Tag Archives: evangelical

God and Country

I believe one failing of American Christians is the temptation to worship country instead of Jesus. I speak as a retired Foreign Service Officer of the U.S. State Department, who proudly served in U.S. diplomatic missions in the Middle East.

Perhaps the temptation to worship America arose in the days immediately after World War II. The Soviet Union threatened Europe with a brand of government openly hostile to Christianity and included persecution of Christians.

Nevertheless, we have too often mixed patriotism, valuable as is the concern for country, with the religion of Jesus, especially evangelical Christians.

Benjamin Crosby, an Episcopal priest, writes: “It is a scandal that the term ‘evangelical’ increasingly means a set of political positions rather than a focus on the gospel of the overwhelming grace of God, not only for those who reject it, but also for those who embrace it.” (“Empty Pews,” Plough Quarterly,” Winter 2024)

Jesus’ messages often drew a distinction between God and country. His gospel was for Romans as it was for God’s called Jewish people, suffering under those Romans.

Jesus was worshiped as God’s Messiah by some of his Jewish followers. However, he ministered to anyone who came to him in need, Jews and Gentiles, zealots and humble fisher folk, religious leaders and prostitutes.

Jesus doesn’t belong only to Americans and those espousing an American way of life any more than He belonged only to Jews in his earthly ministry.

Rescuing Evangelical

 

I can remember growing up in the South during the Civil Rights movement. Some white churches thought that the mixing of the races was a sin. They said they didn’t believe in mistreating blacks, but that God meant for the races to be separate like he had created them.

Most members of those churches considered themselves “evangelicals.” One of the legacies of that time is the narrow view of evangelicals by the media and general public which endures to this day. Evangelicals often are considered bigoted individuals. News analyses during the last presidential election constantly examined the “evangelical” vote and attempted to tie it to the Republican party.

In fact, evangelicals voted for both parties. We might consider a new definition of evangelical that excludes a political designation.

Jim Wallis, editor-in-chief of Sojourners, suggests that many of those voting for Obama were, in fact, evangelicals. Just not white evangelicals. Blacks, Hispanics, and Asian-Americans voted overwhelmingly for Obama, but many in these groups consider themselves evangelical.

Evangelical, he says, is not a political term, as we have tried to make it. It’s a theological commitment that places Christ at its center.

Maybe those of us who designate ourselves evangelicals should question whether we have been serving Caesar rather than Christ.