National Day of Prayer is May 7, 2009
America Should Pray That it Understands What a Christian Nation Really Looks Like
As the video for National Day of Prayer unfolded, the first images behind Shirley Dobson were a flag waving and excerpts of the United States Constitution. The implication here was that Mrs. Dobson was about to relay information that was in direct line with these two symbols of American values. She began talking about the serious issues facing America, and how important it is for all of us to use the National Day of Prayer to address issues such as America's war on terror (illustrated with a picture of an armored tank) and many other social problems.
The conservative approach to Christian nationalism advocated by Shirley and James Dobson has been a traditional alignment between religious conservatism and Republican philosophical values such as social and fiscal conservatism. That adds up to a platform that is Pro-Life, Pro-Gun, Pro-National Defense, Pro-Free Market Economics, against same sex marriage and pro capitalism. Definitely pro-capitalism.
There's just one problem with this brand of jingoistic Christian nationalism and its apparently pursuant events such as the National Day of Prayer. Despite claims to the contrary, the brand of faith driving the National Day of Prayer as represented by Shirley Dobson is not in alignment with what the Bible tells us about the Christian faith at all.
For example, Protestant churches across the nation follow a "church year" in which certain biblical texts serve as the focus for ministry. This week's focus was Acts 4: 32-35, which reads:
"Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles fee; and they distributed to each as anyone had need."
This is hardly a text pro-capitalists and advocates of free market economics would prefer to hear. This text from Acts strongly advocates a philosophy of economic socialism anchored in redistribution of wealth. It paints a portrait of a society that should be willing to sacrifice personal wealth for the betterment of all. It even advocates selling your own house and land so that others in the "community" should benefit.
What's that I hear? Could it be the sound of Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly choking on their own microphones?
This is not the message Republicans are preaching, nor is Rush Limbaugh likely to soon propose Americans sell off their possessions to benefit the poor and raise the standard of living for everyone in America. Nor is it likely that this message from Acts will be featured when the National Day of Prayer rolls around. Instead, we are likely to hear cloistered messages from the hard Right Wing complaining that America is "headed in the wrong direction" and that our President "needs our prayers" because he clearly needs guidance from God to make our nation stronger (re: more globally aggressive) and that he should not lead America down the path to socialism.
We've been hearing the same claptrap for years; that liberals are ruining the nation, and that only a God-guided country is capable of wise decisions.
I attended a business prayer meeting in a highly conservative community outside Chicago several years ago. The leaders of that prayer meeting dispensed an aggressively nationalistic prayer menu without apology that anyone else might disagree that the free market and a foreign policy of military aggression were God's gifts and answers to the world's problems.
But that is plainly not the message scripture hands to us. Jesus repeatedly warned that the wealthy would have the hardest time getting into heaven. Jesus specifically challenged individuals with great wealth to "sell all" and follow him as the proper path to salvation. Jesus additionally challenged even the priests of his day to cease gathering power and garnering social advantage for themselves. He called those who refused to serve others in the name of God "hypocrites" because they failed to see that pride was the greatest stumbling block to personal salvation.
Every time I see the supposed "great leaders" of Christian faith today wrapping themselves in the American flag and beseeching us all to participate in a "revival" of Christian spirit so that our nation might be blessed, I think about texts like Acts 4 and wonder if these people who pretend like they own the Christian faith and act like they know what's good for America have any idea at all what Christian faith really means. They behave like the zealots who wanted Jesus to be an earthly king, only to miss the entire message of his ministry, which was focused on eternal salvation, not worldly wealth or power.
We certainly should hold a National Day of Prayer. But it should not be for the sake of our country, but for better understanding of what God really wants for our world. We should pray to ask God to help these people who continually corrupt and manipulate the message of Jesus Christ to understand that they have the Bible quite literally wrong.
Then when the answer to those prayers is received, we might pray that the the misguided leaders of the literal religious Right can repent from the error of their ways and trying to use the authority of scripture to advance a political agenda that has little to do with the real purposes of God.
Published by Christopher Cudworth
I am a writer and artist who has worked in marketing and promotions for newspapers and agencies. Outside work I am involved in environmental issues, faith and family. View profile
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8 Comments
Post a CommentI shure wish you kud spell, Animal. It wud hep yer kredibilitee.
Beyond that, I recommend you read some books such as Sins of Scripture by John Shelby Spong. Or Misquoting Jesus by Bart Ehrman. Open your eyes and your heart may be opened to a faith that aligns with the true nature of Christ, not one invented by zealots for their own security. Too bad you wore yerself out. Being hateful sure is tiring.
You and your father the devil has lost. When God's word called homosexuality abomination and you say people are born that way. You are calling God a liar. People are not born that way. When you call the principles of God's word undermining Christianity. Then again you are twisting God's word to your own ends. You can work all you want to destroy the true faith and true christianity being deceived at all but on word of warning. When Christians are persicuted specially by maniacs like you we flurish and grow. So bring on your best Because Jesus is my Savior and Jesus fights my battles. Liberals like you are destroying this country. But God's word will never fail. And unless you open your eyes and ask Jesus into your heart before it is to late you are doomed to an eternity in hell. Since your heart is a heart of stone and you are so stubborn, ignorant and blind. I will no longer make any comments. God have mercy on your soul.
You call yourself super conservative. So do a lot of other people now undermining the Constitution and Christianity. And along with it, resisting basic, common sense realities that Jesus affirmed were reflective of an appreciation of God. Satan knew scripture...and he also used literalism and legalism to do his worst. The mirror you're staring into is confusing, isn't it? Which is what makes you so zealous. It's an old, old pattern in the Judeo Christian tradition. And those of us who read the bible with a heart for truth and maintain our faith in the face of control freak conservatism do indeed have our work cut out for us.
I don't know what rock you slithered out from under but I see you are one of those lousy stinkin liberals that are out to destroy america. You don't want religious freedom, you want to get rid of christianity. America is still a christian nation and that really gets to you. Doesn't it? You are good at using God's word for your own devices. But then Satan know the scripture better than any of us and he is defeated and doomed to spend eternity in the lake of fire. When I die, if the Lord tarries I will go to be with Him. If He comes before I die. I will go to him. Do you know where you will be? And my source is the word of God. Read it with an open mind and ask the Holy Spirit to Speak to you through it. By the way I am super conservative. Shows you how ignorant you are.
My BRAND OF CHRISTIANITY STINKS OF COMMUNISM? What a laugh, Animal. It's pretty well agreed by anyone who has read the bible from any angle that the message of Jesus is far from capitalistic. "Give away everything you have to the poor and follow me" (paraphrase) is not exactly a quote from the movie Wall Street. In fact the problem with the National Day of Prayer is it was started by a band of really scary zealots in Washington who have twisted Christianity so far from its humble, merciful roots that it THEIR BRAND BEARS NO RESEMBLANCE TO THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST AT ALL. So do your research, find out what this so-called tradition is really intended to do...which is compromise the integrity of our Constitution which guarantees freedom of religion but also freedom FROM RELIGION. That's a true democracy and the sign of a healthy republic. You're so confused by your ideology you cannot even identify the sources any more.
The problem with your interpretation of Acts 4 is it is out of context and those that did sell their land did it willingly not because the state made them do it. Salvation has nothing to do with ones wealth or lack of. Jesus said, "I am the way the truth and the life, No one comes to the Father but by me." Also what about King Solomon. When God came to hime and asked him what he wanted, he asked for wisdom to rule his people and GOD gave it to him and MADE HIM THE RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD. No one has ever become as wealthy as Solomon. The word of God says, the LOVE of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Not money itself. Your brand of christianity stinks of communism. Communism does not work. If one wants to sell everything they have and give it to the poor. They must do it becaue they want to. This does not save or unsave a person. A personal relationship with JESUS is what we must seek. Paul said to the Jailer "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved and your hous
And you might also consider that the National Day of Prayer is not Christian-specific, is it?
Don't know where the comments you made previously would have gone. But let me ask you something: Everything you just said meets both the dictionary definition and religious description of Christ as the ultimate liberal. Yet you seem set on defending people who have twisted that doctrine back into a new set of laws...which Christ specifically criticizes as hypocritical in both his disciples and priests of his day. That is the nature of the criticism I am making. The Dobson's and Falwells and Robertson's of the world have turned their version of Christianity into a willing partner of power brokers. I say break that down and then let's have a discussion, rather than pumping its agenda through a thinly disguised effort to Trojan Horse it on America through the National Day of Prayer.