A Christian on the 4th

As the US has wrapped up its 234th birthday, I wonder what the truly appropriate posture for the Christian is to be towards his or her country, in this case the USA. It seems there are two competing factions in the battle for the Christian's affection. On the left, we have Rev Jeremiah Wright (God damn America it says so in the Bible!) and for a little less radical position, Stanley Hauerwas (If your church has an American flag in the sanctuary, you better reconsider your salvation). On the right, there is D James Kennedy, posthumously (Taking back America for Christ by remembering our Christian foundations) to Sean Hannity (America is the World's last best hope). I am reluctant to use Hannity because his is first and foremost a political commentary and not theological, but I do not find many accomplished right wing theologians writing on God ordaining the USA.

Where there are extremes of patriotism and anti-Americanism in the Church I think represent two sides of the same coin. Both find an perverted and watered-down escahton in the realm of politics. To think that the USA is the pinnacle of God's work in history is ridiculous. Thinking that the USA will stand for God's justice with a mighty arm to put down evil fails to account for sin that infects every human and thus the institutions that humans form. America will decline and if history is any indicator, will someday be a repository for archaeological digs. This does not negate the realities of this time in history, it only speaks to the sovereignty of God who determines the time for all things. It is true that the right seeks for find morality embedded in the fabric of America and for the most part, it will be found. However, morality has never really been dictated by the government to the people, it is the other way round. Doing justice in the community and loving your neighbor has been the endeavor of the local population from the beginning, starting with the Church.

On the other side of this coin is the left that finds government's roll to be one of systemic justice dictated by the government. This country COULD be great if only true justice is achieved. The systems must be tinkered with and adjusted and studied until all the inequalities are removed. The system is the problem. Once again, sin is forgotten and the multitude of bureaucracies that seek to fix the system are actually adding sin into the system. When looking at American history, it is easy to find the commissions of evil. So why would the Church seek to abdicate its God-given roll of seeking Justice and doing Mercy and walking with God to the government?

A moral and just community is one forged at the individual level and transferred through meaningful relationships. By giving away its authority to the government, the Church has lost direction and focus...it has traded the Kingdom of God for a cheap substitute. In this headlong rush for justice and morality, I think we have lost sight of a greater reality. In all appearances, God has set things up so that even the wicked among us will find salvation. The wheat and the tares grow up together. This is the hard part of the Gospel, because the wicked can inflict such harm. I think the Church needs to believe it can make a difference and should be the one guiding the country by example, no matter how popular Her detractors may be.