Not a Christian Nation

We are not a Christian nation! In the Bible, there are two changes in people after they accept Jesus.  They reject violence and personal wealth.

There is plenty of violence in the Old Testament; but none by the followers of Jesus. They are persecuted, jailed and even killed but never fight back with violence. This matches with Jesus that teaches “Do not resist an evildoer“; “For those who want to save their life will lose it”; “Love your enemies”. Jesus dies on a cross demonstrating the self-sacrificing love required to follow Him. The apostle Paul believed in violence until he met Jesus. We cannot pick up our cross unless we put down our weapons.

Not storing up money for personal use actually goes back to the Old Testament; where the Israelites with means were required to lend interest free to any in need. Then every 7 years that debt just goes away. A massive redistribution of wealth. Jesus doubles down on this stating “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth” and tells the parable Lazarus and the rich man.  Zacchaeus voluntarily gives half his possessions away and says he will pay others back 4 times over. The rich young ruler is told to first sell all his possessions then he can follow Jesus, sadly he does not. In Acts, His first followers would sell their possessions to provide for anyone in need.

I don’t think there is such a thing as a Christian nation. MLK Jr stated “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool.”. The government needs a level of violence and a level of self-interest which is incompatible with the self-sacrificing love of followers of Jesus. True Christianity only spreads through love and people being moved by that love. It needs to stand above and separate from any nation.

Most of the Church today has become a tool of the state and so has ceased following Jesus. The US is the only industrialized country that does not provide healthcare for its citizens. We have the highest incarceration rate in the world. We have the death penalty. We spend more on weapons both personally and nationally than any other country in the world. We are the country that has school shootings. We have one of the worst wealth inequalities in the world. The level of speech and legal representation depends on your wealth. We are not in love with Jesus. We are a nation that believes in oppressing the least of these by violence and wealth.

Lastly, there are many that follow the self-sacrificially love of Jesus without identifying as Christian. Jesus even states people can reject Him, but must accept the Holy Spirit. I feel unity with those that believe in love over violence and greed across religious or any other borders.