AMERICA
My country, ‘tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the Pilgrims’ pride,
From every mountainside
Let freedom ring.
Our fathers’ God, to Thee
Author of liberty
To thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright
With freedom’s holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our King!
Should God be America's king? Not should God be the king of some individuals living in America, but should we desire for God to be king over the politics of the Nation-State of America?
I don't think so, but feel free to disagree. Although many Americans feel that America has more in common with Ancient Israel than its enemy Babylon, I believe that we live in a country that is not a theocracy, and in which we must learn how to live as sojourners, as aliens. To do so, we began our study of Daniel today, looking at Daniel chapter 1, as an example of a God fearing man living an exemplary life in a "sanctified subversion" fashion. It is in the book of Daniel that we can see a man of God, living under the rule of a "pagan" King choosing not to rebel, not to fight for Godly moral standards for the land which he now occupies, and choosing not to live on the sidelines either, holding a meaningless Godrepresentative office, but rather striving to give glory to his creator, and striving to bless others. It seems like a nice model, so off we go, examining the life of a God fearer in captivity:
1 comment:
i couldn't agree with you more ryan. this whole right wing religious politicking often result in the convolution of truth. i remember hearing a clip on NPR the other day about democrats holding workshop sessions to use more religion in their campaigns as a result of last year's presidential elections. Wow! Could we get further from the truth? That said, I think we're all called to be like Christ in whatever station God has placed us in. If that station happens to be politics, then by all means, shine responsibly. Following the same line, we are American citizens who have the hard-earned right to vote, then yes, vote responsibly and not down the party lines. We participate in politics the same way we participate in anything -- we engage with our God-given discernment and convictions.
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