Listen to the Word of God: 62 Scripture passages that refute 'Christian' Nationalism - #5: Psalm 82:3

 

Psalm 82:3  New International Version

Defend the weak and the fatherless;

    uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.

This verse is among numerous similar portions of scripture that encapsulate what the people of God should focus their energies upon in one simple sentence.  The Kingdom of Israel during the Old Covenant, and the Church during the New Covenant, has a God-given obligation to those on the bottom of society's social hierarchy.  

How then does this verse offer a refutation of 'Christian' Nationalism?  One aspect of that criticism would be the need for Christians who honor the Word of God by taking this obligation seriously to push back against the policies and structures of their society that marginalize and disadvantage the poor.  In other words, American culture, the laws and policies of the American government, and even Capitalism itself must be examined for how they are contributing to the misfortune of our neighbors.  Is a democratic government better than an autocratic one?  Virtually always, but that doesn't make it flawless, and that doesn't make it beyond criticism when 'our team' is in the White House or controls Congress.  Likewise, is capitalism the best economic system of those humanity has tried thus far?  Hard to argue from either history or statistical analysis that it isn't, but capitalism has inherent flaws of its own, ones that favor the rich and powerful and disfavor the poor and weak (as does every governmental and economic system created by man), these need to be confronted and countered, even if it clashes with the politics of 'our team'. 

Because of the deep identification of 'Christian' Nationalism with the society it seeks to control, the prophetic voice of the Church is muzzled, recent history has shown that those within the Church who speak up for the poor are dismissed, often with vitriol, as 'woke' or 'liberals'.  Why the hostility toward those who point out the clear and ongoing flaws in the system?  During a war you don't criticize your own team, supposedly.  And make no mistake, 'Christian' Nationalism sees itself at war, always.  "America, love it or leave it" is a sentiment at home within 'Christian' Nationalism, but if I listen to God's Word as a Christian, I will be called, 

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8b, NIV)

In all honesty, I love America, I consider myself blessed of God to have been born here, but I reject in its entirety the demand of 'Christian' Nationalism that I "root, root, root for the home team".  When America is wrong, morally, we are blessed with the right to say so, even when that criticism needs to be aimed at 'our team'.  The people of God are called to defend the weak and uphold the cause of the poor, no matter who bears responsibility for that plight, thus silence to protect the (unholy) marriage of Church and State is dereliction of duty.

I am a Minister of the Gospel: called, ordained, and entrusted to shepherd the sheep

I may not look the part yet, but perhaps someday

In recent conversations, primarily online, a number of people have 'warned' me against speaking out about the reality of systemic racism and/or the deadly nature of COVID-19 and the efficacy of the vaccine.  Some of these conversations have included predictions that doing so will damage my ministry, my Gospel witness, and call into question my integrity.  Some have suggested that wanting to be right (i.e. know and share facts and truth) is a character flaw, or at least a waste of time when such issues are only matters of opinion.  I would be sugarcoating it if I said these responses didn't bother me; some of them, given my relationship with the source, have been deeply disappointing and emotionally painful.

What then is my response, how do I evaluate this advice in light of my own call to ministry?  The following is an attempt to respond, if you are one of the people referred to in the paragraph above, please read this in the spirit and heart in which I write it, as much as I value our relationship, these issue demand more of me.  If what you wrote/said was coming from a place of genuine concern, I value that.

Therefore, as a minister of the Gospel:

1. I will NOT disregard, dismiss, or 'other' those in need

When we first began working on getting a homeless shelter operating in Venango County {now called: Emmaus Haven of Venango County a wonderful organization my church and I are committing to supporting} there were a number of local people who shared a variation of this idea: "There are no homeless in Venango County, what are you going to do, bus them up here from Pittsburgh?"  This was factually inaccurate, those who work to help solve housing issues in our area were well aware that there are in fact a significant number of homeless individuals (and families) on any given day in our county.  Many of them are temporarily homeless, as opposed to chronically, but they certainly needed shelter.  Additionally, are we as Christians supposed to care less about those who are homeless in the Pittsburgh area?  Are they not our neighbors too?

Thankfully, the local churches of our county, together with our partners in the county government, were able to continue to move forward and eventually open Emmaus Haven.  Whether we see them or not, whether we know them or not, those in need in our community are human being created in the image of God, they are not an 'other', not a 'them' to be ignored.

I will not consider less worthy of compassion, help, and prayer:

A. Immigrants, refugees, and other non-citizens

B. Those who are homeless, downtrodden, and desperate

C. The who suffering with physical or mental handicaps

D. Those living in poverty

E. Those battling addictions

F. The unvaccinated or those otherwise lacking healthcare

G. Those who don't look, act, or think like me.

The list could be longer, or more specific, but you get the point.  As a minister of the Gospel, called to live by the Law of Love, setting up barriers to that obligation is a direct violation of my oath before God.  I cannot allow them in my own heart or mind, and am called to confront them when the people of God wrongly exhibit them.

Psalm 82:3     New International Version

Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.

2. I will NOT excuse, utilize, or encourage lies and falsehoods in the name of the 'greater good', in a misguided attempt to bolster my ministry, or protect my country.

This is the part that frightens me about the health of much of the Church in America today.  I see 'Christian' websites willingly spreading falsehoods because they bolster the Culture War narrative of the moment, 'Christian' leaders embracing easily disprovable ideas for financial or political gain, and much of it without significant pushback.  We seem to care more about 'winning' than the Truth, and that guarantees that the last thing we will be doing with respect to the Kingdom is winning.

A. Truth matters, honesty and integrity do too.

B. We all have opinions, we don't all have facts to back them up.  Opinions are not created equally, authority, experience, and expertise have weight.

C. A disregard for the Truth is a cancer within the Church, WE must always want to be, strive to be, and pray to God that we will be, walking in the light of truth and not the darkness of error/lies.

Titus 1:2  New International Version

in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,

Hebrews 6:18  New International Version

God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.

The cause of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is NOT advanced through lies, end of story. 

3. While matters pertaining to God, the Church, the Bible, and Christianity are my area of special concern, training, experience, and relative expertise, that does not mean I will MYOB or 'stay in my lane' regarding the issues that confront me, my family, community, country, or the world.

A. A prophetic voice is a calling from God.  My particular calling, as evidenced by my passion, the testimony of other Christians who know me, and my ability is to be a Teacher.  I will not ignore it or muzzle it.

B. When a minister of the Gospel grounds his/her opinion in a biblical, orthodox, and historic understanding of the Church, the burden shifts to the people of God to evaluate, weigh, and respond to it.

C. If you disagree with my conclusions without offering a biblically, orthodox, and historically Christian alternative, you haven't responded to the prophetic voice God has laid upon me {and tens of thousands of others, I am but one of God's servants}.

Putting B and C together, this is what frustrates me about much of the online, in particular, 'debate'    between Christians.  I see little evidence of attempts to ground opinions in biblical interpretation or the teaching of the Church.  I see ample political argumentation, far too much actually, and plenty of economic or philosophical viewpoints, but very little of it grounded in a Christian worldview, expressing a desire to evidence the Fruit of the Spirit.  It is not the secularists on the outside who are a significant threat to the Church in America, but those who have abandoned a Christian Mind within.

D. There is ample room to disagree within a Christian framework, even strongly disagree.  A healthy Church has diverse opinions within a Christian worldview.

Feel free to disagree with me, if you do so within a Christian framework at least we're having a healthy discussion, an 'iron sharpens iron' type thing, even if we cannot agree.

E. Opinions which are contrary to biblical, orthodox, and historic Christianity are NOT healthy for individual Christian or the Church and should be challenged by every minister of the Gospel.

Such opinions included, but are not limited to, those based in

    (1) Individualism

    (2) Consumerism/Materialism

    (3) Nationalism

    (4) Racism

    (5) Sexism

Philippians 2:1-5  New International Version

2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

I will continue striving to fulfill my calling, hopefully speaking the Truth, and hopefully doing so in love.  As Luther was purported to have said, "here I stand, I can do no other."  May God enlighten us all through his Spirit at work within us.

Homelessness is a real issue in Venango County

At last month's zoning board meeting in Oil City, which ended in the decision being tabled until this month, a claim was made by one official who was called to testify that there isn't a homelessness problem in Oil City.  This assertion was met with gasps by many of the clergy present because of our ample experience with those who are either homeless or in danger of soon being homeless.  Whatever is decided at this month's meeting about this particular location in Oil City, the need for a shelter (whether one sizable one, or several smaller locations) will remain.  How do I know this?  In the past two years, the Bridge House Transitional Housing Program (that is, Emmaus Haven) here in Franklin has had 47 people stay at their facility, out of a total of 88 people who were referred to the program (which means 41 people were unable to stay, and need accommodations elsewhere).  During the past two years, a three apartment house in Franklin that was renovated by Mustard Seed Missions, in cooperation with Venango County's Human Services Department, has had 50 families in residence as a transitional home until more permanent housing could be found.  In addition, the Human Services Department is currently averaging 97 calls per month from families or individuals who are either currently homeless or in need of financial assistance to prevent being made homeless.
Urban communities and counties are not the only places where homelessness occurs in America.  Venango County is a rural community, with two small towns and no major urban area within an hour's drive, let alone within its boundaries.  And yet, homelessness is here, just as is poverty, drug abuse, and violence.  The problems of fallen humanity are not limited to certain areas, or certain kinds of people (because "kinds of people" don't actually exist; just human beings), they exist everywhere.  To pretend that some of the ills of our society are not present here, that we don't need to respond to them, is to do a disservice to those in need, our fellow human beings, and fellow Americans.
Homelessness is a real issue in Venango County, not wanting to believe it doesn't make it go away.  Whatever happens with this particular site in Oil City, the churches of Venango County will continue to work toward solutions to the problems of the people of this community, for it is our calling, our mission, our response to the grace of God given to us.

** Update ** As of 2/19, the Oil City zoning board has approved the use of the building in Siverly as the group home for Emmaus Haven.  The next step is to purchase the building from the Diocese of Erie, finalize plans for the renovations, gather the necessary funds, and begin work.  No timeline is yet available for when the facility will be up and running.

Strong Church support shown for local homeless shelter

Last night's zoning board meeting in Oil City highlighted the significant support being given to Emmaus Haven by the local Church, as evidenced by the more than a dozen ministers and other church workers in attendance.  After nearly three hours, the issue was tabled until next month after the discussion by the board revealed several issues needing legal clarity prior to a ruling.  As you can tell by my comments that were quoted in the newspaper article (The Derrick/New-Herald once again doing a stellar job of covering local news), the primary assertion that those who were there to support the shelter took issue with was the idea that Venango County doesn't have a problem with homelessness (not an assertion made by the board itself, the article explains who made that claim).  Having served this community over seven years, and having been involved for over six years with Mustard Seed Missions, I can categorically state that the problem is indeed real, it is local, and it isn't going to be mitigated without a significant effort.  In 2016, Emmaus Haven, with Mustard Seed Mission's help, opened a 6 bed facility in Franklin.  That transitional housing unit has been full since its inception, helping 47 individuals, 31 of which now have permanent housing.  While this has been a tremendous asset to those seeking to help with housing needs in our community, the problem is clearly bigger than can be resolved with only space for six people.  If the Oil City zoning board ultimately denies Emmaus Haven the ability to operate a larger shelter at this location in Siverly, the need to help the homeless won't go away, nor will the Church's commitment to being instrumental in its solution.  No matter what happens next month, churches here in Venango County are moving forward, thankfully with great partners like the Human Services Department of Venango County.

We need a homeless shelter, and the Church needs to support it

There is an article in today's News Herald/Derrick newspaper about the upcoming zoning hearing in Oil City regarding the transformation of the former fellowship hall of the Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church in Siverly.  The article mentions that the organization trying to create this shelter is Emmaus Haven of Venango County, and that they already operate a facility (6 bed) in Franklin that was renovated by  Mustard Seed Missions of Venango County.  As the President of Mustard Seed Missions, and one of the people who helped organize what became Emmaus Haven, I can confirm from my own experience in these roles and as the pastor of 1st Baptist of Franklin that our county very much remains in need of a homeless shelter.
There are those in our county who believe, erroneously, that we don't have a homeless problem here in our rural county of only 50k people.  They are, unfortunately, wrong in that assessment.  Emmaus Haven has operated the shelter (in cooperation with Venango County Housing) since 2016, and it has been at capacity ever since.  How do I know this?  In addition to reports from the leadership of Emmaus Haven, I have on numerous occasions tried to help a homeless person sitting here in my office, standing on my porch, or calling me on the phone, only to discover that the shelter is currently full.  If someone is telling you that Venango County doesn't have indigenous people suffering from homelessness, in other words, that the only homeless are outsiders (and hence evidently less of our problem), they're wrong, very wrong.  We may not have the chronic homelessness visible on the streets of Pittsburgh, but each day in our county there are individuals, and families, without shelter for the coming night, I know it to be true, they come to me for help.
Which leads to the second half of the equation: our obligation to be a part of meeting this real need.  As followers of Jesus Christ, servants of the kingdom of God, we have a clear and abiding mandate from Jesus to help those in need whenever, and wherever we can.  Each person that we encounter that is in need is a human being made in the image of God, a person of worth beyond measure, and one for whom Jesus Christ was willing to die, just as he was for us.  To turn our backs on the homeless, whether through indifference, racism, or some other reasons to dismiss this need, is to fail to be the Church that God has called us to be.  We may not be able to solve a problem like homelessness, but we had better be a part of the effort to try.
When this new facility in Siverly opens, it will give Emmaus Haven and the County the flexibility it needs to handle both short and medium term housing problems, bringing into play resources that ten years ago would have seemed beyond our reach as a community.  In this we have had willing partners, the hard work of volunteers, and the grace of God.

Do Christians really need to care about those in need?  Read the words of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew, and then get back to me on that one.

Matthew 25:31-46 New International Version (NIV)
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”