America "under God:" A Christian Nation?

As Christians, we believe that we live "under God" as individuals as well as collectively in our communities, regions and nations.  We acknowledge that we live by God's grace and under his judgment.  Regardless of where we live in the world--be it the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, China, Nigeria, Libya or India--we live "under God" whether or not we acknowledge it.

As Christians, although we live in the world, we are set apart from the rest of the world.  We are a holy people, made new in Christ Jesus, chosen by God who called us out of darkness.  The Apostle Paul writes: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind" (Ro12:2).

For the Christian, love of God must always come before love of country.  I  do not believe that my homeland, the United States of America, or any other nation for that matter, is a Christian nation.  America is a nation populated by Christians and, indeed, many of its founding fathers were men of Christian faith.  Without question, Christian values and biblical principles have had a pervasive influence on our systems and institutions.

Suspicious of government because of the abuses of power they had seen in England and elsewhere, our founding fathers created a nation with much needed checks and balances on government power.  They were committed to protecting individual freedom and liberty, including in particular the right to freely express one's religious beliefs.  They came to America, in part, to escape the tyranny of government-established religion in England and Europe. 

Since its founding two centuries ago, America, as a nation of immigrants, has increasingly become a more diverse and plural nation in which many religious belief systems, Christian and non-Christian, coexist and operate with greater freedom than in many other nations.

I am a citizen of America;  I love my country and I am loyal to my country, but my love of God comes first. 

History tells us that governmental institutions and systems and leaders come and ago.  God and his Word, however, are unchanging.

Sadly, much of the world lives in varying degrees of oppression, under tyrannical and corrupt governments that deny them the basic freedoms that we in America and the western world take for granted.

As Christians, we are called to operate beyond selfish concerns and our tribal and national identities.  We are called to shine the light of Christ in a darknened world; to live according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to share the good news, which is the promise of salvation by grace through faith, with the rest of the world.

My hope is that the slogan "one nation under God" would become more than just nice words.  I have a vision of "a city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God" (Hebrews 11:10).  For me, the idea of a nation "under God" is a goal toward which I, as a Christian, will continue to struggle despite the setbacks and obstacles placed in our way.  That does not mean I believe that everything my country does is right or that its leaders always act in the best interests of the people and in accordance with God's commandments and precepts. 

Some Christians believe that because we are set apart, we should be indifferent to and uninvolved in such temporal matters as governance.  They say we should withdraw from participation or involvement in politics, including our civic responsibility to vote.  Instead, they say, we should focus on the eternal things of God.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  We need, as people of God, to stand up and be counted.  We need to be a force in the world promoting positive, real and lasting change--and only the Gospel can bring that about.

The people and nations of this world, now more than ever, need to acknowledge God's judgment, be open to his grace, and genuinely seek his guidance.  For America, especially, to whom much has been given, much will be required.

God bless America!