Vigile for Connecticut & for America

A couple of days ago, a lone gunman bent on destruction entered the elementary school that his mother, a kindergarten, worked in.  The young man was heavily armed and focused.  Within a matter of minutes he had unleashed a storm of dozens of live rounds, killing 26 people including his own mother, before presumably turning the gun on himself.

This horrendous and terrifying episode comes not as an isolated incident, though uniquely horrible because of the ages of the victims, but is becoming a more regular event in recent American history, having been more than ten mass-shootings in the past three years.  And as the American public, once again cries out in grief pain at this harsh tragedy, let us look to the God of healing and of comfort for our strength and our relief.

It is a striking terror for a gunman not much an adult himself comes armed into a school full of children for the expressed intent of destruction.  More than anything this event, as ghastly and sickening as it is, should prompt not to anger or to outrage, but to soldier on in devout in our convictions to love and for peace.

In the end, it is a bitter though necessary pill to choke down that, though the Almighty Lord is sovereign and in control, He does allow these horrible acts to occur.  Mysteries, to be sure, but these appalling acts should not compel us to turn away from the Lord but to draw ever closer to Him in faith and in hope.  It is God who heals and who bestows His grace and mercy upon those who earnestly seek after Him in faith and reverence.  In response to the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, let us spend a simple moment in prayer for the families and the friends of the victims, remembering that God is, ultimately, in control.

American Civil Religion

Since the Puritans sailed across the Atlantic and their leader, John Winthrop, preached that they intended to become the "city on a hill," America has thought itself highly-favored among the nations.  In fact, the idea that America is the greatest nation on earth has led to a century's worth growth in American exceptionalism, the idea that America is not only beyond great but is, in fact, the chosen nation of God.

This last statement, that America is God's chosen nation, is an idealism that undergirds America's history and it is the supreme example of a pairing of two independent ideals: Christianity and civil government.  What has come about from this intentional marriage is, what is aptly termed, civil religion.

The basic premise is that the rhetoric of Christianity has been married to America's nationalism.  The net effect is that America is considered God's own gift to humanity and, thus, everything that is uniquely American is simultaneously God's revelation to mankind.  To be sure, this is blatant misinterpretations of Scripture, and the effects are staggering.

For instance, think of capitalism.  Capitalism is an economic construct.  It is a comprehensive method of handling economics that is, though rooted in Enlightenment philosophy, considered to be the American way and ideal.  However, when considered for its worth, capitalism is amoral, in the sense that it is neither good nor evil in its morality, but because of the American civil religion it is thought of as sacrosanct.  Now consider socialism, another way of dealing with large-scale economics, yet because it is not the American way it is considered immoral if not outright sinful.  But, like capitalism, socialism is amoral, neither good nor evil.

At the final analysis, however, when capitalism as a system is held up the light of Scripture it is opositional, if not actually contrary to the teachings of Scripture.  If the last sentence chaffed something inside then the point has been made.  The value of anything is based on how well it adheres to the teaching of Scripture, not in how American it is, whatever that means.

Our allegiance, as Christians, is to Christ and to His Word.  If we, at any point, begin to associate Christ with America in a theological sense, then we have already started down the road of serving two masters, something Jesus indicts.

All this being true, I think it is important to state clearly that I am an American citizen and proud of my American heritage.  However, if my ethno-cultural-national background hinders my vision as to how I should live, etc., then I am already walking the tightrope of choosing America over Christ. 

Additionally, it would be foolish to not look back at the brief history of America and point to the clear hand of favor present.  But it would be foolish to assume that that favor is as a result of America as a socio-political-economic construct instead of recognizing that God's hand of blessing falls upon those who are obedient to His covenant commands.  In the future, let us consider this when the political rhetoric sounds theological and the theological rhetoric sounds political, making sure that our allegiances are sure and definite.