This post is part 6 of a series on Christian citizenship, and why I believe mixing Christian identity with American identity is bad for both. My intent in sharing these short Biblical reflections is not to "prooftext", or just compile a list of unrelated Bible verses to support my argument. Rather, I hope to give you little bite-sized thoughts, which I believe represent themes you'll find throughout the Bible and historic Christian teachings.
I hope they make you think.
Today's reason why I want to live as a Christian in a multi-faith nation:
The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “But seek the
welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on
its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7). The
kingdom of Judah actually was a faith-based Kingdom that supposedly only
worshiped the Lord, but they lost that kingdom and went into exile in Babylon.
Jeremiah and other prophets actually thought that exile in a non-Jewish kingdom
was a good thing for God’s people and would lead to greater covenant
faithfulness. In the meantime, he asked people to pray for Babylon.
The major theme of the book of Jeremiah--not just a verse here and there, but the thrust of all 52 chapters--is that sometimes God uses a kingdom that does not worship God (Babylon) to hold accountable a kingdom that claims to worship God (Judah). Sometimes exile in a faithless kingdom is a right and just punishment for not being true to our covenant with God.
In our lives today, I wouldn't say that any person or group of people should call bad circumstances a direct "punishment" from God. But I would say that challenging times can help us grow, if we let them. If it is God's will that Christians have a lot less influence in Western culture (and I tend to believe it is), then this "exile" can teach us something. For one thing, according to Jeremiah, it can teach us how to pray for a city (or a country) that may not share our values. Not to pray that it will become more like us, but simply for its welfare, knowing that its welfare is connected to our own.
For some thoughts on praying for non-believing leaders, check out tomorrow's post.
For more background information read this statement from the ELCA's presiding bishop, or learn about Christians Against Christian Nationalism.
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