Happy Birthday America!

Tomorrow is the 4th of July, which is a pretty significant "birthday" for our country....250 years! That's an awful lot of candles on the cake! Between this landmark semiquincentennial and some of the excitement from the World Cup, there is certainly a wave of patriotism in our country these days. And that is a good thing. 

I know that we as Christians--and especially those of us in positions of church leadership--have to walk carefully when it comes to patriotism, lest we be labeled as "Christian nationalists." But if you have been around Shelby Crossings for long, you know we have avoided mixing "God and country" for the most part. Still, I will admit, without apology, that I am a very patriotic American, and as frustrated as I may be at the direction I sense our nation is headed, or many of the leaders who are running the show, nothing I have experienced has diminished my love for country, however imperfect it may be. 

I believe that citizenship in this great nation is both a right and a privilege, and that we all need to carry our weight as citizens to make this country all that it can be. In this day and age in particular, I think that means less finger-pointing at others, less partisan politicking and political posturing, less angry rhetoric, and more responsibility for doing right, being right, and making our country right. That includes voting, serving, helping, loving others as ourselves.

Now, let me say, as a Christ-follower and a pastor, I am first and foremost a citizen of Christ's Kingdom, and there is never to be a doubt where my true allegiance lies. Quite honestly, I am surprised at how many fellow Christians seem to get those things mixed up. The Bible says that we are "aliens and strangers," pilgrims here who are just passing through. Our citizenship is in heaven, not on earth, and we must never confuse the two so that we get confused who we are serving.

Having said that, it doesn't mean we don't recognize our nation's godly heritage, and seek to make our nation all that He would want it to be.

There are many who try to deny, and even erase, the Christian foundation of our nation these days. Not only are we doing a disservice to our country when we do so, that is simply a practice of intellectual dishonesty. It is not hard to find quote upon quote from our nation's Founding Fathers, stating their faith, and their intentions that the nation they were founding was to be based on Christian principles and the truths of Scripture.

None other than John Adams, our nation's second president, and one of the signers of our Declaration of Independence, back on the original "independence day" of July 4, 1776, wrote this: “The general Principles, on which the Fathers achieved independence, were the only principles in which, that beautiful assembly of young gentlemen could unite.. And what were these general principles? The principles of Christianity.”

There is no denying that our nation was founded on "the principles of Christianity," and the further we get from them, the worse off we will be.

But here's the key. We can't blame the non-Christians or secular politicians we have allowed to be elected for turning our country away from its foundational tenets. We have to start with ourselves. Why would we expect them to be Christian in their operation and legislation, if we aren't living Christ-like lives ourselves? And the primary responsibility that Scriptures gives us in relation to the government is to pray for our leaders. Are we doing that, faithfully and diligently?

It was the French diplomat and historian Alexis de Toqueville who wrote in the mid-19th century what was long considered a moral imperative for our country, but has since become a controversial statement (though I still believe it to be true). He said: "America is great, because America is good. And if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great."

To be certain, America has never been perfect, not in its founding, nor "back in the good ol' days" of any generation. But this nation was founded with a moral vision grounded in God's will, revealed through the Scriptures. And we must never shrink away from seeking to be a people who "do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God." (Micah 6:8)

Ultimately, we as a nation are accountable to God. Hear the words of another of our founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, which are inscribed on the walls of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.: "God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever."

And so, on this 250th birthday of our nation, let us pray for America, that God would humble us, unite us, draw us to Himself, and bring revival in our land. God bless America....please.

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

--Pastor Ken