Sorry for the click bait title, but here you are.
“How dare you say such a thing!” you’re probably thinking. “Don’t you know about the constitution, the founding fathers, the constitution, the…,” the history of oppression, dehumanization of immigrants, the always being late to the human rights party, the corporate greed, manifest destiny, and the rest?
“But, but…,” you might say, “I can explain all of these things you just need to understand them in context.” Well, let’s be real for a moment; there is a point where the glory days of America and God’s blessing on this nation is more of a well-shaped revisionist view of history. Just like many are accusing the “left” of doing right now, “Christian America” has done for decades, if not centuries.
Let’s zoom out on history a little bit.
Some Perspective
The United States, in terms of world powers, is insignificant. It’s been a country for 250 years or so, and a world power for maybe 70. That’s one lifetime. Measure that against the likes of any other empire in world history and I’m sorry to tell you, but the British have you beat.
So why would I say that Jesus doesn’t care about “America”? Because the reality is America is not a “favored” nation, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession (1 Peter 2:9). That description is reserved for the Church of Christ. Not just in America, but in Iran, Iraq, China, Somalia, Mexico, and everywhere else.
America is not special in the eyes of God. Nowhere in the New Testament can we find any theological underpinnings to make a case for that. When you, by grace, are able to remove your rose or red, white, and blue, colored glasses and see this nation’s history as one just like all other nations with moments of beauty and clarity and moments of absolute barbarism and wickedness, you might just begin to be free enough to live as God’s people in the nation he placed you.
True Freedom
Too long have God’s people in America dangled their toes in the pond of political power thinking they could somehow legislate their way to the Kingdom of God. Too long has the church stage been engaged with the idolatry of American flag worship. Too long have pulpits been filled with political pundits pushing conservative politics over the Gospel in word and deed. Too long have your hymnals been filled with songs like “How Great Thou Art” sharing pages with “America the Beautiful”.
Now is the appointed time of God’s purification, and what a privilege it is to lead the church away from Christianity and American patriotism sharing the same bed to Jesus having all the glory as we see ourselves as sojourners and exiles in a strange land (1 Peter 2:11).
How much freer the American Church will be when it sheds the chains of thinking Christians in the U.S. are somehow more exclusively loved in the eyes of the Lord and instead take on a posture of humility that sees our citizenship primarily in the Kingdom of God with the end goal not being a Christian America, but an entire universe where the glory and knowledge of the Lord fills our earth like the waters cover the sea (Hab 2:14).
