The past few years there has been a lie perpetuated through out Christian circles. It has almost become doctrinal in nature. It is nearly always mentioned with the name of Jesus or the Christian church. Christ is used to justify its righteousness. It is a dangerous and dare I say blasphemous lie.
When I was 18 I joined the Army National Guard. I served honorably for 6 years. I did so, because I felt a great honor to be an American and wanted to serve my country. I was and am very Patriotic. I stand for the National Anthem. I am proud of my service. The country I live in is very blessed and I have been blessed through it.
When I was 36 I dedicated my life (and every thing it contained) to Jesus Christ and was born again. At that moment I became a citizen of another nation. The kingdom of God. As a born again Christian, my loyalties and devotion belong to God’s kingdom. My responsibilities as such are to advance His kingdom while living in America. We are just “One nation under God”.
Philippians 3:20 “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,”
The problem for many of us Christians is that we believe that America is “God’s country”. We will use quips like “God first, America second.” When in reality, Jesus says, our motto should be ‘God first, people second’. Mark 12:30-31
America is only a created thing. Unfortunately, many of us have equated being American with being Christian and nothing could be farther from the truth. This is the dangerous lie. Christian Nationalism. The belief that our Christianity is tied to our American citizenship. When we use our Christianity to justify our American moralism we are not giving glory to God. In fact God is probably scratching His head and saying, ‘What?’.
We tend to believe that God somehow needs America’s help and forget that it is we who need His help. America is not Gods poster child for moralism. We Christians who live in America need to humble ourselves before God and beg His forgiveness in misusing His blessings to seek our own agendas instead of His glory.
Exodus 34:14 “Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”
If you think I am way off base here. I challenge you to look through your social media news feeds and likes and follows with an honest eye. Just how many of the “religious” post are about God or Christianity alone? Without any mention of America or some other American moral agenda? Is Jesus alone your God or does He consistently share the spotlight?
Humbly
Mike Brown
