Christian Citizenship (Biblical Reasons Why I Want to Be a Christian in a Multi-Faith Nation) Part 34

 

Revelation 21:3-4

This post is part 34 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.

Today's reason I want to live as a Christian in a multi-faith world:
because nations are temporary.

During the 20th century, American Christians had a lot to say about the end times (eschatology, if you want the fancy term). This isn't new at all: many of Jesus' first followers believed he would return to reign over the world in their own lifetime. Martin Luther in the 16th century suspected it would happen in his own time, too. Needless to say, everyone so far has been incorrect. Often when the pace of change in the world picks up, so do speculations about what the Bible says about end times, and whether there might be clues that "this is it!"

During the Cold War and the following years in America, Christians turned to some of the cosmic battles portrayed in Revelation, and wondered what role the US and its allies (and adversaries) might play in these conflicts. Even in my (still kind of short?) lifetime, preachers have recast Revelation's "beast" many times, from the Soviet Union, to Al Qaeda, even to American political adversaries. While the "bad guy" has conveniently shifted over time, the "good guy" in much of American theology has remained constant: usually the modern-day state of Israel, and, not surprisingly, the United States. 

Bear in mind, before I say anything else, that I love our country very much, and I am thankful to God for the blessing and profound responsibility of being a U.S. citizen. That said, if you're reading Revelation properly, no human nation, not even Israel, is the "good guy." That role is permanently reserved for Jesus, the Lamb. And you can't cast any one human nation as "the Beast," because "the Beast" in Revelation stands in for how every human empire acts: using economic and military power to get what it wants, no matter the consequences to God's children. 

At the end of Revelation, John, the author, sees a new heaven and a new earth, centered in a new Jerusalem, which is open to people from all nations. God will dwell with us, to establish justice, and to wipe every tear from our eyes. The need for earthly divisions based on language, ethnicity, race, class, or nation, will be at an end. 

Why do I want us to be careful in connecting our nation and our Christian faith too closely? Because anything to do with our nation is transient. Impermanent. It will fade away, like a dream, as we wake to eternal life with God. Let's not confuse temporary things with eternal things. 

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