New Series: Christian Citizenship (Biblical Reasons Why I Want to Be a Christian in a Multi-Faith Nation)

 

It's been quite a while since I posted in this blog, although I've been sharing some devotions on my Facebook page in recent weeks. A lot has happened in my life, both on a personal, family, and professional level. In the fall, my wife received a diagnosis of breast cancer and began treatments. In January, I accepted a call as pastor of Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bay City, Michigan, and we moved to the east side of the state. The kids are all in new schools. It's been hectic, to say the least. But now that I'm able to come up for air, so to speak, I think it's time to start writing again.


Almost five years ago, the presiding Bishop of the ELCA, Elizabeth Eaton, released a Statement Against Christian Nationalism, which affirmed that "America has no second-class faiths" and that the government "should not prefer one religion another religion or nonreligion." This statement was rooted, not in any political platform, but rather in our commitment as Christians to love our neighbors as ourselves.


During that time, I wondered if such a statement was really necessary. In the U.S.,  we already have "separation of church and state," and the First Amendment, which says that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."


Still, over the last five years, I've seen more and more little signs that some Christians would rather the entire country be Christian: and not just Christian, but their specific kind of Christian. I've had people walk into our church buildings wanting to distribute newspapers bearing a cross and American flag together, and offering partisan political talking points next to prayers. I've heard from pastors serving in towns whose school boards were pressured to allow Christian groups to pick up students during the school day and teach them Bible lessons (from a particular Christian perspective) rather than art or music. I've fielded phone calls from local organizers asking our congregation to say the Pledge of Allegiance as part of our worship service. (What our pianist at the time, who is a Christian and a South Korean citizen, would have made of this, I don't know.)

It's little things like these that make me think it is time for Christian leaders to offer more teaching on Christian Citizenship.

Before I start, I want to make clear: I believe that faithful Christians can also be strong, passionate patriots in the nations where they live. In my work with the Boy Scouts of America, I have met many people who fill both categories admirably. I just think that mixing our nationality with our Christian faith, so that we think of Christians as "more American" than non-Christians, or that all Americans should be "more Christian," is harmful for both our faith and our nation.

And my thoughts on this don't come from my reading of our constitution or of American history. Those are not my areas of expertise.

I resist Christian Nationalism because of what the Bible says.

Merging our faith with any one nationality, treating it like the same thing, is both unbiblical and un-Christian.

So in the coming days, I'll be making my case in this blog. The series will be called Christian Citizenship, or Biblical Reasons Why I Want to Be a Christian in a Multi-Faith Nation.
I hope you will join me for this discussion.