We need a true national and global vision and the belief that we can do great things and embrace a wider range of human experience. We need a new deal, a new frontier, and great society. Tax breaks for the wealthy, white privilege, mass deportation, gun lust, fewer...
04182 – Patriotism vs. Christian Nationalism
As an American patriot, I celebrate the Fourth of July with pride and gratitude. However, I distinguish this patriotism from Christian nationalism. My faith teaches me that Jesus transcends political affiliations and national boundaries. He is not the exclusive...
03783 – Church: Community of Believers
The Church is not to be a national community like the old Israel, but a community of believers without political or national ties.
03720 – Maybe We’re Confused?
The moment we Christians think we have all the right answers for another person, for a group of people, for an entire state, or a whole nation, that’s when we know we’ve not only begun to confuse worshiping God as being God ourselves, but we’ve also confused...
03707 – We Christians…
We Christians paint such a fragile picture of Jesus when we act as though his will is somehow threatened by every political and cultural shift. We Christians paint such a codependent picture of Jesus when we act as though he needs a political party, a president, and a...
03421 – Hate does not Redeem
When you hate, you generate a reciprocal hate. When individuals hate each other, the harm is finite; but when great groups of nations hate each other, the harm may be infinite and absolute. Do not fall back upon the thought that those whom you hate deserve to be...
02957 – Church, Not Empire
If Jesus wanted a Christian nation, he would have established one, but he didn't. He established the church. Whenever we Christians forsake our call to be the church for a "Christian empire," the results are always catastrophic. We are called to be the church, not an...
02610 – Christian Nation? Help the Poor!
If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we've got to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that he commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition, and then admit that we...
02546 – Measuring Prosperity of Nations
We should measure the prosperity of a nation not by the number of millionaires, but by the absence of poverty, the prevalence of health, the efficiency of the public schools, and the number of people who can and do read worthwhile books.
02425 – Peace on Earth
Now, let me suggest first that, if we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. . . . We must develop a world perspective. No individual can live alone; no nation can live alone, and as long as we try, the more we are...