Sun, Feb 8th - 12:15AM

The Higher Call

Thoughts on the Shift in America’s Civil Religion

A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.  Matt. 5:14

          Every society has a civil religion, either official or unofficial.  Every nation and culture has some primary religious underpinning, whether it formally acknowledges the fact or not.  One could travel to virtually any country in the world, and learn what that religion is after a very brief discussion with any citizen thereof.  Many countries today consider themselves secular religiously, but their citizens generally practice some form of religion, or several forms of religion.  A nation’s civil religion is not necessarily identical with some existing historic religion, such as Christianity or Islam etc.  But, the civil religion of a particular nation derives from one or all of the primary religions present in the culture of its people.  For example there are officially Moslem nations as well as unofficially Moslem nations.  The same holds true of so-called Christian nations.  Some were formerly Catholic by governmental decree and others can be called Catholic by virtue of the fact that Catholicism is the majority religion, and that nation’s values have been strongly shaped and determined by the teachings and practices of that particular denomination.  So then, the civil religion of a nation is not necessarily identical with some recognized religious organization or institution.  Rather, there is a value system underlying every culture that is essentially the product of one or more religious systems.  This may be easier communicated by explaining what I believe America’s civil religion has been historically, as well as what it is presently.

          There is a great debate raging today in America as to whether or not we are and have been a Christian nation since our founding.  Impossible as it may sound, there is a certain truth to both sides of this argument.  The secularists who argue that it was never intended nor officially proclaimed that the United States be a Christian nation are, to my knowledge correct.  But the Christians who, in counter-argument say that the mention of God in some of our founding documents, as well as some of the plain statements of some of the founders and early public officials is sufficient to prove that we have been a Christian nation from the beginning are equally correct.  In a cultural sense America has, until very recently always been, a Christian nation.  Now, what is meant when we say we have always been a Christian nation?  Certainly, it does not mean that the commandments and injunctions of the Bible were at any time directly incorporated into our government, even though Bible quotes may be found in some of our public buildings.  What it does mean is that the basic values of American society have always come, in large measure from the broad range of religious systems that owe their origins to the Bible.  From the beginning of the formation of the colonies that later became states of the union, Christian religious beliefs predominated amongst the peoples of this continent.  There was, however a significant humanistic belief system in the colonies, that co-existed with Christianity, as can be seen in the writings of Thomas Paine and even Benjamin Franklin.  But even these professed non-believers in Christ would have admitted to gaining at least some of their wisdom from the Bible and Biblical concepts of righteousness and justice.  Therefore, it is safe, as far as I can tell to say that America has historically been a "Christian" nation, in a very broad use of the term.

          To carry this further, Christians have, (until recently) had a very strong influence upon the American culture and its institutions.  That doesn’t mean that all public policy and political decisions were directly made from the Bible and Christianity.  It does mean, however that a sufficient evidence of Biblical truth and its resulting values can be seen to have shaped and directed us to become the people that we are as a culture and nation today.  The treatment of individuals, of minority racial groups, and of women in particular in America, as compared with most other countries of the world can be readily acknowledged to be far superior to that in those other countries.  Most contemporary Christians might assert that the balance has swung too far today in minority and feminine rights, but, at the same time these Christians would defend the rights of these groups.  The attaining of this superior treatment of individuals in American culture must be attributed to a Judeo-Christian, Biblical social ethic.  Though many anti-Christians today would defend the cultures of the world, nontheless, the stark contrast between these other cultures and ours would slap them hard, almost immediately if they spent just a little time in those countries.  The fact that women and racial minorities are little more than objects to be used and abused in many nations of the world is indisputable.  Christianity and the Bible from whence it derives, has done much to improve the moral as well as the social and economic condition of the American nation.  This benefit is both the envy as well as the point of resentment for many of the other nations of the world.

          As America drifts toward a more secularized, a more paganized and selfish, God-hating society, much confusion has come upon the professing Christian element within her.  The moral decay and self-destructiveness that has infected us in the past generation, and continues to plague us to the very present obviously comes as a result of this trend of secularization.  I think that most Christians would agree with this statement.  The response, however from most believers to the problems stemming from this moral decay is, I believe very misguided, and not in keeping with the whole counsel of the Scriptures.  The Lord Jesus, in what is called His “Sermon on the Mount,” summarizes very succinctly the essence of Christianity, and the disposition that every disciple of His ought to possess.  There is today, however, and has been historically in our nation an ideology that might generally be described as “Dominionism.”  I would define Dominionism as the belief that Christians should and must, not only influence the society and world in which they live, but actually take control of it by natural force, either through violence or by political activism in some form.  The American Revolution is often used as a proof for this belief, as being a result of the Divine Providence of God acting through His willing servants to bring about a more righteous nation and society.  By now, in this writing it should be evident that I disagree strongly with this notion.  Whatever reasons and purposes Almighty God had in allowing the United States of America to come into being as a new nation in the world community of nations, we can only conjecture.  That He would command, inspire and direct His servants to implement such a political upheaval resulting in the establishment of some psuedo-theocratic nation, is presumption of the highest order.  Jesus never taught such a thing, nor did His early disciples practice such activism and rebellion against existing governmental authority, no matter how unjust that authority was.  I call my Evangelical brethren to a simple re-reading of the New Testament, as well as history books detailing the life of the early Christian church.  I’m not speaking about the practices of Roman Catholicism and its unholy marriage to and usurpation of human governments, but rather the unorganized early congregations of believers in Christ.

Somehow, the experiences of the body of Christianity through the past two millennia, particularly the spiritual harlotry of Rome, and later of so-called Protestant Christianity, have brought this great mis-interpretation of the Divine intentions for bringing about God’s kingdom on this earth. 

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.  Jn. 18:36

How could we have erred so badly throughout the church age, and indeed continue in our blatant error in this regard to the very present?  There have been, of course exceptions to this folly in Christendom throughout the history of the church.  It can be established that a remnant of true followers of Christ has always existed, though as a small and persecuted minority.  The Waldenses of northern Italy and southern France, as well as the Anabaptists of Europe during the Reformation were among that remnant who sought to live the simple life of a disciple, with no allegiance nor physical resistance to earthly government.  Quakers and Mennonites were among those who, because of conscience could not participate in the Revolution, the Civil War, nor any other of America’s military conflicts.  This was not because of cowardice, but rather a matter of conviction for which some paid very dearly in our country’s history.

          Getting back to America’s civil religion, there is a “paradigm shift” taking place today that cannot be ignored by any, especially by American Christians.  Somehow, the Old Testament mindset of “possess the land,” which God gave to Joshua and the children of Israel regarding their inheritance of Caanan for their habitation has captured the thinking of modern believers.  We look back at the righteousness that once characterized American culture, the goodness that flourished in our midst, both here and in our generous dealings with the other nations of the world, and we lament with nostalgia and express great concern for our future.  Our hearts rise up to a call for battle against the forces of evil now besieging our beloved homeland.  This happened to me, half a generation ago during the Reagan era.  I took up the cause of political activism to restore righteousness to our nation.  Soon, however, my moral failings brought me to disgrace and imprisonment.  It was there and subsequently that I began to see the futility of trying to re-make and save the world to be something identical to, if not synonymous with the everlasting Kingdom of God.  It is the Sermon on the Mount, and the prophecies and whole counsel of the New Testament that taught me to stand for righteousness wherever I may find myself, but not to resist the great evil that soon must engulf this entire planet.  The shift I speak of in civil religion must, according to Scripture manifest itself in the worship of a human antichrist and his all-encompassing political-religious-economic system before the glorious return of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  (2Thess. 2:3 and the entire Book of Revelation)  All I can hope to do while in this body on the earth is to give witness to this truth, to testify of the salvation offered by the true and living God through His Son.  To swear allegiance to and pick up carnal weapons for the defense of worldly powers is not in my province as one of His followers.  This shift in America’s civil religion must take place, and I cannot stop it, even by fervent prayer.

          I was called to rembrance of all this earlier today, as I was working in a part of Colorado Springs known as “The Broadmoor.”  The house I had been working in was almost directly below the civil-religious shrine known as the “Will Rogers Memorial.”  Patriotic songs chime out at the city from this shrine hourly, being well-heard in the elitist and fairly conservative community below it in which I found myself laboring.  How distraught so many of my fellow Christian and non-Christian conservatives have become over the recent ascent of Barak Obama to the presidency!  But the conflict now being waged was begun and concluded long before the recent election, before Ronald Reagan’s presidency, and, indeed even before the birth of our nation.  Yes, I do feel a certain sadness in seeing all that was good in America dying away, and our beloved country turned into a wicked and diabolical society before my very eyes.  But Jesus gave consolation to me and all who, like me find themselves immeshed in the present turmoil and eagerly look for His coming. 

And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.  Luke 21:28

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father's house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also.  Jn. 14:1-3

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.  Jn. 16:33

 Are the words of our Lord not sufficient to comfort us as we see the world around us being transformed into the God-less, God-hating antichrist system?  Must we, like the world employ human means to fight for what will only pass away?  Must we try and prevail against those whose values are opposed to ours?  Is this our calling, or is our calling to another world which only those who are willing to die to self, can possess eternally?  Is our hope in the here and now, as is the hope of those who are of this present world?  Or are we fixed on another life, in another place at another time in eternity?  Now is the time to sort out these ideas, to examine what the Word of God is truly saying in all that is happening before us, and then, having done all, to stand fast in the grace that He so readily supplies to those who would seek Him.  May this truth find its way into the hearts and minds of all God’s people everywhere in the terrible day and hour in which we now live!

But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil...Matt. 5:39a

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.  Rev. 2:7

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.  Rev. 12:11