On Being an American Christian

Originally posted on November 1, 2016

What does it mean to be an American Christian?

Christians seem to be confused about the role they are to play in the government of the United States of America. We have people of faith who are adamant that all believers must vote for their candidate of choice, while other people of faith are equally adamant about voting for a different candidate. How hard should we push the government to behave according to biblical principles? Should we vote for candidates who claim to share our faith, even if another candidate seems more suited for the office?

Some claim that the country was founded upon Christian principles, by Christian men. Some did profess a Christian faith, but others had merely an awareness of, and deference to, a divine being. Perhaps they had this deference in mind as they structured the country they had recently fought to create. Perhaps the founding principles had no connection with any faith, but were reactions to the government from which they had freed themselves.

This column will be my understanding of what the Bible says as it relates to the principles upon which the American nation was founded, and upon which it has grown. I make no claim to superior knowledge in this field. I struggle with my role no less than others do. For example, in the 2012 presidential election, I struggled with my decision about the candidate who would receive my vote:

• Could I vote for a candidate who followed a faith that I consider a cult?
• Could I vote for a candidate who claimed to be Christian, but who chose to worship with a congregation that was led by a man who preached with a lack of grace and compassion?
• Should a candidate’s personal faith even be a factor in my decision?

Other issues that could potentially cause me concern include:

• Should I vote for a candidate simply because he believes that an unborn child is a person, with all of the inalienable rights of a person, and is not simply a piece of the mother’s anatomy that can be removed at her leisure?
• Should I vote for a qualified candidate if his campaign consists solely of gossip about his opponent?

Now, I realize that people have varying degrees of acceptance when it comes to the Bible. Some accept it as the absolute, dictated recording from God, without any error or inconsistency. Others reject it as a collection of fairy tales. I accept it as the testimony of God’s action in the world, recorded by human authors, but guided by God’s Holy Spirit. Does it contain errors? There are some differences in some accounts of historical events. There are some statements that seem to be hyperbole. Calling them errors or contradictions, I think, is too strong. The real question for me is, “Is the Bible trustworthy?” Can I trust its testimony about God? My answer to that is a resounding, “Absolutely!” It is with this acceptance of the Bible that I address the issue of being an American Christian. Further explanation of these various views, and the defense of my own view, is beyond the scope of this article, but may be a part of future posts.

Historically, the Church has thrived during persecution. During many of these times, the Church has not attempted to overthrow the government. Some Christians—Dietrich Bonhoeffer, for one—have taken part in such attempts, though. The Church has typically operated at a more pastoral level than that. Ministering to people, the Church has affected cultures, not governments. In the American model of government, should the Church also seek to change the culture, and not spend so much energy on trying to influence election outcomes? In a government “of the people, by the people, for the people”, would the Church change such a government by changing the people it governs? The Bible teaches that we Christians are to be concerned for our neighbors, rendering unto the government that which is the government’s.

Growing up in the South, and in the Church, I realized two things: that the Church was larger than the United States and did not rely on the First Amendment for its subsistence, and that the faith upon which the Church was founded required more than just attendance to weekly gatherings. Faith is hard. It is easy to accept what our parents taught us, and to adopt those thoughts as our own. I did that for a while. It is easy to accept that which was given us from a person of higher learning, and to adopt those thoughts as our own. I did that, too. What challenged me was the realization that there was more to the Bible than any single person, or denomination, or philosophy can explain.

As I have grown, in experience and in age, I have had the privilege of engaging multiple points of view on numerous issues. I have modified my own views as I have found truth in theirs. I have also challenged some of those views according to what I have read in the Bible. In many cases, the person holding that view rejected my challenge outright, stating that the section of the Bible I used was not authoritative, or that my argument was not valid because it did not support their own personal experience.

I hope to present my findings as I search for scriptural guidance about being loyal to Christ while being a good American citizen, and as I search for scriptural guidance about challenging the culture where it conflicts with biblical principles. Sometimes it is difficult to “be subject to every human institution for the Lord’s sake, whether to a king as supreme, or to governors as those he commissions to punish wrongdoers and praise those who do good (1 Peter 2: 13-14, New English Translation).” We, as American Christians, are to “live as free people, not using [our] freedom as a pretext for evil, but as God’s slaves. Honor all people, love the family of believers, honor the king (1 Peter 2:16-17, New English Translation).” How should we live like that?

I welcome those of you who read my presentations to share your own findings. Perhaps together we can change our culture to better enable us to serve our God.