???? Christian Nation ????

What is a "Christian Nation" ? Can there be such a thing? Are we one? At least those are question that I am confronted with.

Recently I have been learning and contemplating the genocides in Rowanda, and Darfur, and others. From my exposure to this subject (unknown to me until only recently) I have had some serious question about our Faith, God, and the Christian Religion that I have grown up with. So when I come back to this question of America I see it differently. I know that there is a great deal of tension with the issue of "America the Christian Nation", but for now lets just through this tension out the window and assume that it is. My question then is this, what then does that mean?

I ask myself how Jesus defines a Christian? Those who look after the orphans and the widows, who feed the hungry, who clothe the naked, who tend to the sick, who stand up for the oppressed! Not, those who believe certain doctrines, who adhere to various moral and religious codes, or who are associated with a religious institution.

Therefore if we are a "Christian Nation" then we would be primarily characterized a nation who cares for the orphans and widows, who stands up for the oppressed, who sacrifices it selves for the needy, and disenfranchised.

So here is the question: Are we a Christian Nation? What did WE do in Rowanda? What did WE do in Darfur? or What were WE doing during Darfur? What did WE do in Uganda????
Emphasis on the "WE". Its not "our nation", or "our government" Its WE (You, and myself included) ????????? What did WE do ?????????????

Gospel and War?

I just got out of a very long yet, good conversation with my good friend Kris Browning. Basically our conversations centered around war, and the defense of others. Now I have been wrestling with this issue for years now, and have been back and forth. But during the journey that Christ has been taking me through about what the gospel is, I think that now I have a much different perspective. While I was challenged in some of my thinking(which I am very grateful for) and had to re think, I walked away with some resounded thoughts in my head. Is the gospel only relevant or needed in the majority of situations, implying that there are some situations that we must act differently?

See I believe that the gospel (the good news) is the restoration and reconciliation of all of creation back to wholeness. Its the good news that brokenness doesn't have to be perpetuated, and that wholeness in all of life is offered freely. Didn't Christ more than exemplify the gospel in His life and His words? And as followers or disciples of Christ our lives are on the journey towards becoming whole, in the image of Christ.

So then, How can I justify hurting or killing someone else to protect someone, or to defend something? How can the gospel and the giving of brokenness ever be reconciled??????

"But when you fail to protect the lives of others, you are letting any other chance of them coming to Christ be put to an end! And Christ would have stopped it at all cost" I'm told. But here I must ask - Are we assuming that the gospel is based on results? Has modernism tainted our understanding of the gospel? Where does God's sovereignty come in?

All that I know is that as a follower of Christ I am on a mission. lol My entire purpose is to pursue the reconciliation or wholeness of All of creation. And I can't believe that Christ would have me inflict more brokenness to accomplish this end. Brokenness + more brokenness does not = wholeness! Brokenness + Sacrifice = Wholeness. At least that's my limited understanding of the Gospel.

Christian Wal-Mart

Recently I attended the "National Youth Worker Conference" in St. Louis. For the most part I had and enjoyable even beneficial experience on this trip. However there was an aspect of this trip that particularly broke my heart, the exhibit hall where all of the "Christian" business were on display trying to sell their products. It was a “Christian Wal-mart”. After walking around for a few minutes the realization of what was really going on finally hit me. It was consumerism and materialism at its finest, only with a Christian label on it. The advertisement was absolutely everywhere, even on our room cards to our hotel rooms (thanks to youth specialties)! As I walked, each of these companies were not trying to meet a need of mine or looking out for my best interest, but instead they were trying to get me to buy their product, and they appealed to the materialism that we all struggle with, to try to accomplish this goal. “Free ipod’s, free clothes, 400 Free cd's, free this, free that”, as if any of us really need any more stuff. If anything we all need to get ride of much of the “stuff” that is consuming our lives. But some how we think that we need so much more. Afterwards I walked away and thought “wow I guess that until I came here I didn’t realize that I had all these needs for all these products, but how lucky I am that the very companies that have informed me of my needs, just happen to have the answer to those needs for sale for me at a very special 20% off, because they are trying to look out for me!” I’m sorry but the church has adopted the materialistic consumerism from our culture and made it into an ok thing, or even a good thing. What a heart breaking realization. This is not the way of Jesus! But on the other hand it was a good thing because my eyes where really opened and I gained some new insight into this reality, so in the end I am thankful for this heart-breaking experience. But as the church what have we become, when we pay $650 to attend and event just to be persuaded into buying even more stuff? Am I being to harsh or overly critical? Does this fit with the way of Jesus?????