Hrooms and Shrooms

I LOVE RUBY ON RAILS!!! =)

Christian Nation?

I recently read part of a discussion online about whether the United States is a “Christian nation.” The thought that struck me was, “Who cares?”

I don’t mean to be offensive. But seriously—why is it so important to us to call our nation a Christian nation? What difference does it make?

We do not live in a culture that loves Jesus. I don’t mean pockets of liberals in Hollywood and New York. Even in the most conservative areas of the country, I don’t think most people treasure Christ above all or live in a way that honors him as Lord. I don’t think Americans as a group understand who God is or what the gospel is about. Many who are happy to say “God bless America” are not at all interested in a real God who matters more than anything in the universe.

I don’t think American Christians should be especially troubled to find that we live in the midst of a people hostile to God. We should long for Jesus to be exalted—in every nation—but why is it important for us to be able to identify the our nation, much less our government, as Christian? Is the gospel advanced by continuing to put the label “Christian” on a nation that is anti-Christ in thought and action? We don’t want our nation to reject God. But if we find that in fact our nation has rejected God, what then?

If we let go of the assumption that we live among a Christian people, it will be easier to see that America desperately needs the gospel. There is value in studying American history and trying to sort out tricky church-and-state issues. But those things can be distractions. They should not be our primary concern.

What if I wake up tomorrow and find that prayer is back in the government schools, and President Obama has unequivocally proclaimed that the United States is a Christian nation? Well, I think I’d have to sit back and say that America desperately needs the gospel.

We ought to be grateful for all of God’s gifts to us, including quite a bit of political freedom and the Christian testimony of some of our early statesmen. But the important thing is not making distinctions between our government and other governments, or between different views of our American heritage. The important thing is that we proclaim Christ crucified, and give our lives to show every nation the glory of Jesus.

My Sensible Wife

Me: “If you were a band, what would you be called?”

Sarah: “Something really sensible. Maybe ‘Sensible.’”

Secession

I like the idea of secession. I think it might be pretty cool if one or more states decided to drop out of the United States and become separate countries. I actually think that splitting the U.S. up into five, ten, or maybe even fifty separate countries might be a great thing for us and for the rest of the world.

So … is that reprehensible? Does it sound “un-American”? It probably shouldn’t sound “un-American,” given that the United States came into being through an act of secession known as the Declaration of Independence. Today’s July 4, and we are celebrating secession! Well, we’re probably mostly celebrating barbecue and fireworks, but I think the original idea was to commemorate secession and liberty.

Happy Secession Day!