomas, and the blasphemy of thinking God is on your side.

The irrefutable rejection of Christian Nationalism by the New Testament

Ronald Reagan was wrong, America is not a "city on a hill", it never could be.

The blasphemous "One Nation Under God" painting by Jon McNaughton

Rejecting Idolatry: No, Mike Pence, we will not, "Fix our eyes on Old Glory"

The irrefutable rejection of Christian Nationalism by the New Testament

One of many crosses brought to the political rally that became an insurrection on 1/6/21

 na·tion·al·ism

Learn to pronounce

noun

1. identification with one's own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.

Why irrefutable?  Because Christians are required to respect the authority of the Word of God.  When the Scriptures repeatedly make clear a particular issue of belief or practice it is not optional for those who would claim to be disciples of Jesus Christ, if in fact they are indeed true disciples, to follow that divine guidance.  Can Christians improperly interpret or apply Scriptural dictates?  Certainly, it happens regularly, even from learned Church leadership which ought to know better.  Can Christians reject Scriptural teaching because of pride, self-interest, or a rebellious attitude?  Yes, that also happens, such cases are examples of disobedience, certainly not what we as a Church should tolerate let alone celebrate.  There is no case FOR nationalism in the New Testament, and the case AGAINST nationalism is both multi-faceted and broadly stated in numerous passages.

Why only the New Testament?  The issue of patriotism/nationalism is fairly unique in that the perspective changes when talking about Jews and Israel in the Hebrew Scriptures vs. Christians and Nationalism in the New.  The Christian Bible is divided into two sections separated by about 400 years between the prophet Malachi and the earliest Christian writings.  These two sections were written and received by two different audiences in two different sets of circumstances.  The Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) were written about and to the descendants of Abraham, the Jews.  That they are to be studied and remain authoritative to Christians is made clear by the abundant quotations of them by Jesus, Paul, and the Early Church Fathers.  That being said, the Church is not Israel.  America is not Israel.  The promises made to Abraham remain for his literal descendants, his spiritual descendants have been given new promises (in the New Testament).  The covenant of Abraham that God further developed in the Hebrew Scriptures through Moses and David contain blessings and curses, as well as promises of a Messianic Kingdom, these belong to the Jews.  It is inappropriate, and a facet of antisemitism, to seek to appropriate these promises for the Church or any particular nation, America included.  

The New Testament, by contrast, is written to the newly formed Church, an organization not tied to one ethnicity, not connected to one geographic location.  Instead, the Church is bound together above and beyond these tribal distinctions by the connection of all of its legitimate members to Jesus Christ through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. 

* The definition of Nationalism above is the one in use, not the secondary use of the term, "advocacy of or support for the political independence of a particular nation or people" which is a different topic, biblically speaking, and practically as well.

So, how does the New Testament convincingly reject Nationalism on the part of the Church?

The case could be made, and has been, in book length form (see: The Myth of a Christian Nation - by Gregory Boyd: a summary and response), but in brief among the numerous incompatibilities are:

1. The Modern Nation-State is a concept foreign to the New Testament

 The world we live in today is one of Nation-States, both those states that are governed democratically and autocratically have developed beyond the previous era of personal kingdoms or multi-ethnic empires, concepts that died in the revolutions and wars of the 19th and 20th centuries.  From those ashes arose the modern nation-state, and while many have inherited the territory of the kingdoms from which they sprang with minor variations, the legitimacy of modern governments in the eyes of their people, and the responsibilities of modern governments to their citizens, has changed dramatically from the models familiar to the ancient world.

Along those lines, the term translated in the New Testament as 'nation' is the Greek word: ethnos, which we recognize from the continued use of one aspect of the word transliterated into English as ethnic or ethnicity.  The most common usage of the term is actually to refer to the Gentile peoples (in contrast with the Jews), which it does 93 times as compared with nation/nations 67.  Thus any argument based upon a reading of what the New Testament says about our 'nation' or the 'nations' that is using the term to refer to a modern nation-state like America or China is already on thin ice before it begins because the geopolitical conceptions of the New Testament authors most certainly did not include the idea of a nation-state, as their entire frame of reference consisted of tribes, kingdoms, and empires.  In addition, the actual N.T. references that speak of nations (again, in the ancient not modern sense) have ZERO to do with identification with a nation by its people, support for the interests of that nation by its people, or the placing of those interests above that of other nations.  The New Testament is simply not talking about nations in any way connected to modern nationalism.

Examples: Matthew 24:9 "You will be hated by all nations because of me"

Matthew 28:19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations"

Mark 11:17 "my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations"

Romans 4:17 "I have made you a father of many nations" (referring to Abraham)

Galatians 3:8 "All nations will be blessed through you" (again, Abraham is the you)

James 1:1 "To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations"

2. The focus of Jesus is entirely upon building up the Kingdom of God NOT any kingdom of this world.

Matthew 6:33  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 22:36-40  And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

John 18:36  Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

Throughout the Gospels Jesus makes it clear that he rejected the role of a political revolutionary and military commander that his people longed for him to be.  The purpose of Jesus was higher than their limited hopes in this world, the goal of Jesus was far broader and lasting than establishing a new kingdom of Israel.

3.  Christians already have a citizenship to which they owe their primary allegiance: Heaven

Ephesians 2:17-19 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 

Philippians 3:30 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

See also: Hebrews 11:8-10 and 1 Peter 2:11, ‘foreigners and exiles'

One of enduring facets of nationalism is its increasing demand for allegiance from the people.  What begins as patriotism grows over time and the pressure of rivalries with other nations to become full blown nationalism.  Nationalism eventually arrives at the equivalent of, "America, love it or leave it".  Christians have are already citizens of heaven, they cannot make such a commitment to their country. 

4. The obligations of Christians cannot be minimized or superseded by ethnic rivalries or national boundaries.

Matthew 28:19-20  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

John 17:20-23 (1 John 4:8-9)“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

In America today "America First" is associated with the Republican Party of Donald Trump, but the truth is that both parties have taken turns proclaiming that they will put our nation ahead of others and consider the needs and wants of our people above and beyond those of the rest of the people of this world.  Both parties appeal to the nationalism, pride, and greed of Americans, both parties (to varying extent) proclaim by word and deed that the lives of American citizens are worth more to them than the lives of other people in this world.  The Church, with its doctrine of Imago Dei {Latin for 'image of God'} which proclaims that every human being is created in God's image, cannot agree (although it has many times in its past and present, to its shame) with treating the lives of one nation's people as more valuable than another.

Matthew 25:31-46 where Jesus inquires what those who claim to be his followers did for 'the least of these' is incompatible with nationalistic rivalries which dehumanize ('other') people who happen to come from a different geopolitical entity than our own.  'America First' may be great politics in America, but it is a horrendous ethic for followers of Jesus.  {Yes, tens of millions of those claiming to be Christians in America today enthusiastically support either the Red or Blue version of 'America First', this is one example of how unhealthy the modern Church in America has become.}

5. The allegiance of Christians cannot be shared, God demands a total commitment.

Luke 16:13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

The principle that applies to money also applies to fame, power, politics, patriotism, and many others.  Whatever obligations and commitments we make in this world must be subservient to our commitment to Christ, even that to our spouse and children.

6. The methods demanded by nationalistic rivalries and 'realpolitik' are anathema to Christianity.

Acts 10:34 (2 Chronicles 19:7) Now let the fear of the Lord be on you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.”

Romans 12:17-21  Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Ephesians 5:5-7  For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.

The classic example of this from the 20th century is the fire-bombing of the cities of Germany and Japan by the Allies.  It was justified, at the time, as a necessity of war, and was not seriously objected to by the Church in Allied countries, but it perspective has shown this to have been both militarily ineffective, and morally repugnant.  Had it not been 'unpatriotic' to object to the methods of one's own team/tribe, perhaps the generals and politicians would have sought a method of prosecuting the war that didn't kill hundreds of thousands of civilians.  The Church has been guilty of such compromise too many times in its history to count, the Crusades being but one of the better known examples.

7. The goals and purpose of Christians in this world cannot be lowered to those of  nationalistic us vs. them rivalries.

Ephesians 1:4-5  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.

Ephesians 6:12  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

We, as Christians, are here for a purpose.  It isn't to make a lot of money, it isn't to maximize our own pleasure, and it isn't to help our country 'win'.  

8. The triumph of the Gospel of Jesus Christ will not be limited to one ethnic group, nation, or ideology.

Revelation 7:9  After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

Galatians 3:26-29  So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

With respect to a hilarious moment in the sitcom Cheers between Woody and Kelly, Heaven will not have chain link fences and barking dogs to keep people apart based upon the categories this world places upon people.  There will be one people in Heaven, just as there is one Lord, one faith, one birth.  There will be no Americans in Heaven, no Russians, no Italians, Egyptians, or Indonesians, there will only be those people called out of darkness and redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

9. 'Victory' in this world's rivalries, economically, geopolitically, or otherwise, are ephemeral to the Christian.

Mark 8:36  What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?

2 Peter 3:7  By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

1 John 5:19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

Today's economic champion is tomorrow's has-been, and today's superpower is tomorrow's used-to-be.  That is the way of this world's geopolitical rivalries.  At one point in time, Spain was the world's most powerful kingdom (technically the Hapsburg family whose holdings extended far beyond Spain), but that hasn't been true in a few hundred years.  So what was accomplished by those who killed for, and will killed fighting for, the supremacy of that particular nation over its rivals?  Power in this world is temporary, domination is a rickety throne, and yet Nationalism calls upon us to being willing to kill our fellow man (created in God's image) or to sacrifice our own lives, to achieve it.  How much evil has been sanctioned by the Church in the name of nationalistic pride and rivalries?  The Church on all sides supported WWI with pastors thundering against 'them' from the pulpit and Christians cheering on their side.  The carnage that followed is directly responsible for empty churches in Europe to this day.  That millions of 'Christian' Americans (some genuine, many not) have deeply embraced nationalism will inevitably lead to the same result: empty churches.  {Why? Because it testifies to our lack of faith in the Gospel, our lack of true hope in the next world is exposed by our obsession with wealth and power in this one.  Christian hypocrites are not effective witnesses to the Gospel.}

 

10. Submitting to governmental authorities is a far cry from calling upon Christians to champion that authority against other nations.

1 Peter 2:13-14 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.

Nationalism is not patriotism.  Appreciation for, and love of, one's own country (if and when it deserves it) is both fitting and proper.  Nationalism is a different beast, it elevates my country above other countries, it justifies rivalries, it excuses immoral behavior with an ends justify the means mentality, and it treats people made in God's image who happen to live somewhere else (especially if that somewhere is a rival) as an 'other' to be guarded against not a neighbor to be loved.

My further writings on this topic:

Ronald Reagan was wrong, America is not a "city on a hill", it never could be.

The blasphemous "One Nation Under God" painting by Jon McNaughton

Rejecting Idolatry: No, Mike Pence, we will not, "Fix our eyes on Old Glory"

White Nationalism and White Supremacy are an abomination to the Church

Why our favoritism (politics) is an affront to God - Romans 2:11, Colossians 3:25

In Flanders field the poppies blow...Nationalism and the lessons of WWI

The downward spiral of Bonhoeffer biographer Eric Metaxas

The danger of defining 'real' Americans vs. the necessity of categorizing 'real' Christians

We ignore "repay evil with blessing" at our peril: the Culture War, politics, and 9/11

Ronald Reagan was wrong, America is not a "city on a hill", it never could be.

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

Beware of the Political Church: John MacArthur declares, "any real true believer" can only vote one way.

Rejecting Idolatry: No, Mike Pence, we will not, "Fix our eyes on Old Glory"

These are the times that try men's souls.

In preparation for this year's remarks at the Memorial Day service at Palo's cemetary, I decided to contemplate Thomas Paine's famous words of encouragement to the Continental Army during its difficult winter at Valley Forge (1776-77). Washington was so impressed with the powerful words that he had them read to his whole army. With so many American soldiers stationed in harm's way, the memory of how these Patriots overcame much more difficult odds through dedication and faith, can offer us assurance in our own time of trial. The War on Terror may continue for years to come, but America will prove victorious precisely because of her willingness to send young men and women to the ends of the Earth in pursuit of freedom. As Thomas Paine wrote, "The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." Indeed they do, the modern American army is an all volunteer force, just like the men who stood with Washington in America's darkest hour. They fought for an ideal that they valued higher than their own lives. Today, America's soldiers fight abroad to extend the same freedom that American now enjoy to people who have only known oppression and terror. You won't hear this side of the story from many Western intellectuals who prefer to paint these young men and women as modern Imperialists, but their disdain does not make the cause any less noble. This Memorial Day, as you hopefully visit your local cemetary to pay your respects to the veterans whose past sacrifices helped make our world the more free than at any point in human history, don't forget to say a prayer to Almighty God to protect those same men and women who proudly today wear the uniform of the United States military. As Paine wrote, "it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as Freedom should not be highly rated."