![]() We are Christians first, Americans second. But seeking the prosperity of our nation does not make us Americans in an ultimate sense any more than seeking the prosperity of Babylon made the Jewish exiles Babylonian. God told his people during the Babylonian exile, “Seek the prosperity of the city to which I have sent you as exiles” (Jer 29:7). Christians should seek and serve the good of our nation and its institutions as we are able. Because of this, my hope is not built on the future and flourishing of America. This means that I have more in common with a Christian woman in Nigeria with whom I am bonded by the blood of Christ than I have in common with my co-citizens of the United States. As Christians, we have renounced our citizenship to this nation in favor of our citizenship in God’s kingdom (Phil 3:20). Christians should not be afraid of what will happen to the United States. But let me say this clearly then unpack what I mean. The association of any earthly kingdom with Christ’s is an insult to the true King, one he will not tolerate, and neither should we.Ĭhristianity is not nationalism.This point is closely related to the previous one. The kingdoms of this world will pass away. Any implication that being a Christian requires a certain political allegiance should be firmly and finally rejected by God’s people. His rule is not subservient to or enacted through any political party. In spite of all of this, Jesus remains truly the Master and Ruler of the entire world. Jesus’ Kingdom comes, not through violence, but through love. That, without question, makes the violence of the movement at the Capitol the more grievous sin, akin to the wicked acts of the professing Christians who perpetrated the Crusades in the Holy Land. Look no further than the Christian symbols that permeated the rioters’ ranks, including a massive yellow sign reading “Jesus Saves” on the steps of the Capitol, crosses in the crowd, or t-shirts reading “Jesus is my Savior and Trump is my President.” As far as I can tell no glaring effort was made by BLM demonstrators to associate their movement with Jesus or the mission of God in America. What I do care about is that the violence at the Capitol was perpetrated in Jesus’ name. Frankly, I don’t care that much whether “the left” or “the right” are hypocrites. Much has been said in recent days about the hypocrisy of “the left” or “the media” denouncing the violence in the Capitol while endorsing the violence of the BLM movement last year. What this means for Christians today is that the way of violence is not the way of Christ. If it were, my servants would be fighting to prevent my arrest.” (John 18:36, my translation) ![]() Don’t you realize I can call on my Father, and he will at once put more than twelve legions of angels at my disposal?” (Matt 26:52–53, my translation) He later tells the Jewish authorities, “My kingdom is not of this world. Jesus rebuked him, saying “Put your sword back in its place, for all who choose the sword will be destroyed by the sword. Give to God what is God’s.” (Mark 12:17) When Jesus was arrested, Peter rose violently to his Rabbi’s defense. When asked whether God’s people should pay taxes to the empire, Jesus answered “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s. The Jews would rebel again in the century following Jesus’ death and resurrection, this time unsuccessfully and with devastating results for the nation.īut Jesus was not a zealot. Jews had successfully (though temporarily) thrown off the rule of their imperial overlords in the Maccabean Revolt less than two centuries earlier. The “zealots” of Jesus’ day were revolutionaries who aspired to violent rebellion against Rome in God’s name. However, Jesus was not a violent revolutionary. During Jesus’ first life on earth, he challenged many social norms having to do with Torah observance, women’s roles in society, and association with the marginalized. Of course, in a sense, this is absolutely true. Jesus was not a violent revolutionary.It is not uncommon for Christians, particularly progressive Christians, to describe Jesus as a revolutionary. The time has come––indeed, it is long overdue––for the entire church to denounce this association in the strongest possible terms. But the association of the name of Christ with the Republican party of Trump has become a scourge of shame for the church. There are good and godly men and women who vote Republican and serve in elected office as Republicans. But now it must be said more loudly and more clearly than ever. Jesus is not a Republican.This has been said before. As we arrive at a climax (of sorts) to a tumultuous season in the history of the church and the history of our nation, I feel compelled to say a few things as clearly as I know how: It appears that the Trump presidency will go out with a bang, rather than a whimper.
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