{"id":6248,"date":"2014-01-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-01-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/2014\/01\/01\/not-your-grandmothers-america\/"},"modified":"2014-01-01T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-01-01T00:00:00","slug":"not-your-grandmothers-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/2014\/01\/01\/not-your-grandmothers-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Not Your Grandmother's America"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t The recent brouhaha surrounding the selection of Nina Davuluri, an American of Indian descent, as the next Miss America was another reminder of the racial divide that still exists in the United States. News networks cited the disparaging comments that were posted to Twitter about the ethnicity of the new Miss America as evidence of this rift.1<\/sup> But while spotlighting the racism that festers in our midst, Ms. Davuluri also reminds us of the reality that America is becoming more and more diverse. While some Americans felt that the new beauty queen wasn\u2019t \u201cAmerican\u201d enough, the new Miss America responded with dignity and reminded us all that she is as fully American as are any of the rest of us.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t The veracity of his general commentary aside, even Bill O\u2019Reilly lamented on the eve of the last election that the days of the \u201cWhite establishment\u201d were over in America, recognizing that we are fast becoming a nation of incredible diversity.2<\/sup> And most in our society have come to the realization that the demographics of color and ethnicity are shifting here at home. Simply put, this isn\u2019t your grandma\u2019s America anymore.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t While some in our culture seem to find the increased diversity of the American landscape lamentable, others (such as myself) see the new post-White establishment America as a step toward the fulfillment of the true American dream\u2014a nation where all, regardless of ethnicity or color, are \u201ccreated equal.\u201d But when you\u2019re used to being part of the controlling majority, conceding power to those who were once in the minority can be hard to do.\n<\/p>\n

Christian America No More<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\n\t This is becoming true of the \u201cevangelical Christian establishment\u201d in the United States as well. While there has officially been no established church or religion in any American state since 1833, a certain strain of Christianity has traditionally enjoyed a position of privilege and influence in American politics and culture. In part, this is because the majority of Americans have always claimed Christianity as their religion, and hence any politician who cares to win would do well to cater to the concerns and values of his or her constituency. However, regardless of the cause, over the past centuries nominal Christianity has enjoyed majority status in the United States and among its political elite.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t But as the racial and ethnic demographics shift in America, so too the religious landscape seems to be changing. American Christianity has sometimes shown a superiority complex, but the reality of the current situation is beginning to set in. While the majority of Americans still claim to be Christian, there is a perception that traditional evangelical Christianity no longer enjoys the position of power and prestige that it once held in America. It is no longer a given that national leaders will be elected only if they are White, or claim Christianity as their religion. The secular left is now controlling the agenda, it seems. And for many this reality is disconcerting. And they are fighting to turn back the clock.\n<\/p>\n

Biblical Christianity and Political Power<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\n\t Many Christians blame the general decline of moral values in the United States on this loss of political power and influence, noting that it all began when the Supreme Court \u201cremoved\u201d God from our public schools in the 1960s and decided some other controversial cases.3<\/sup> Of course, no court really has the power to kick God out of any place, anywhere! In the cases decried by politically conservative religionists today, the Court merely ruled that state-sponsored prayer and religious activities were prohibited in public schools.4<\/sup>, 5<\/sup> Student-sponsored prayer meetings and Bible study groups still take place every week in public schools around America, and students are free to join these groups as they please.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t However, as Christians struggle to take back power and fix what they perceive has gone wrong in American society, there\u2019s the question of whether true Christianity was ever meant to be \u201cin power\u201d or in a position of popularity with the world. A cursory look at the teachings of Jesus leads to the conclusion that He never envisioned His church to be in a position in which it would dominate others in the political realm or attain popular majority on the world scene.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t When the disciples were jockeying for the top position in His church, Jesus warned them that their self-seeking attitude of desiring to dominate others was contrary to the principles of His kingdom (Luke 22:25, 26). It follows that if Christ\u2019s disciples should not seek to \u201clord it over\u201d one another in the church, a place where they have legitimate jurisdiction, how much more should the church avoid misrepresenting Christ by seeking to lord it over those outside of its borders.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Jesus also prophetically warned His followers that \u201cin the world you will have tribulation\u201d (John 16:33, NKJV)6<\/sup> and that \u201cif the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first\u201d (John 15:18, NIV).7<\/sup> With Jesus, His lack of popularity stemmed from the fact that He fearlessly yet lovingly lived and told the truth. He further clarified the relationship that His church would have with the world by telling Pilate that \u201cmy kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight\u201d (John 18:36, NIV). Clearly Jesus did not intend for His followers to use force or political power to set up His kingdom, or some variation of it, on this earth. Nor did He intend for them to put their ultimate hope in earthly politics.\n<\/p>\n

How Should Christians Respond to Loss of Political Power?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\n\t As I hear some Christians complain about their perceived loss of political influence and power in America, I can\u2019t help believing that becoming the underdog could be a positive thing for true Christianity. Why? Because biblical Christianity has always thrived in hostile environments (\u201cThe blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.\u201d\u2014 Tertullian) and experienced some of its best days, in terms of true conversions, when it was politically powerless.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Additionally, the church is actually told in Scripture how to \u201cfight\u201d for Christ\u2019s kingdom\u2014and it\u2019s not by seeking political power or by fighting the way the world does. The apostle Paul said, \u201cFor though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds\u201d (2 Corinthians 10:3, 4, NIV). What are these weapons with which the church does battle? They include the power of prayer, the faithful preaching of the Word, and acts of love.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t And yes, sometimes those acts of love may take the form of political action. But before we seek to force our religious or religiously based moral views on the rest of society, let\u2019s think about the end goal. Do we want to win them over to our point of view or merely force them to comply? The former is an attitude of love; the latter an attitude that is foreign to Christ\u2019s kingdom. And every political action undertaken by Christians must be done with love. A Christian that loves will never violate the conscience of another in order to convert them to their idea of religion.\n<\/p>\n

The Future of the Christian Establishment in America and Beyond<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\n\t What does the future hold for the \u201cChristian establishment\u201d in America? In fact, the Bible indicates that a form of nominal Christianity will regain the upper hand in world (and American) politics. In the apostle Paul\u2019s second letter to the Thessalonians he speaks of the \u201clawless one,\u201d a character understood to be synonymous with the antichrist power of the Apocalypse, whom he also refers to as the \u201cson of perdition\u201d (2 Thessalonians 2:3, NKJV). Jesus, in speaking of the traitorous disciple Judas, called him \u201cthe son of perdition,\u201d indicating that Judas prefigured the future antichrist power predicted by Paul (John 17:12, NKJV). Of course it was Judas, one of the 12 and part of Christ\u2019s inner circle, who ultimately betrayed Jesus to be put to death for His crime of disagreeing with the religious establishment of the time.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t The Bible indicates that history will repeat itself\u2014even here in America. A power arising from within the inner sanctum of Christianity will assert itself to betray and persecute the people of God\u2014a power that is Christian in name and outward appearance but devoid of the love and truth of God.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t But there\u2019s a good ending to this story. The biblical prophet Daniel tells us that the people of God, who are ultimately portrayed in Scripture as a politically powerless minority, will prevail. Christ\u2019s kingdom of love will conquer the kingdoms of this world, the kingdoms of force and false Christianity, and set up a society in which love and righteousness will reign forever (Daniel 7:26, 27). And by the way, Christ\u2019s kingdom will be a melting pot of different ethnicities, colors, and cultures\u2014just like we have here in America (Revelation 5:9).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The recent brouhaha surrounding the selection of Nina Davuluri, an American of Indian descent, as the next Miss America was another reminder of the racial divide that still exists in the United States. News networks cited the disparaging comments that were posted to Twitter about the ethnicity of the new Miss America as evidence of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[297],"tags":[129],"class_list":["post-6248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-january-february-2014","tag-january-february-2014"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6248"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6248\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}