Tag Archives: Christian nation

Citizenship, Not Worship

Christians have a mixed relationship with nationhood.

Some of the first Christians, in the days of the Roman empire, were persecuted by the Roman government. Their leader was accused of seeking to bring in another kingdom. Even though Jesus said his kingdom was “not of this world,” the Romans were skittish about any kind of movement that might threaten their hold on Palestine, where the first Christians appeared. The Jewish people had always been restive under Roman rule.

Eventually, the religion of Jesus conquered the Roman world, not militarily but with its message of love and care for all, even enemies, over selfishness and material gain. Loving your enemies is a terrible weapon against them.

The breakup of central power as tribes from beyond the empire broke through to settled areas brought more challenges. Christians had to wrestle with varying amounts of power and what to do with it.

As Christianity became a majority religion, its leaders began a struggle, still with us, as to how important political power would be to the religion. In Europe, varying groups committed horrendous crimes against each other supposedly for the cause of their particular brand of “Christianity.”

The discovery of new continents gave dissenting religious groups places of refuge. Perhaps the numbers and variety of the dissenters is what led eventually, though not evenly, to our much praised “freedom of religion” in the United States.

Surprisingly, the number of Christian groups in the new country mushroomed for several centuries, despite the absence of a state religion. Could it be that giving freedom to believers for their own religious directions actually made Christianity stronger? Perhaps it freed them from political power struggles.

New challenges of war and the struggles of people in countries formerly governed by absolute rulers led to new ways of thinking. American Christians, having become more numerous as a result of their freedom to believe without government oversight, greatly influenced the country as it grew in both population and in size.

However, the success of religious groups in the United States may have led to a possible loss of influence. As Christianity became, practically speaking, a sort of “state” religion, perhaps its members became more like members of European established churches. Christianity may have lost some of its vitality, just as established European churches did.

At any rate, supposing any country, including the United States, is a “Christian” nation, or ever has been or ever could be, tempts us with a weakened Christianity. We tend to worship America instead of Jesus.

Jesus doesn’t need nationalistic trappings. Indeed, movements which lead in that direction only weaken the Christian message.

Jesus Was Not an American

I never actually made the mistake of thinking Jesus was an American. However, I may have assumed that my beloved country, the United States of America, was his, that is, a “Christian nation.”

In my childhood’s Vacation Bible School (of which I have many fond memories), our procession at the opening of the day included the American flag, the Bible, and the Christian flag. The American flag was the one I preferred to carry, as I think most of my classmates did. That was a long time ago when the Cold War was at its height.

Perhaps it’s safe to say that most of us in my beloved church automatically assumed that the U.S. was a Christian nation. We belonged right up there with Jesus and the Apostles.

The change for me did not come because I left my church, since I never “left” it. Though I’ve experienced plenty of examination of spiritual matters, my church’s love is probably the reason I’ve remained a member of a church group every place I’ve ever lived, even in foreign countries.

No secular movement has ever surpassed Jesus, in my estimation. I never joined protest movements. Instead, I joined the U.S. diplomatic service and served my country in embassies and consulates in other countries. Seeing “established” religions in some of those countries turned me off the idea of any partnership of religion with state.

Jesus, God’s Son, as I believe, was perfect. No nation can ever carry his name and not smear it.

As a Christian, my duty to my country, as I see it, is to serve it in civil matters: voting, service as I am able, and, keeping up with national and international happenings so that I can vote and serve with knowledge.

To equate America with Jesus or even Christianity is, I believe, a form of idolatry.

Subversives

 

From the time native Americans dealt with British immigrants in the 1500’s at Jamestown and later at Plymouth, diverse peoples have migrated to the country to be known as the United States. Many of the early immigrants were Christians of various Protestant persuasions. Jews entered, too, as well as Catholics and a few atheists and agnostics. Some of the founding fathers were desists, a belief based on reason rather than revelation.

After the United States was formed, Europeans looked askance at the U.S. Constitution for not creating an established church. Surely the nation would fail, lacking any moral compass.

Instead, religion flourished in America. Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians immigrated in larger numbers, escaping turmoil in the old countries. Catholicism bothered some Protestants, with its ties to Pope and priests, but eventually Catholics were incorporated into the mainstream.

By the time of the Second World War, the majority of Americans wouldn’t have disagreed with their designation as a “Christian” nation, or at least a Judo-Christian one.

The aftermath of that war and the ones to follow again upset established suppositions. Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims joined the American mix.

Now, it seems, atheism is the latest bubble in the cauldron. As noted, atheists have been present since earlier times, but they have increased in number. According to some reports, the “angry” phase has passed, and the presence of atheism is accepted by many as a part of the mainstream.

Whenever a group loses dominant status, its members may fight to retain their position by the use of laws and/or force. Such a reaction is seldom successful in this country. The freedom from religion as well as to practice any religion runs deeply. However, if Christians take the early church for their example, they will not only survive but thrive. The early church was a subversive minority in a pleasure seeking world directed by elitist power brokers. They showed their faith, not by seeking domination, but by living what they believed.

Christians have been here before. The Roman Empire knew them well.