A Christian America? Be Careful What You Wish For (Part 2)

As we see in the life of Jesus, God’s kingdom does not come through coercion.

Read Part 1.

In June 1971, while I was a freshman in high school, the English rock band, The Who, rocked our world with their classic protest song, “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” Alluding to the frustrations that come from human endeavors to revolutionize society, they sang:

We’ll be fighting in the streets
With our children at our feet
And the morals that they worship will be gone
And the men who spurred us on
Sit in judgment of all wrong
They decide and the shotgun sings the song

Meet the new boss…

Same as the old boss…

This story of grabbing power for a supposed good has gone round and round throughout history. The intended benefit never comes to fruition, and unintended evil consequences are predictable. It’s no different today. Few would argue that the influence of Christianity on America is in sharp decline. Short of a God-given revival, nobody is going to turn it around. It’s frustrating for Christians to live in the middle of political and cultural strife that we cannot bend to our will. 

Jesus understands this predicament. He experienced Roman and Jewish versions of political pluralism. Nobody wanted the kingdom of God—God’s will—to come more than Jesus. But he also knew that some of the most vicious violence ever perpetrated on earth has come encased in religious fervor, so he chose a different path.

The Wisdom of Jesus

Jesus is our example of how to respond in the face of political turmoil. He treated everyone respectfully, with love. Jesus was aware of the religious divisions present in any crowd he addressed. And seeing them as God’s image bearers, he addressed them in peace, not with rejection or threats, but in love. 

Case in point: Jesus’ response to the Rich Young Ruler. When told by Jesus to follow the commandments, the young man turned his back on Jesus and walked away—and Jesus let him go, even though he had the power to stop him.

If America chooses to walk away from God, should we use power to stop her? Should we force Christian governance on our secular, pluralistic country? Are we going to grab resisters by the shoulders, turn them around and slug them? Shoot them in the back? What should we do about the people in our neighborhoods who refuse to come to the banquet to which they are invited (Matthew 22:1-10)? Should we assert our power over the modern equivalents of the Tenant Farmers who do not produce the fruit of righteousness (Matthew 21:34-41)? 

The craving for power originates in the human heart. It is not limited to the deep state or political parties. It is not centralized to a candidate, nor is it consolidated in the judicial system or religious bureaucracies. Grabbing and misusing power is a human problem that infects both whole and varied parts of human societies.

Wheat and Tares, Sheep and Goats

In Jesus’ astute observation, the problem is everywhere: Wheat and tares grow together, sheep and goats stand next to each other in every aspect of life. If we believe Jesus, this mix is not going away: wheat and tares with sheep and goats are going to exist together until the climactic moment in which God—not fallen human leaders—insists on creation once again being what God intended. 

As we see in the life of Jesus, God’s kingdom does not come through coercion. It comes only by hearing and saying yes to Jesus’ invitation: Come follow me. In seeking coercive earthly power, the Church gives up her truest and most powerful culture-making tool: being a sign, foretaste, and instrument of God’s world-healing love. When the Church tries to force the rule of God on a person or nation, we may temporarily get what we want, but we will no longer be the Church, the body of Christ. 

A Christian nation is a fantasy. It is snake oil sold by those who are in error about God and how he works. Or worse, the idea comes from political and religious leaders seeking personal power by manipulating the Church with the promise that “I’ll put you back into your rightful place of social influence and political power.”

That is an old, false and losing ideal.

The Way Forward

So, what are we to do? Where do we begin? What is the vision that animates faithful Christian living—the private and public business of life?

Until Jesus comes back, we are to do what Jesus did and teach what he taught in the way in which he did it. This is an investment strategy for a guaranteed return. There is no other path to Christian persons, schools, hospitals, corporations or nations. 

Like The Who’s famous song, imposing our religious will on others through violence is both the old and new boss. Century by century, the context changes, revealing new ways in which the sky is falling. These scary feelings make all manner of evil seem unavoidable. But we end up with the same boss. 

What if we were to step out of the cycle of violence, ditch the boss and follow the Lord—and invite others to do the same? What if we chose to live in the way of Jesus instead of being bossed around by the polarizing rhetoric in the news?