Christian Citizenship (Biblical Reasons Why I Want to Be a Christian in a Multi-Faith Nation) Part 30

This post is part 30 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 why I want to live as a Christian in a multi-faith nation:

Two words. King David. 

This summer, our church has followed the semi-continuous lectionary, which means some our Bible readings have been telling the story of the first few kings of Israel.

We've heard the story of Saul, the first king, who is anointed with oil as a sign of God's blessing, then loses that blessing almost immediately, then tries anything and everything--including murder and black magic--to try to get the blessing back. 

And we've heard the story of King David, who, with God's anointing, defeats the giant Goliath in combat, unites all twelve tribes of Israel, and establishes Jerusalem as a capital--only to turn around and commit adultery with Bathsheba and have her husband murdered. When Nathan, the prophet, tells a parable about a rich man, with many lambs of his own, who stole the lamb of his neighbor just because he could, David is enraged and says the man should be punished. Nathan replies, "you are the man!"

Both Saul and David are anointed kings of Israel. The Hebrew word for "anointed ruler" is usually translated in English as "Messiah" or "Christ." Christians believe that the last and definitive "anointed king" is Jesus, who still reigns in heaven. 

What does this have to do with our own country today? It means Christians enter into civic life knowing that rulers are imperfect. Saul, David, and a long, tragic line of other faithless kings showed us we need to trust in God alone. Christians in modern times don't anoint kings. We don't have Messiahs or Christs, except for Jesus. No human being should ever have our religious devotion. No political figure, no matter how much we agree with or like them, should ever be lifted up as "God's choice" or the "only choice" for people of faith. Jesus, our one and only king, has sent us the Holy Spirit, to guide us in making decisions for ourselves about how to care for one another in our public life. Let's leave the anointing for our baptism--through which we are ALL marked with the cross of our true Christ.  

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

 

Christian Citizenship (Biblical Reasons Why I Want to Be a Christian in a Multi-Faith Nation) Part 29

 

This post is part 29 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 why I want to live as a Christian in a multi-faith nation:

In 1520, a few years into the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther wrote a paper called On the Freedom of a Christian. His basic proposition was, 

"A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none.

A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all."

Luther's premise is that our souls are set free only by the Gospel of Christ, which gives us saving faith. No rule imposed by any person can effect salvation the way the Gospel can. We still follow rules, but they can't save us. Spiritually, we are free from the constraints that human rules, even religious rules, can put on us. 

Therefore, spiritually speaking, we are subject to none but Christ.

On the other hand, the faith created by the Gospel gives us the desire to serve others as Christ first served us. 

Therefore, we are servants, subject to all. 

We are beholden to no one for our salvation, but we are committed to serving all people, following the example of Jesus. 

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

The freedoms which Luther described, which come from the Gospel, are grasped by faith alone--not by force. True faith can't be imposed on you by your family, your government, or your schools. It can only come from within. 

Christians are certainly free to choose parochial schools for their children, if that makes sense for their family. But trying to set up an environment where Christian schools have an advantage over public schools, or trying to force public schools to include Christian content in their curriculum, will not produce more faith. It will only show that we have abandoned our calling as dutiful servants of all. A servant does not compel their master to do what the servant thinks right.  

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

Christian Citizenship (Biblical Reasons Why I Want to Be a Christian in a Multi-Faith Nation) Part 28

 

This post is part 28 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.

I hope they make you think.

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

I wanted to avoid tackling news headlines directly in writing these posts, but this one is hard to avoid. 

This week, the state of Louisiana passed a law requiring that every public school classroom have an 11"x14" display of the Ten Commandments. The proponents of the law have stated that it is constitutional because the value of the Ten Commandments is as a foundation for the rule of law, and "not solely religious."

A reminder: The Ten Commandments, found in Exodus Chapter 20, begin with the words, 

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me."

Do the Ten Commandments represent an early example of public law? Of course.

 But as someone whose job it is to teach young people that the core meaning of all ten of the Ten Commandments is, "we are to fear, love, and trust God above all things,"  to say their meaning is "not solely religious", is frankly an attack on my faith. 

I want my kids to understand that the Ten Commandments are first and foremost about their relationship with God, the Lord, who brought Moses and the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. I want them to see God's law as a sign of God's love, as a guide for free people, as a protection from evil, and most importantly, as a reminder of our need for God's grace and forgiveness, freely offered in Jesus Christ. 

I don't want to have confirmation students coming in with a head full of misguided notions about their own holy texts, that were forced upon them by public school teachers, who in turn had it forced upon them by legislators. I want, and I reserve the right, to exercise my office of teaching the Word of God. God's Church needs a lot of help in a lot of areas, but thanks anyway, Louisiana, we do not need a hand with that. 

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

Christian Citizenship (Biblical Reasons Why I Want to Be a Christian in a Multi-Faith Nation) Part 27

 

This post is part 27 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.

I hope they make you think.

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

In article 13 of its draft social statement, the ELCA says, 

“religion can create divisions in civic life or can contribute to mending the torn social fabric and reconciling divided peoples. This church urges all people of faith to seek a constructive role that counters growing polarization, distrust, and ill will. Religious traditions can offer particular gifts of moral vision, inclusion, and compassion sorely needed in U.S. civic life.”

Christians should be people of peace, not people of division. In the letter to the Ephesians, the apostle writes that Jesus is our peace, because he has broken down the dividing wall between Jews and Gentiles. In Christ, people from very different ethnic and religious backgrounds are one. 

Jesus is our peace, our unity. When we are trying to unite and reconcile our neighbors, when we are pursuing peace instead of mocking and belittling those with whom we disagree, we are acting like people of peace. We are acting like Jesus. When we act out of fear, loudly defending our faith and attacking our neighbors, we are showing people a face of religion that is nothing like the face of Christ. 

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

Christian Citizenship (Biblical Reasons Why I Want to Be a Christian in a Multi-Faith Nation) Part 26

 

This post is part 26 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.

I hope they make you think.

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

In its draft social statement, the ELCA says in article 26, 

“The United States is not a ‘Christian nation.’ It was not founded on specifically Christian principles, though Christians and Christianity did influence its ethos. The premise of the Constitution and its ratification is that the sovereign is ‘we the people,’ not ‘we the Christians’.”

Just as the statement rightly points out that the United States was not founded on specifically Christian principles, the flip side is also true: Jesus himself did not send his followers out to found any new nations! 

His closing command in Matthew's Gospel, often called the "Great Commission," is to make disciples of all the nations. The language, culture, or form of government was not their concern. To say he had any kind of special concern for the land that would one day become the United States is totally unbiblical. What Jesus wanted was for each nation under heaven to have his baptized disciples in its midst.

Seems to me that the question Christians should be asking is less about whether our nations founders were disciples of Jesus, and more about whether we ourselves are.    

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

Christian Citizenship (Biblical Reasons Why I Want to Be a Christian in a Multi-Faith Nation) Part 25

 

This post is part 25 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.

I hope they make you think.

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

A few days before his death, Jesus is approached by two Jewish groups, the Pharisees and the Herodians, and asked whether God's law allows paying taxes to Rome. Without delving too deep into first century history, suffice it to say that Pharisees and Herodians do not normally cooperate, and this question is meant as a trick: it will force Jesus to declare allegiance to a particular side of a political argument at the time. Jesus refuses to take the bait. "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and give to God the things that are God's." (Mark 12:17)

Article 34 of our ELCA's Draft Social Statement on Civic Life and Faith reads, “Christ’s church should not bless any particular political theory; no political system or theory is final or ultimate. To the extent that U.S. government is formed for the general welfare and guided by good principles, whether rooted in Christian ideas or not, it should be affirmed. It is for these reasons that our church objects to religious bodies endorsing or supporting candidates or parties, or exercising partisanship in any way.”

Jesus never joined any party in his own time, and the Church as the Body of Christ should never engage in partisan politics. We vowed at our baptism to "strive for justice and peace in all the earth," which does entail taking an active role in our communities and our political systems. As individuals, we absolutely should take part in the process, and maybe even run for office if the Spirit calls us. But as a church, we dare not, and we will not, say that God endorses only one party in our deeply flawed system. God is not a Republican or a Democrat. Full stop. 

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

Christian Citizenship (Biblical Reasons Why I Want to Be a Christian in a Multi-Faith Nation) Part 24

 

This post is part 24 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.

I hope they make you think.

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

As summer begins, I'm finding a little more time to read and study. High on my reading list is a draft ELCA  Social Statement on civic life and faith. 

(Social statements are teaching documents designed to guide the congregations and other expressions of our church. They are adopted by a two-thirds majority of ordinary church members at our denomination's churchwide assembly.) 

I'm finding this document to be really useful in reflecting theologically on problems we're facing as a nation. 

Article 9 of the proposed statement reads, 

"To 'walk humbly' with God (Micah 6:8) must include welcoming and acknowledging the ideas, values, and contributions of all people, regardless of their religious tradition or worldview. Christians, as individuals or as the church, have no guaranteed higher or better reasoning than other people in religious or nonreligious communities."

Humility is a core Christian value found in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. To be in a relationship with God, we must acknowledge our human limitations. Christians do not believe we are wiser, more talented, more morally pure, or better able to know the mind of God than other people. In fact, a key part of our theology is that we are sinners, in need of God's grace. Therefore, we are called by God to listen to the ideas of others in conversations about public policy. 

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