Hope

I’m a Christ-follower. I’m using that term here because the phrase “Christian” has become so watered down and shallow that it means nothing. People use it the same way they use “American” or “hero”.

All three of these words used to have a shared, recognized meaning in our culture. But we no longer have a shared culture, so we shouldn’t be surprised that our words have no shared meaning.

A “Christian” was once defined as “a person who has received Christian baptism or is a believer in Christianity.” But there is no longer a shared definition of Christianity itself. Christians can believe Jesus Christ was divine, a third component of the Trinity with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Or, Christians can believe that Jesus was a good teacher, a wise man who led by example and taught love. Both definitions are equally prevalent in our culture.

An “American” was once defined as “a native or citizen of the United States.” While the law created the idea of birthright citizenship, that was not always the case. And, with recently attempted legislation, residents and citizens of any country will be considered American by their presence within the borders of the United States.

A “hero” was once defined as “a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” Over time, our culture has used hero to describe everything from firefighters and police who entered the World Trade Center on 9/11 to grocery store employees who showed up to work.

These are a very few examples of something I discussed in my previous entry: control and manipulation of the language. When a particular ideological group controls the means of communication, ultimately that group will control the language and how it is applied.

So, those of us who rebel against the group in question must invent our own terms to accurately identify our thoughts and conditions.

Hence, Christ-follower. One who follows Christ. It does not refer to a church or denomination. Rather, a Christ-follower is led by a historical, spiritual and supernatural figure. This makes reinterpreting terms more difficult (although, certainly not impossible).

The difficulty with the current state of the United States of America is that many of us are at varying points. Like Kubler-Ross’ stages, many of us are just now entering the first stage: denial. We believe that the United States is still a perfectly healthy and functional political entity. There’s nothing wrong with a little division, they say. Diversity is good. The government is just trying to keep people safe by lockdown. Rioting and looting can be a sign of a positive change.

This thinking is denial.

But, what makes this stage dangerous in a national death as opposed to the death of a person is that the denial when facing geopolitical entities can gravitate toward a false and dangerous nationalism. I say this as one who went through this phase about 18 years ago.

Americans – and I include myself in this group – once had a tendency to blend their nation and their God. And this is very reasonable given the clear Judeo-Christian influence upon our founding. Thomas Jefferson was clear in the Declaration. There was a Creator. Representative, republican government was established in the Bible in the book of Judges.

But, as reasonable as it may appear on the surface, it is wrong. God, the Creator, Providence . . . whatever Its name . . . stands above nations. He judges nations. He does not favor any man or nation or race over another. So, by claiming that America had an inside track to God, we – I – helped pave our own destruction.

Christ is a personal savior. When we called the United States of America “a Christian nation,” we were being untruthful. A nation cannot be “Christian.” It’s like looking at an inner city parking garage and saying “That’s a General Motors parking garage” when you know full well there will be Toyotas and Fords and Hyundais and Dodges parked in it as well. Unless you’re willing to stand at the gate and bar entry to all other brands, your parking garage will never be a “General Motors parking garage.”

And that is particularly difficult to do if your parking garage is 3,800,000 square miles.

Unlike cars, however, people all have the same creator. And there is only one Savior for them. We will not likely turn all of them into Christ-followers (although, that is the hope). What the United States of America tried to do was to foster that environment by which the greatest number of people would have the greatest level of liberty to pursue their highest dreams. And in that, they might turn to their Creator in thanks and humility, seeking the salvation we all need.

It worked. But only for a while.

We failed in myriad ways. America didn’t eliminate chattel slavery. We withheld the vote from women. America replaced the roles of churches with government and people became greedy. We slaughter millions of babies every year and claim it’s a “right.” We used religion as a stick rather than a carrot in human sexuality.

These were our failings. Gradually, we overcame or are overcoming all of them.

But Satan does not build upon the triumphs of God’s people. Instead, he cultivates their failures.

When we hear black Americans claim slavery or racism give them the freedom to violate God’s commandments, we are hearing the voice of Satan.

When we hear women claim that they are oppressed by a system that favors and supports them, a system that Jesus Christ Himself made possible and achievable, we are hearing the voice of Satan.

When we hear Americans claim that the slaughter of innocents through abortion is a “human right,” we are hearing the voice of Satan.

When we hear people say that sexuality is equal to love and that they are free to do as they choose with bodies that were given to them by God, we hear the voice of Satan.

And, finally, when we hear ourselves say that we are better than any or all of the sinners above who are following the voice of Satan, we become the voice of Satan.

So . . . where does this leave us?

The United States of America was – and, for the time being, is – a wonderful experiment. It was driven by one of the greatest empires in human history, the British Empire, which did more to spread the Gospel than any culture before it. When the American colonies rebelled against the Crown, they were fulfilling the promise of that same empire from as far back as Magna Carta.

But, as the sins of the father often follow the son, the United States’ sins continue to haunt us. America has spread the Gospel to the stars. The Bible has been read by Americans on the surface of other worlds.

And none of this makes the United States of America a “Christian nation.” Such a beast does not exist, cannot exist. We are no different than any other nation. No better, no worse. We are as prone to rise or fall as China or India or Russia or Zambia. In fact, some may say our fall may be more assured precisely because of our spiritual history (that’s a topic for a different day).

The point to all of this is this: I see the coming collapse of the United States of America not as an insurmountable human tragedy, although it is indeed tragic. The world will become a more dangerous, less prosperous place without the stability America has provided.

In that danger, however, amid the poverty that will wash over the world (including America) in waves, there will be God. He will be reaching out to people. Individual people. To protect them. To provide for them. To comfort them. Just as God has done since Eden fell, just as Jesus has done since he was born, just as the Holy Spirit has done since the Universe began.

And in that, I place my faith and all my confidence. Not in a flag. Not in an anthem. Not in a government of men. Not in the United States of America.

But, rather in Christ. And in Christ alone.