Christian Citizenship (Biblical Reasons Why I Want to Be a Christian in a Multi-Faith Nation) Part 32

 

This post is part 32 of a series on Christian citizenship, and why I believe mixing Christian identity with American identity is bad for both. I hope to give you little bite-sized thoughts, which represent themes you'll find throughout the Bible and historic Christian teachings.

It's getting to be time for me to wrap this series up. I'm thinking 40 is a nice, round, biblical number. Truly, it's a much higher number than I thought I would reach, but it appears the Bible has a whole lot to say on the topic of nationalism.

Today's reason why I want to live as a Christian in a multi-faith nation:

In the conclusion of the Ephesian letter, an author talks about a topic that makes many Christians squirm: spiritual warfare. He begins this conversation by reminding his readers that this kind of warfare is just that: spiritual. It's spiritual because the enemies of God are spiritual. Even though flesh and blood human beings do all manner of things that make God sad and mad, they are not God's enemies. They are God's children. The enemies of God are spiritual: rulers, authorities, cosmic powers of this present darkness. God has not and will not call disciples of Jesus to make war on other children of God. 

I'm going to say that again. God has not and will not call disciples of Jesus to make war on other children of God. 

But what about the Old Testament Holy Wars? Well, Joshua was not a disciple of Jesus. 

But what about Just War theory? That's a longer conversation, but to me that is never a "calling" from God. "Just war" happens when people are backed into a corner and forced to choose the least egregious way to disobey God. They are not fighting enemies of God. They are fighting God's children. 

What does this have to do with living in a multi-faith nation? 

In a single-faith nation, a nation with just one spiritual perspective, when an enemy of the state arises, Ephesians 6 goes right out the window. The enemy of the state is very quickly portrayed as God's enemy, and the armies of the state very quickly eschew God's armor for real, literal armor. This has happened to predominantly Christian nations throughout Christian history. From the Crusades to the American Civil War to the present-day conflict in Ukraine, we have seen Christians killing Christians believing those other Christians are somehow the enemies of God. 

God does not have human enemies. God's enemies are spiritual. 

Worse yet, in our increasingly polarized culture, you are starting to hear Christians of one party declaring Christians of the other party to be enemies of God. This is not orthodox Christian teaching, and it must not become the norm. 

That's it. That's the post. Nations have human enemies; God doesn't. The end. 

For more background information read this statement from the ELCA's presiding bishop, or learn about Christians Against Christian Nationalism.