In much of the reading I've been doing (Niebuhr, The Irony of American History , Liederbach and Reid, The Convergent Church, and Scott Moore, The Limits of Liberal Democracy, I have been made aware-again- of how deeply tangled Christianity has become with what it means to be an American. I know this is old hat to many, but I am struggling with exactly how to untangle the two. Of course I am a patriot. I believe in the tenets of our freedom as Americans and I supported Pres. Bush's efforts to create an environment for democracy in both Iraq and Afghanistan. But....where do our commitments to the unadulterated gospel of Jesus Christ and the commitments to our representative form of government need to be pulled apart? And more importantly, how do we live out the gospel in our own culture in a way that clearly delineates between the two?
Living in the rural northwestern United States I am surrounded by unchurched people who think they share common convictions about God, family, America, and apple pie! The more I reflect on the truth of God's Word and American history the more I am convinced that there is very little common ground between the two groups.
I was reading this morning in 1 Peter 1 and was struck by several things- First, believers are temporary residents; second, believers are chosen by God's foreknowledge; third, we have been set apart for sanctified/holy living; and fourth, the goal of our faith is eternal salvation. These identifying marks are in contrast to marks of American citizenship. How we untangle these two systems is a challenge.
I don't know if any of this makes sense, but it does reflect what is happening in my life right now.
I am also trying to prepare for a re-visioning process this summer. I've been pastor almost 18 years. We have done church a particular way for these years, and we are seriously in need of an overhaul- we are having a great time when we come together on Sunday's and Wednesday's but we are having little or no kingdom impact on the community in which we live.
So, welcome to my world!
God is good...all the time...God is good!
Thoughts and Ramblings of a pastor in the Northwest.
About Me
- OregonPastor
- Winston, Oregon, United States
- 53 years old. 2 Children: Josh, 25, a Staff Sgt in the US Air Force, married to Kalaya (Rust) since 2002. Meg-21, a graduate of Corban College,Salem, OR; she majored in History with a minor in Political Science. She is currently Legislative Aide for Re. Gene Whisnant (R) who serves in the Oregon House of Representative. She is living in Salem, OR.
1 comment:
I understand completely and will covenant to pray for and with you on this. Expressing it to folks in the church can result in a lot of blank expressions and a few nods and sounds of agreement. But I think it is necessary. The sheep need to know why the shepherd is so adamant about separating the politics out of everything we do (it's all a part of the motivation for our actions and no matter how well we hide or disguise it, God always knows - Jeremiah 17:9-10). It led to my separation from any identification with a political party. A wonderful consequence is that it is very liberating and eye-opening. The true values never leave. They just are seen properly in the perspective of a relationship with God rather than a political/secular agenda.
Keep going down this path, Steve!
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