Listen to the Word of God: 62 Scripture passages that refute 'Christian' Nationalism - #2: 2 Chronicles 19:7

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.”

Among the ways in which 'Christian' Nationalism damages the Church is by compromising its moral authority.  When the Church (or segments of it) ally themselves with worldly (political) power, it creates an incentive to criticize 'them' for moral failings and a disincentive to criticize 'our team' for those same moral failings.  In our own setting, we have seen this play out time and time again since the rise of Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority.  In addition to giving 'our' politicians and pundits a free pass while lambasting those of the opposition, 'Christian' Nationalism also encourages the defending of organizations and institutions (See: Clergy Sex Scandal, Catholic, Protestant, etc.) because they are part of that same team effort and if their moral failings were made known, if a reckoning and justice were to be pursued, it would be seen as a win for the other side.  When the nation or world is divided in this way into two camps competing for worldly power (as opposed to Paul's theology of worldly vs. spiritual), moral authority diminishes to a tactic, a cudgel, for the bashing of one's enemies, justice is denied, and the Church becomes complicit, at the least, in it.

How do we know God doesn't operate in this fashion?  The case of King David is illustrative.  Despite being the man hand-picked by God to rule Israel, and having been given the title, "a man after God's own heart", God didn't hesitate to send the Prophet Nathan to excoriate David and pronounce a hard judgment against him (2 Samuel 11-12).  God didn't look the other way, and he didn't engage in the repugnant 'what about' moral equivalency that seems to be the go-to response anytime a member/institution on 'our team' commits moral evil (hint: we'd call it a sin if they did it).  That King David was on his own side didn't pervert God's justice, let alone stop it.

How does this use of morality, as a tool for our own power rather than a standard to live by, affect our Gospel presentation?  How does perverting Justice advance the Kingdom of God?  These are questions that 'Christian' Nationalism has no answer for, and as God's Word makes clear, that's a problem.  

Listen to the Word of God: 62 Scripture passages that refute 'Christian' Nationalism - #1: Genesis 25:29-34

There was a commercial that aired when I was a kid that asked the philosophical question, "how many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop?"  After three licks the wise old owl gives up and bites the sucker.

I thought of that when compiling my list of scripture passages from my seminar on The Church and Politics which is largely built upon Pastor Gregory Boyd's book, The Myth of a Christian Nation (click for my response to the book).  How many passages of scripture would it take to refute 'Christian' Nationalism?  If God had given us two or three such admonitions, would it be enough to sway those infected with this heresy?  This is the first post in a (intended) series of 62 such passages.  Some of them will be redundant, but that too adds strength to the case against this ideology.  This is not an exhaustive list, other portions of scripture could be cited, but in the end the question remains: Are 62 passages of the Word of God enough?

Note: History refutes 'Christian' Nationalism.  Any non-jaundiced look at history will show time and time again the danger to both Church and State when the two are melded together, but people have an amazing ability to ignore history (See: The Puritans in England under Cromwell) or rewrite it to suit their agendas (See: the Lost Cause in the South after the Civil War).  The Word of God is supposed to be different for Jews and Christians.  It is supposed to have an authority greater than that of philosophers, historians, politicians, and even pastors.  Are those who call themselves Christians in America today willing to listen to God's Word?

Genesis 25:29-34

29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.)

31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”

32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

At first glance one might wonder what this passage has to do with 'Christian' Nationalism, but it offers up two powerful moral lessons: (1) Perspective is important: Esau overvalued his immediate hunger and undervalued his birthright.  In so doing he placed the fear/worry of now above concern for the future.  'Christian' Nationalism does the same by proclaiming that Kingdom of the World (human nations) cares and concerns are greater than Kingdom of God (The Gospel, the Church, Spirit) commands.  It is an imbalance in priorities, the putting of that which is essential below that which is temporary.  This is a theme we will see repeated in many of the passages to come. (2) God decides who we are supposed to be: 'Christian' Nationalism fails to appreciate the reality of what the Church is supposed to be, i.e. its birthright.  Why are we here in this world, what are we to strive for, and how are we to go about it?  All of these questions are answered in detail in the biblical texts (again, themes we will be returning to) and all are under-represented, if not outright ignored, when following the path of 'Christian' Nationalism.

Lastly, a definition that will help bring this ongoing discussion into focus:

What is 'Christian' Nationalism?  "Christian Nationalism is an ethno-cultural ideology, that uses Christian symbolism to create a permission structure for the acquisition of political power and social control." - Jemar Tisby, author, historian, and committed Christian

Note: The use of 'air quotes' around the term 'Christian' is on purpose.  It is not the generally accepted usage, but one that I will endeavor to remember to always use that signifies my deep felt conviction that there is nothing historically, theologically, or biblically Christ-honoring about 'Christian' Nationalism.  As such, I choose to use the air quotes as a reminder of the danger of allowing people (especially non-believers) to believe that Christians in general support this aberrant heretical position.

Sermon Video: Nobody is Good Enough for God - Romans 3:9-20

Before offering hope in the subsequent verses, the Apostle Paul emphasizes the conclusion that ON OUR OWN nobody is good enough for God.  All, both Jew and Gentile alike, are "under the power of sin" therefore tainted and corrupted by it, unable to keep the whole Law of God.

Why the emphasis on the negative?  Stark reality is needed to overcome human pride and pave the way for people to seek God in repentance and by faith.

Sermon Video: The insanity of: "Let us do evil that good may result" Romans 3:5-8

By way of answering a question about why our sinfulness doesn't make God's holiness more glorious, the Apostle Paul refutes a heretical path that might potentially be ascribed to Christians, "Let us do evil that good may result."  

Why can't evil methods or processes lead to good (righteousness)?

Among the reasons why this is fundamentally impossible are: the nature of evil, the nature of God, the power of God, the wisdom of God, and the will of God.  In order to believe that evil can result in good one must misunderstand all of these things.

In what ways are (have) Christians accepted this dangerously false premise?  In our personal relationships, our collective actions as a Church (think Crusades, Inquisition, burning people at the stake, and a host of immoral behavior to gain power and control over various portions of the Church), and growing more toxic each year, our politics as American Christians.

In the end, we must reject the false siren's call that we can utilize evil without being corrupted by it, whatever else it is, such a path is not God's.

Thor: Love and Thunder - A scathing and accurate dismissal of Paganism's anthropomorphic gods

 

* This is a spoiler free commentary *

The villain of the newest Marvel movie, Thor: Love and Thunder is Gorr the God Butcher, a mortal played by Christian Bale.  Through events that the movie makes crystal clear, Gorr has grievances with one particular god that he then is intent upon generalizing as he begins the process that earns him his nickname.

The indictment of Gorr against his particular god, and then all such similar gods, is thoroughly believable and just.  It is, in fact, the exact complaint that could have been levied in the Ancient World against any of the gods of Paganism whether they be Greek, Egyptian, Babylonian, or any other besides that of the Jews.  Why?  For a very simple and very powerful reason: All such gods with the exception of Yahweh who revealed himself to Abraham, were anthropomorphic.

An anthropomorphic god is made in the image of humanity, that's a problem.

The gods of Ancient Paganism were immortal and powerful, but beyond these qualities they were just like you and me.  They experienced greed, lust, rage, petty jealousy, pride, and a the whole range of human sinfulness.  They were just like us, but bigger (often with bigger, more spectacular, sins too).  They could be grossly evil when it suited them.

Which leads to a problem we can see from a mile away: Immortal powerful beings like us are NOT worthy of worship or devotion.  In fact, such a being would be a menace to be feared, not a Father to be loved.  Imagine the harm that any human being would do with immortality and god-like power.

The actions taken by Gorr in response are their own moral question, but his anger and disappointment are not only justified, but inevitable because his god is just like he is.

The God of Abraham made us in his image, not the other way around

In contrast, the God that you meet when reading the Bible deviates significantly and consistently from human nature.  We change, he does not.  We are tempted toward selfishness, he is not.  We would make use of evil if we thought it would benefit us (or our causes), he would not.  As the Scriptures unfold, the God who will reveal himself as Father and eventually send his Son to save the world and his Spirit to guide his people, persists in love, compassion, mercy, and justice.

God calls us to be like him, to discard our fallen human nature with its vices, and by faith embrace his nature and actually be transformed to be more like him (aiming at ultimate full Christ-likeness).

Does God answer every prayer, are his people always happy with him and his decisions?  No, and the Bible doesn't shy away from these hard truths, offering us the book of Job to contemplate and Ecclesiastes to ponder, but the nature of God: pure and holy, right and just, loving and merciful is what endures through the ages.  

The Jews had a God unlike any of their neighbors.  When the Apostle Paul and his generation of Jesus' disciples brought that God to peoples who had only known petty and cruel gods, their enthusiastic willingness to abandon their gods made in their image, and embrace the God who made us in his, makes a whole lot of sense.