Saturday, April 24, 2021

American Christians and Nationalism

The Jews of the Roman period believed that the messiah would be a political or military leader, raised up by God to defeat Rome, and to reign over a restored kingdom of Israel to which all the Jews of the Exile would return. 

Similarly today, a popular belief among Christians is that God is going to send a political leader who will restore the United States back to a Christian nation. 

Though it's true that the Messiah came to reconcile man to Himself, the Bible does not say that God is inclined to Christianize any nation. Jesus did not come to start a religion and God also does not exalt any nation above another. On the contrary, Jesus came to redeem all people, including those America has been at war with, such as the Afghani, Iraqi, Chinese, and Russian peoples, just to name a few. He came to establish another Kingdom where He is the King, of which He calls His people to serve and to take part in as citizens. The United States has been extremely blessed by God because of its observance of Biblical principals throughout the centuries, but neither it nor its people are any more special or privileged in God's sight than the people of any other country. 

America's founding fathers drafted the Constitution of the United States and included in the First Amendment that the government cannot prohibit the free excersize of religion, ie, religious freedom. They included this in the Amendment because the brave men and women who left England to come to America more than one hundred years earlier, did so to escape government run churches, and to have religious freedom.

Because of this, it is widely believed by modern day Christians that America is a "Christian nation". Though parts of America may have been settled for Christian purposes, the writers of the Constitution expressly included all religions within the First Amendment. By doing so, they welcomed the rights and freedom of people from all religions, and thereby removed any notion of America being a solely Christian nation. When Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists, Agnostics, Muslims, Sikhs, Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, New Agers, Universal Unitarians, Satanists, etc, all inhabit the same neighborhoods, cities, states, counties, and country, and can freely worship how they believe and freely communicate their opinions and ideas, there is going to be a vast variety of worldviews, opinions, and ideas of how the nation is governed and operates. This seems to indicate that the founding fathers never intended for America to be a "Christian nation", and with so much variation of  religion and worldviews in the country, it's only logical that the nation would eventually become a "melting pot" of religious ideology.

Another thing is that not all of the founding fathers were Bible believing Christians. Their beliefs ranged from Protestant, to Catholic, to Deist, to Theistic Rationalism. Many of the founders were not Christians, and they never intended to start a Christian nation. To say that the founding fathers were all Christians because they have varying ideaolgies of God or gods, greatly trivializes the Gospel and what a Christian really is: a follower of Jesus.

America being a Christian nation also seems to create a sense of Nationalism, even among some American Christians. I get extremely upset by the ruining of this great nation, but Nationalism among Christians is a dangerous ideology. Though I strongly believe that the nation of the United States needs to take care of its own tax paying citizens first, this "America first" attitude among Christians and the church is not Biblical and causes division and lack of support among the body of Christ. Christians are commanded by the God they believe in to provide for and take care of one another first, regardless of what country they are from. Jesus Himself prayed that His disciples would love one another and that they would be united as one. I love this country and am extremely grateful for the men and women who have served and given their lives for it, but it's extremely disturbing when they receive more honor and recognition from Christians than the faithful men and women who serve and have given their lives for their Lord, Jesus and His kingdom.

God did not send the Messiah as a political leader to reign over the Jews in a restored Israel. Neither did He did send Him to redeem the temporal kingdom of America, or it's people, so that they can continue to live in safety and comfort. He sent the Messiah to save people from all tribes and tongues, from all nations of the earth. For God so loved THE WORLD that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOEVER believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, BUT THAT THE WORLD THROUGH HIM MIGHT BE SAVED.
John 3:16‭-‬17. He said that His people will have tribulations, and will even be persecuted, but not to worry because He has overcome the world. 

I'm not suggesting that you sit back and do nothing while evil overtakes the country, and the country goes down the toilet. But when more is being done to save the country, than to build the kingdom of God, then it's a problem. Stand against evil, push back the darkness, and be a purveyor of hope.

If you are an American Christian, I want to remind you that Jesus came for all people, and to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. The American culture is changing for the worse, and will likely only continue to worsen as the birth pangs increase and the end draws nearer. No matter what happens, God always has and always will be in control.

I also want to encourage you, because Jesus has overcome the world! So don't be discouraged or bitter, but pray and place your hope and trust in Jesus, the Messiah who came to redeem His people and who will return to rule His everlasting kingdom.

No comments: