Praise the Lord this new day. Praise the Lord
for America the beautiful. I have been privileged to have lived here in the
United States since the 5th of September, 1974. Best of all, I have been part of
the Church of Jesus Christ all of my life. It is a great blessing to be part of
the Church of Christ our Lord. It is also a great blessing to live in beautiful
Broome County, New York, USA.
I have watched the recent Political Party
debates and discourses. There has been an intense debate from historians and
sociologists concerning the issue of how "Christian" Christian America was. What
is not in dispute now is that America is no longer a Christian nation. It is a
post-Christian nation at best and an anti-Christian nation at worst. Stanley
Hauerwas and William Willimon, both formerly from Duke University, and both of
whom I have met personally, open their book "Resident Aliens" with the
following: "Sometime between 1960 and 1980, an old, inadequately conceived world
ended…and a new world began. When and how did we change? Although it may sound
trivial, one of us is tempted to date the shift sometime on a Sunday evening in
1963. Then, in Greenville, South Carolina, in defiance of the state’s
time-honored blue laws, the Fox Theater opened on Sunday. Seven of us—regular
attenders of the Methodist Youth Fellowship at Buncombe Street Church—made a
pact to enter the front door of the church, be seen, then quietly slip out the
back door and join John Wayne at the Fox.
That evening has come to represent a watershed in the history of Christendom, South Caroline style. On that night, Greenville, South Carolina—the last pocket of resistance to secularity in the Western world—served notice that it would no longer be a prop for the church. There would be no more free passes for the church, no more free rides. The Fox Theater went head to head with the church over who would provide the world view for the young. That night in 1963, the Fox Theater won the opening skirmish."
That evening has come to represent a watershed in the history of Christendom, South Caroline style. On that night, Greenville, South Carolina—the last pocket of resistance to secularity in the Western world—served notice that it would no longer be a prop for the church. There would be no more free passes for the church, no more free rides. The Fox Theater went head to head with the church over who would provide the world view for the young. That night in 1963, the Fox Theater won the opening skirmish."
The authors continue, "American parents of that
generation never worried about whether their children would grow up Christian.
The church was the only show in town. [And] Church, home and state formed a
national consortium that worked together to instill “Christian values.” People
grew up Christian simply by being lucky enough to be born in places like
Greenville, South Carolina, or Pleasant Grove, Texas.?"
The news that we no longer live in a Christian culture is alarming. The realization that we no longer live in a Christian culture means that we as believers in Jesus Christ must order and live our lives differently. We must live, as Hauerwas and Willimon make clear by the title of their book, as resident aliens. In many ways we have awakened to find ourselves behind cultural enemy lines. Consequently, we must live as strangers and pilgrims in this nation and in this world.
The news that we no longer live in a Christian culture is alarming. The realization that we no longer live in a Christian culture means that we as believers in Jesus Christ must order and live our lives differently. We must live, as Hauerwas and Willimon make clear by the title of their book, as resident aliens. In many ways we have awakened to find ourselves behind cultural enemy lines. Consequently, we must live as strangers and pilgrims in this nation and in this world.
The Early Christians lived in a pagan world , often
a very hostile world. Paul reminded Christians in the Book of Titus to submit to
and obey the secular rulers, and to be kind, peaceful, humble and courteous with
everyone else. He reminded them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be
obedient, to be ready for any honest work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid
quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all men.
As believers in an unbelieving world—as resident aliens—we are to be good citizens. In fact, we ought to be the best citizens. We should be patriotic, pay our taxes, vote, obey the law, and honor those in authority over us. Paul said in Romans 13 that all secular government exercises its authority by the will of God. Is there ever a time when we must disobey secular authorities? Yes. We do so when they command us to do that which clearly violates God’s commandments and when they prohibit that which is clearly a command of God. When Peter and John were commanded to cease preaching Christ in Acts chapter 4, they suffered beatings and declared that they must obey God rather than man, because Jesus had commanded them to go into all the world and preach the gospel. As strangers and pilgrims in this world we are to be kind, peaceful, humble, and courteous to everyone else.
As believers in an unbelieving world—as resident aliens—we are to be good citizens. In fact, we ought to be the best citizens. We should be patriotic, pay our taxes, vote, obey the law, and honor those in authority over us. Paul said in Romans 13 that all secular government exercises its authority by the will of God. Is there ever a time when we must disobey secular authorities? Yes. We do so when they command us to do that which clearly violates God’s commandments and when they prohibit that which is clearly a command of God. When Peter and John were commanded to cease preaching Christ in Acts chapter 4, they suffered beatings and declared that they must obey God rather than man, because Jesus had commanded them to go into all the world and preach the gospel. As strangers and pilgrims in this world we are to be kind, peaceful, humble, and courteous to everyone else.
Martin Luther rightly observed that we
Christians live in two kingdoms: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of man. Our
primary citizenship is in the kingdom of God. We are resident aliens here,
strangers and pilgrims. Our job is to live as citizens of that kingdom of God.
We must order the manner of our lives after the customs and commands of that
kingdom. As Paul wrote in Philippians 2:
"Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world (vv. 14-15)."
If not us, then who? If not now, then when? "Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” ― John Wesley
"Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world (vv. 14-15)."
If not us, then who? If not now, then when? "Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” ― John Wesley
In
Christ,
Brown
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