Posted by blogger Post Haste on CT's Out of Ur Blog - in response to Parts 1 & 2 of the "Jesus for President" book review. Very thought-provoking material:
Who decided that "the American church does not articulate a Christianity distinct from national citizenship." Which American church are we talking about here? Maybe the same American church that equates the audience of Christianity Today with "the American church"?
The truth is that even a radical Christianity in the American context is not one that would bring its practitioners to the brink of execution, and this is so precisely because of the reality of the separation of church and state. Radical, honest commitment to God and God's people is simply not a capital offense in America as it is in the absolutist systems of theocracy or true statism.
I'm not saying the church shouldn't stand in prophetic contrast to our government (it always should), but I am saying that many progressive Christians (especially progressive Christians coming out of conservative backgrounds) overstate the degree to which American-ness impedes Christlikeness.
There's also a frustrating paradox at work here for Christians who've moved beyond the idea of Jesus as political radical (conservative or liberal): It's incredible that so many of the same Christians who watchdog and mourn the dilution of Christ's message within the context of American civic religion still expect their wicked government (designed as a secular apparatus with limited power) to embody Kingdom values on issues of social justice, poverty, and peace. It's fine to appeal to Christ's value system when articulating a vision for peace in the world; not so for articulating a vision for peace, say, in the womb. It's fine to appeal to our faith convictions when supporting the eradication of famine and AIDS and demanding our secular government to pay heed; not so, it seems lately, when one's faith convictions don't end with a vote for Barack Obama."
I recognize that the last two sentences of this snippet touch on some buzz-word topics like abortion, AIDS, and Obama's campaign (none of which I want to go into now), but I hope that their mention will not cloud what I appreciate most about these thoughts: a recognition of the simultaneous pessimistic (even indignant) cynicism and optimistic expectation that are expressed towards the American government by American Christians every day. I have no answer for myself, except that I know I often fall into this trap of condemning my government's actions while expecting it to lead the charge of a social Gospel.
Additionally, the first two paragraphs are intriguing for a different reason: Does the separation of Church and State impede the work of the Church? Put another way, because professing faith in Christ is not a treasonous offense in America, does the health, strength, and spread of that faith suffer?
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