Polls show that as many as 80% of Americans consider themselves Christian. How is this possible when church attendance is shrinking, Biblical illiteracy is at an all-time high, and the moral climate in the U.S. has slid as much as it has? The primary reason is that the definition of what it means to be a Christian becomes distorted when we mix it with nationalism. Unfortunately, Christians are largely to blame for fueling this distortion.
For far too many, the picture they hold of Christianity is equated with American middle-class values. It makes sense. If America is a Christian nation, then the actions of its people must reflect the call of Christ. And that's the reason believers should never refer to any nation as Christian.
The confusion is compounded when Christians identify any political party as being expressly Christian. There may be Christians within that party, and you may like and support what that party stands for, but it is a fallible, human institution and it’s leadership and values may change at any moment. Jesus was careful not to identify himself with any political agencies. God never gives us a model for a perfect political organization. Therefore, we move beyond the teachings of Scripture when we advertise a political party as God's perfect choice, and we confuse a needy world.
This doesn't mean that we cannot be politically active. Our society needs our influence. But we identify with Jesus and his church (an imperfect human institution that points to Jesus, not itself, as the answer while actively serving Christ by serving the world).
The Bible works against the idea of a Christian nation. That idea was abandoned through the work of the cross. Now there is God's Kingdom made up of those who believe and follow Christ. We are now salt and light for the nations, cities, and communities we live in.
When we declare America as a Christian nation, we too closely identify ourselves with the world and it's standards, and we begin to lose our saltiness. When we speak of Christian nations, we are allowing the nation to flavor us, and we are no longer flavoring the nation. That is why the majority of Americans can call themselves Christians while living for the world.
The answer is to see our communities as mission fields. We need to acknowledge that a nation changes when the hearts of it's people change. We should be involved in politics, but it should never be our focus. Reach enough people and politics will take care of itself. In a democracy, our politicians reflect the people who vote. That's a hard pill to swallow because we would like to think they are nothing like us, but remember we put them in place. Jesus never said the Kingdom would come through impersonal politics. There is no buffer. The Kingdom of God comes because we risk with our neighbor. We love. We serve. We share the gospel. Jesus gave us no other way.
The concept of a Christian nation not only confuses people, it also creates an excuse for us to keep our hands clean from the hard but, rewarding and life-giving, work of the gospel. The concept of a Christian nation is both unbiblical and a cop out.
I'll visit this topic one more time on Monday to confided who this effects our youth.
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