The PBS series ended with this thought spoken by Stephen Prothero:
“This is this great conversation we’ve had from the very beginning of American life. We’ve had this notion that this is a special place, and what makes it special is that we have some kind of special relationship with God. The exact parameters of that have always been up for debate. And exactly who’s included has always been up for debate.
And what’s happened over time is more and more and more people have been included. This moment in American religious life really is about pluralism. We just keep making the space bigger, you know, extending the sacred canopy over more and more people.”
These two paragraphs struck me as so absolutely profound in their description of religious discourse in the civil realm of America. At the same time, it also struck me as so revealing in regards to how wide the divide between the common religious talk of the civil sphere of America and true Christianity truly is in reality.
How true it is that the real principle at the heart of religion in the civil sphere in America is the idea that America is special by nature, and that that nature is given to it by God. The second truth accurately captured by these concluding comments is that the real change in this central doctrine throughout time is the assumed definition of that God. A few generations ago the God assumed to make America special was unquestionably either the God of Israel or the Triune God of Christianity (which most Americans assumed to be essentially the same). Now the definition of the God that makes America special is much more nondescript. As the Stephen says, “We just keep making the space bigger, you know, extending the sacred canopy over more and more people.”
The sad thing is there are basically two kinds of professed Christians involved in the civil discussion today. There are those like Glenn Beck who are fine with a nondescript God as long as American exceptionalism remains central to American God talk. And then there are those who desire to return us the the places where the Judeo-Christian God is the definition assumed to support American exceptionalism. These would be people like David Barton of Wallbuilders.   Lately, they had been forced together because American exceptionalism is an idea is under fire by many in the civil realm. And so Beck and Barton come together. Evnagelical Christians and devout Mormons pray together. All make clear through their actions that country is their true God.
I can stand with neither. I know of no biblical reason to suggest that America is special in God’s eyes. It is special in the sense of what it has done in the world and the prosperity it has enjoyed. But as for God flying the American flag, I must argue that God left behind the idea of a chosen nation most clearly and vividly in the year 70AD. And so, I must admit that while I find this special on PBS interesting intellectually, spiritually it does almost nothing for me except reveals how careful we true Christians must be about speaking about God in the civil realm. We must be annoyingly specific about our beliefs about both country and God.
Hey Phil – I see that you’re doing wonderful things at your church – and I want you to know that I read your, “meditations” regularly and appreciate them. This one post is excellent – I too in many of my Bible studies and public sermon proclamations have made it clear that God’s nation is the church – those that believe in the Triune God of Christianity and by God’s Spirit have submitted themselves to Christ. However, I do take exception to one simple phrase that you have in the above comment – that is that God made it clear that He favors no Geo-political nation and that He made that clear in 70ad. The destruction of the Temple was an outward sign of what happened in 33ad. God made it clear that He favors no nation when that veil was torn at the death of Christ. But brother – I must say that I truly value what you write, I truly value this blog, and I truly value that you are a Biblical pastor in an ever-increasing non-biblical world.
God bless you brother!
Chris Ogne
Chris, you are very right. I struggled with that line. I tried to write it to say that it became clear in 70ad what had happened in 33ad. But I am thankful for your clarification.
I only saw the last hour or so of this series so I am not sure how they began their discussion. However, the “America’s most favored nation” status with God all starts with the misinformation that our founding fathers were Christians. If you want to start a heated debate with someone of this thinking, tell them that America was conceived in sin. That is to say, the colonies basis for revolution is not scriptural. This is further confirmed by the historical fact that most of the early colonist were not orthodox Christians and its because of their unorthodoxy that they came to this place.
I appreciate your site and admire your discipline to regular posting!
Russell-
Thanks for reading and commenting. I agree that American Revolution in light of the fourth commandment is an interesting discussion. I think the most faithful founders sensed the issue and try to assuage their own guilt through bad theology about America’s special purpose. Unforgiven guilt is a nasty thing. As far as discipline, I have so very little in life, so I have tried to make this a priority in writing. Maybe someday it will influence the other parts of my life and I can get rid of this gut 🙂
OK – so I come to this discussion a little late…
I must poke myself into this 70AD / 33AD discussion. I think it goes back further than that. A glimpse into God’s political “allegiance” (a human term that I find way inadequate, but use it for lack of another falling out of my pea brain and onto the keyboard) is here:
2 Chronicles 7:13-15
13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.