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IS AMERICA A CHRISTIAN NATION?Conservative
Christians and pastors claim that America had a Christian beginning. |
"Patriotism
is the last refuge of a scoundrel." |
But, in truth, our nation was founded on liberty, democracy, and republicanism by men whose first motive was to keep their plantations and capitalistic ventures safe from the King of England's heavy handed taxation. American was founded on rebellion against a king:
Romans 13:2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Ecclesiastes 8:4 Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?
Proverbs 16:14 The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.
So, why is America not a Christian nation? The word Christian was a slur at first used of the early Church believers in Jesus Christ in the Antioch area.
Acts 11:26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
Who were called "Christians?" Answer: Disciples. People. Nations are never called Christian in the Bible. Why? Jesus did not die for nations. He died for people-- ONLY people. People get saved one by one. Nations cannot believe on the Lord Jesus Christ nationally. It is blasphemy to claim that a nation is Christian.
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Friends are people, not nations. And, Jesus did not die for church organizations, such as the Roman Catholic Church as an entity. Much heresy comes from calling Jesus Christ the Savior of anything but people.
After the July 4th celebrations of the USA in the recent past, and after many Bible believing pastors made fools of themselves by mixing patriotism with Christian zeal, we need to step back and ask to whom we belong. Are we the people of God in Jesus Christ, or are we the people of America? The Anabaptists of long ago had to deal with this. They concluded that they were commanded by the Word of God to render to Caesar what is his.
The Donatists of Constantine's day also had to decide who would receive their first loyalty. The Russian Baptists had to decide if they were saints of Soviets. It is high time Fundamental Baptists and other Bible believers understand that the USA has become a pagan place more advanced in evil that many African nations ever were.The flag some saints salute now stands for killing unborn babies, it stands for open nakedness and sexual acts in rock concerts as freedom of speech. There comes a time when the true Bible believer has to make decisions to not participate and not claim patriotic allegiances because his neighbors interpret that loyalty with filthy living.Does the Word of God speak of this?
Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.
Isaiah
1:13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new
moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity,
even the solemn meeting.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul
hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
15 And when ye
spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many
prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
The national efforts at religion are always directed at God in general, never Jesus Christ. Allah is now mentioned with affection by our national leaders, while Barak Obama bows to Mecca eagerly when he has a chance.
All political candidates for high office play the religion card. Bush was born again because he said he had a cup of tea with Billy Graham. We hear religious talk about God from Republican candidates more than Democrats, but God is not impressed. Donald Trump was courted eagerly by Evangelicals and Charismatics though Trump has had two divorces and claims he never confesses sin.
Another great decoy is the abortion issue. Republicans are always antiabortion. Barbara Bush was almost pro-choice, while George W. Bush did nothing to stop it. During the Obama era the Republicans have talked less and less about murder in the womb.
During the 2011 Republican debates, Ron Paul was the one who was declared a winner several times. He chattered about God several times, AND he would legalize pot and would make sodomite marriage and abortion optional. Ironically, Ron Paul is the darling of thousands of Bible believing Christians.
So what? This is the Christianity of America. Washed out generic religion that offends no one. Why would any Bible believing pastor want to call this profane religion into his pulpit by wrapping the Bible in the American flag? It is time for those who understand these things, and those who have studied the history of false religion in the magestrorum (state religion is ALWAYS false), to demand that these vile emblems of national patriotism be cleansed from our church life. More and more, pastors are falling in service at the feet of the Republican Party. Why can we not just set our face toward heaven and The Lord Jesus, and be about our Father's business?
Colossians 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
John
17:13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they
might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
14 I have given them thy word;
and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am
not of the world.
15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world,
but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of the world,
even as I am not of the world.
You are NOT of this world any more than Jesus Christ is of this world. Jesus Christ is not an American, and you are not an American. What Caesar requires of you, driver's license, social security, even if he issues you an ID card-- so what-- render to Caesar so that you can do your work to support your family, worship quietly with the saints, and win souls.
Luke
10:40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord,
dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore
that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha,
thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful:
and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
Are you at Jesus feet, or are you protesting at the abortion clinic? Are you exalting Jesus before lost sinners, or are you promoting the Tea Party?
Preacher, how old are you? How many years do you have left? As you lay dying, will you be rejoicing that you helped elect a Republican President or Senator, OR, will you rejoice as you recall the souls whom you have brought to the feet of Jesus? Will you recall the saints you discipled to maturity? Some of you slow bellies will have nothing to rejoice in except your endless and pointless battles with Caesar. How sad.>/FONT>
IS
IT TIME TO STEP BACK
AND LET GOD VOTE AND TAKE CHARGE?
Proverbs
21:1 The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth
it whithersoever he will.
2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes:
but the LORD pondereth the hearts.
We see in this text that God will move kings hearts to do his will. He may cause them to take his people into captivity for their sins. He may cause them to feed his people and defend them. He may cause the king to depend totally on his men for guidance, as the king did with Joseph, Daniel, and the three Hebrew men. He may cause kings to beg his people to inhabit the land, as the kings of the Mediterranean did with the dispersed Jews after the fall of Jerusalem.
Daniel served under the Babylonian kings, and then, in a very short time after the Persians took Babylon, Daniel was back in the second seat of power with the new governing king. If Daniel had been possessed with loyalty to Babylon instead of to Jehovah, he would have been killed. His open window facing Jerusalem was his only soul's loyalty. His other responsibilities were simply an early version of Jesus words, "Render to Caesar...."
Hebrews
11:24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son
of Pharaoh's daughter;
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people
of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
Moses benefited greatly from his upbringing in the courts of Egypt, but the day came when he rejected his Egyptian citizenship and defied the king whose family raised him. What God was doing became a higher calling than loyalty to the king.
What is the point?
Just this-- Your loyalty is supposed to be to Jesus Christ and no one else. All temporal, earthly, national, alleged patriotic, allegiance are to be submerged under the higher call. It is now very difficult to claim that Americanism and patriotic zeal is acceptable to a Bible believer. The USA has come to be a greater killer than Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin. Hitler send people to the gas chambers, and America sends people to dumpsters behind abortion clinics. Even those who claim to be against abortion show no real zeal to stop it. They only say they are against it so that Bible believers will vote for them. Such is George Bush and most Republican Senators.
Jeremiah told the Jews to stand back, do nothing, and submit to their fate from Babylon. They refused, retained their zealotism, and fled to Egypt. They died there in disgrace as God predicted. It may well be that God will be the great Elector in the coming election, and it may be that Bible believers would do well to stand back and see what God will do. More wicked men than George Bush and John Kerry have been forced by the hand of God to call on God's people to assist them and counsel them.
Psalms
4:4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and
be still. Selah.
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust
in the LORD.
6 There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift
thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.
7 Thou hast put gladness in
my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.
8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me
dwell in safety.
Do you trust God to vote for you in this election? Do you trust God enough to just be still and lay down-- To rest in confidence in his mercy and love for his Church?
A VERY TROUBLING LETTER FROM A READER
This letter is about 99% accurate and justified. It could be less troubling if it were written by a Massachusetts White Liberal, but instead, it is from the mind of a Bible believing Black US soldier, a lady. Some of you who read this will fall back on racist responses. You don't count here anyway. You who love the Lord will see that this lady is not a racist. But, she sure is thinking righteously, and we need to include these thoughts in our deliberations as American Christians.
Dear Steve,
work. Yesterday in the church I went to, the pastor preached on how it is our duty as Christians to vote for a Christian leader. He said that Christians are not free in a country where a non-Christian is the leader. He said that when Bill Clinton was president, we lost most of our freedoms we enjoyed as Christians, and that it is our duty to be patriotic, say the pledge of allegiance to the flag, and all that red, white and blue mumbo jumbo.
He talked about how our founding fathers were Christian men and were looking ahead to the future to generations who would enjoy a nation that had God at its center. He kept saying that it is our duty as Christians to vote for George Bush. He used Exodus chapter 1 as his proof text. He said that there was a pharoah in Egypt who knew Joseph, but then there came a pharoah who didn't know Joseph and put the people of God in bondage, and not only put them in bondage, but dealt harshly with them (torturing, beating, starving the people) Likewise, he reasoned, if a leader is in the white house who does not know God, all of our freedoms will be taken away; we will all be put into bondage.
I don't fault him too much because he is a former soldier. But as he was preaching, I couldn't help thinking about all of the black slaves in this country who were enslaved in a country whose leaders claimed to be Christian. Many of the blacks that were brought here as slaves were already Christian. They had been captured by black Islamic terrorists and sold to the Europeans for weapons and other goods.
These Christians were brought to a country to be enslaved and mistreated by people who were supposed to be Christian. Every time the pastor mentioned the words "founding fathers," I cringed. If so-called "Christian" nations don't enslave people, or beat them, then how do they explained black slavery? These same "Christian" leaders owned slaves. They sold husbands from their wives. They sold children from their parents. As a black person, I cannot call George Washington or Thomas Jefferson my founding fathers.
Don't get me wrong, I love this country and I love white people--I am married to a half white, half Asian Indian man. But I cannot agree with the false idea that America is a Christian nation when it treated the slaves and the freed blacks so harshly. I know your reasons are better than mine; for you quote Scripture to back up your stance. This I most certainly agree with. But history is also good evidence that America has never been nor ever will be a Christian nation. I found the following Scripture on Bible Gateway. I think it more accurately describes the nations of the world, including America and its leaders, who serve the Lord with their lips but the heart is far from Him (as evidenced by their deeds). >/FONT>
Psalm 2:1-12 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
Love in Christ,
K____________
EDITOR: Steve Van Nattan-- Responding to this lady
I agree with you completely. I don't think there were a large percentage of really born again slaves from West Africa, but there were some, in coastal areas where slaves were harvested, who had been lead to Christ by British missionaries. The supreme irony is that other White race people turned these saints into livestock. God was not amused. I believe, as do a good number of Bible teachers, even south of the Mason Dixon Line, that the Civil War was driven by demonic power and was God's way of evening the score and breaking the momentum of slavery in the South. The battles during the Civil War were beyond understanding. Men and officers would rage and run into one another's cannon fire like they were mad and wanted to die. My pastor believes many of them were driven by devils. God was making the last comment on slavery.
ANOTHER LETTER:
I know you hate flattery but I will tell you anyway - excellent article.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15b)
I think I have seen and heard it all when it comes to false doctrine but it just leaves me flabbergasted and dumbfounded that any Christian would exchange the promises of Christ for the mess of pottage offered up by the Republican Party and George Bush. What are they thinking? Doesn't their salvation mean anything to them? The closest thing that compares is the Children of Israel worshipping the golden calf after being delivered from Egypt by Moses and seeing the mighty works of God at first hand. The Bible testifies that it happened and I believe it but the whys and wherefores would tax the mind of any psychologist.
Tax cuts and protection from the terrorists are nice, but eternal life and the promises of God are so much better. I am an American because I was born here but my citizenship will be in heaven since I became born again. I wouldn't exchange it for anything.
PHILLIP S_________________
LINKS:
Here is a classic example of the profane mixture of God and patriotism.
Here is what pluralism has brought us.
This man has a "right" to exalt his Satanic cult. This is terminal-- death of America.The salvation of America-- The Bill of Rights? Do you preach this, preacher?
It is not something Roman Catholics deserve that Barak Obama is persecuting them by demanding they sterilize their people and provide them contraception. This is a powerful message, and I insist that you watch it.
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