Yes, I know I risk another rebuke from the world-famous SBC Plodder for my use of a cliche in the title of this post, but I think it makes an important point. I wrote a post a couple of days ago on this topic and it completely disappeared into cyber-oblivion and I have not been able to relocate it. I spent yesterday going to Omaha to pick up Hurricane William (not the Plodder, my grandson – and his family) from the airport. My contributors have let me down by not giving me anything to post in the meantime, but in the spirit of grandson-induced joy, I will forgive them. I don’t have much time here, but I want to make the point implied in the title, then let you discuss.
America is not a Christian nation.
Don’t even try to argue with me. You know I’m right. Were we ever a Christian nation? That can be debated, and I have heard arguments on both sides. I will give you my conclusion. We have never been a Christian nation, but we were a nation with many Judeo-Christian values drawn from Scripture and with a sense of responsibility to God that drove our founding fathers. But, I don’t see the value in the argument over whether we ever were a Christian nation.
We are NOT one now.
- When a nation permits the murder of 55,000,000 babies in their mothers’ wombs since 1973, it is not a Christian nation.
- When racism and discrimination abound, it is no a Christian nation.
- When a nation’s justice system is unjust and immoral in so many ways, that nation is not a Christian nation.
- When business and sports and politics are overrun by lies, cheating, dishonesty and corruption, it is not the marker of a Christian nation.
- When pornography is among the largest industries in the nation, it is not a Christian nation.
- When the entertainment industry produces the programs we see on television, cable and movies daily, it is not a Christian nation.
- When every form of immorality is normalized and it is viewed as hate to speak God’s truth about such sin, that nation is not Christian.
There is no reasonable measure by which one can assert that we live in a Christian nation today.
Many American Christians have lived under the (I believe mistaken) view that we are a modern-day Israel, a new “holy people” – devoted to God and his service. What we are coming to realize as Christians is that we live in Rome, not Israel. Our culture is godless, set in opposition to the Word, will and ways of God.
Christianity was born in a hostile environment. The Jewish powers-that-be resisted him. When Christianity began to spread, it often ran afoul of the Roman authorities. Yet, the gospel spread, dependent on the power of the Spirit in the lives of believers, not on the sympathy of the government.
- Do I regret recent moves to advocate immorality and sin by our government? Of course.
- Do I wish that America was a land of righteousness, justice and morality? Yes.
- Do I long for days gone by? The older I get, the more I do.
But these are exciting days for ministry. To quote a verse out of context (and still, I think, within the general meaning of the verse), “Where sin abounds, grace much more abounds.” As darkness deepens, the light will shine more brightly if we walk in holiness, exalt Christ, proclaim the gospel, and live out what we preach.
The church was born under Roman oppression but turned the world upside down in 35 years. We live in sinful, wicked, increasingly hostile Rome. But the Jesus is still alive, the gospel still saves, the Word is still true and God is still on the throne.
Welcome to Rome.
