Was Jesus "American?"

Disclaimer: I grew up in one of the most intensely patriotic families in the country. I am the daughter of an Army major, my fiance is in the Navy, and my future brother-in-law is serving in Iraq as we speak. So this post should not in any way be construed as anti-American. I love this country. It's merely an attempt to provoke American Christians to think more deeply about their American Christianity.

At Hillsdale College, where they synthesis the Judeo-Christian with the Greco-Roman, political and religious circles often blend indiscriminantly. The very roots of American philosophy grew out of the Protestant ethic. What has troubled me most in the past couple years here has been the statement about America being a "Christian nation." So I pose the question: was Jesus "American?" or rather, should America really be considered a Christian nation? Even people who answer "yes" to this question use the term "Christian nation" in many different ways. So in consideration of this topic, let's first try to define what exactly is or should be meant by "Christian Nation," then ask if this model is compatible with Scripture both for our personal lives and in the church's vision for the nations.

First, some people use the term "Christian nation" simply to mean that America was founded by Christian men with Christian ideals such as Protestant individualism and Anabaptist separation of church and state. I can live with this definition. Another definition means the term to refer to Christianity as the religion with which most American affiliate themselves. Also true and one with which I am comfortable. A third definition is one that not only bothers non-Christians but also concerns me. This definition almost completely blends, sometimes intentionally and other times not, all things American with all things Christian. In other words, the America dream becomes the Christian's dream for his/her personal life and the American way becomes the Christian's goal for the world.

(Just as an interesting side note: I think it's worth thinking about that many in the Islamic world that evaluate our claims to be "Christian" say that America is very immoral and has fallen away from its own Scriptures. While we might say the same about extremist Muslims, we cannot deny this claim in good conscience, I don't think.)

I think we got this unhealthy ethnocentrism by adopting the Puritan's "city on a hill" rhetoric which originally came from Augustine. (And incidentally referred to the church as a body of Christian believers, and not a political entity.) Now I do not dispute that we are the freest country on earth with the best system of government ever and that we have the highest standard of living ever known- or that involvement in politics by Christians is somehow bad. That being said, I take issue with blending American ideals and Christian ideals indiscriminantly. Even if we have done it unknowingly, I think it's time to wake up and take a second look.

In the first place, though it has been pounded into our heads, the "American Dream" is not necessarily compatible with the Christian dream for a person's individual life. By the "American Dream" I refer to that idea that "the pursuit of happiness" consists of an individual making his own way to become happy. And that the content of said "happiness" is economic betterment, social status, political and/or academic power and finally, retirement on a golf course in Florida- because, after all, that previous work deserves some rest! And as kids in school we are told that we can do anything and be anything, and we are told that some career paths are more prestigious than others. Now, I am not against working hard, and I am not against Christians who find earthly successes. What I oppose is the motivation that often drives these outcomes, which is just ourselves in many cases.

What should be the goal of a Christian's life? Pauls says, "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14) His goal is the prize of the call of God, which is manifested in Christ. What is the prize? Paul again tells us, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward." (Colossians 3:23-24) Peter tells us that this inheritance is "imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:4-5) And in fact, this treasure is seeing and savoring Christ in heaven for ever! His grace is for us now, but this eternal reward is not for this earth, it is for eternity. Then what is this call of God that leads us to this reward, that bring us to Christ? Look no further than God's most explicit revelation himself on the cross in Christ. Jesus, in fact, beckons to us, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Mark 16:24) (Deny himself? That doesn't sound very American!) A call to become a follower of Christ is a call to suffer- to suffer the agony of a soul faced with its own sinfulness and the agony of a soul then called to live in a suffering, fallen world. Christ promises us, "If they persecute me, they will also persecute you." (John 15:20) The cross is a place of death, and Christ calls us to die to our sin (and in effect to our selfish desires) and also to die for others. So perhaps the path of prosperity is not necessarily the path to Christ. Christ may bless, but as in the case of Israel many times, be wary of relying on the gifts and not the giver! And for another thing, is retirement a biblical concept? NO! Christ promises us rest, but it's a rest in heaven, after the suffering of this life. Does he ever say we can stop laboring for the kingdom and just while away our time in "paradise." I think the idea of retirement is perhaps the most detrimental to the American Christian. It's a worthless and wasteful goal. Sure, there may be retirement from one thing to another, but to think we deserve our yacht and condo! Remember always the saints who pursued Christ with passion among the nations until the end of their lives, at 60, 70, and 80 years old.

Now, America as a nation has a goal for the world- spreading democracy and American culture. I can't argue with democracy, but it can be dangerous for the church to ally itself too closely with American goals for the world. The church, like individual believer, has the goal of pursuing Christ, but God set up the church for a specific work, namely to make disciples. That often includes meeting physical needs, but Christ's primary charge to his disciples was to go out and make disciples of all nations, to bring them Christ who will meet their spiritual needs. Too often, the danger of allying ourselves with American ethnocentrism too heavily is that we want to smother other cultures with our own. We are to be incarnational in our ministry, just as Christ became a man to save sinful men. Paul says, "I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. " (1 Corinthians 9:22) This does not mean sacrificing the truth but it might definitely mean sacrificing our own culture. Paul even had Timothy circumcised because "the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek." (Ats 16:3) Jesus was not "American!" Our attitude when approaching a new culture should be one of openess and servitude, offering them the best way to use their culture and heritage- in the wrship of Christ. So as a body of believers, it should be our main concern to bring sinful people to Christ, even if that means dying to our own culture to reach them.

I know that here on Hillsdale's campus there are organizations that label themselves "Christian" but don't follow Scriptural guidelines. They're more like self-interested cliques that often conduct themselves in a worse manner than their non-Christian counterparts- even excluding fellow Christians. They pursue recruitment for their club with more zeal than they do non-believers to follow Christ. These are not the church! They can never take the place of Christ's bride and must never attempt such. Too often we get caught up in political and social groups and lose our connection to the upward call of God and to his church. This is tragic and often leaves the church (and in this case, the campus) without strong leaders, and gives the world a false impression of Christianity.

In closing, I don't think that the "American Dream" is flawed in that it pursues happiness or pleasure. I think that the problem with the American Dream is that it is not big enough, it does not aspire to enough happiness, and it does not seek enough pleasure. Sound funny? Well, consider that God is the content of Happiness, Joy and Fulfillment. What better way to pursue what most benefits us than by pursuing the glory of God, even if that includes temporal suffering? So let us dream big for Christ and for what he can do through us and through the church for our joy and the joy of all peoples.