Hi hmmhmm…
can someone define what you meen by christian nation? because there is no such thing according to my new testament understanding
I know that the term “Christian nation” sounds a little disingenuous to those of us who are aware of the moral and spiritual famine in this land. No one (I think) would believe that America is a nation comprised of a majority of Christians (Christians as defined by the Scriptures).
America, however, is a nation where the majority of citizens actually claim to be Christians. Of course, this claim is exerted by “Christians” from all creeds and sects. According to [url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/US.html]the CIA from information taken by the US Census Bureau and the Department of the Interior[/url] as of 2007, 51.3% of Americans claim to be Protestants (defined as anyone belonging to Protestant denominations, fellowships, organizations or individual churches), 23.9% claim to be Roman Catholic, 1.7% claim to be Mormon, 1.7% claim to be other types of Christians. This equates to nearly 77% of the entire population.
Many world leaders consider the United States to be a Christian nation. Of course, they are likely pointing to the 77%+ figure from the CIA or other intelligence agencies. This is quite understandable. We all consider the United States to be an [i]English-speaking[/i] nation, but only about 82% of the population actually speaks English (and some might argue that some of that 82% don’t speak English very well – lol). So from an entirely analytical perspective, America is a predominantly Christian nation. Major polling data this year has indicated that roughly 90% of Americans claim to believe in God, 81% believe in Heaven, 78% believe in angels and demons, and 70% believe in the existence of the Devil and Hell. About 80% of Americans claimed to believe in God and an additional 13% claimed to believe in a “Universal Spirit” or “Higher Power.” According to a recent Gallup poll, approximately 80% of Americans believe that “the Bible is the actual or inspired Word of God,” while approximately 18% believe that it is a fairy tale or uncertain of its validity.
Now, as far as Obama’s claim that this is a large Muslim nation, the CIA lists that only 0.6% of the population claims to be Muslim. However, 1.7% report to be Jewish and 0.7% claim to be Buddhist. Other minor religions make up 2.5% of the nation. Those who claim to be unaffiliated with any particular religious sect comprise about 12.5% of the nation (however, this number also includes certain Christian groups, including private home churches). Only 4% of Americans report that they do not belong to any sort of religious persuasion.
The nation was surely founded upon Christian principles. An overwhelming majority of the founders of this nation incorporated their faith into much of their decision making process. The speeches and writings of early America consisted of the Christian faith. The founders also engrafted Christian principle into the very laws of the nation. In fact, the Bible was required reading for law students in the United States (like a young Charles Finney) for over 100 years after the founding of the nation! Aspects of Christianity are found throughout our nation. In fact, Communist leaders during the Cold War (and more recently, Islamic clerics) dismissed our founding documents (like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution) to be “Christian texts.”
As believers who actually know the Lord, we certainly realize that many people who claim to be a “Christian” don’t meet the Biblical definition of the word. Our entrance into Heaven is not conditional upon what we called ourselves here on Earth. Only those who are truly born again – who know the Lord Jesus Christ – will meet the Biblical definition of a “Christian.”
Yet there is no mistaking that much of the world considers this to be a “Christian” nation. Islamists, Hindus and communists call us a Christian nation. Atheists and amoralists try to claim that this is NOT a Christian nation – and seemingly go out of their way to try and make it so. Interestingly, my wife is a school teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area. She works at a private school with a large Asian-immigrant population. She has been told repeatedly by the Indian, Chinese, Korean, Russian (etc…) parents that they were happy to live in a “Christian nation” now. Once, my wife asked why they called the United States a “Christian” nation. The parents told her that all she had to do was live in their former countries for a while to understand the difference.
America is far from perfect. Many of those founding Christian principles have been dumped by certain politicians in this nation. Our nation now leads the world in the total number of abortions (however, former communist nations like Russia, Bulgaria, and Cuba vastly outnumber in the per capita abortion rate). Sin abounds in America, and many people would like the government to “protect” their “rights” to live in sin (and even want the government to say that their sinful lifestyle is “normal”). For many, their “Christianity” is confined to a label and does not follow them when they are alone, or to work, or to the voting booth. Even many “Christian” churches preach a “religion of convenience” where they pick and choose the topics that they find helpful for their lifestyle. A “relationship with God” is often confined to a few prayers when they are stressed, in trouble, or want something good. To many who claim to be Christians, a relationship with Christ is muddied by the doctrines and traditions of men.
But for all of its faults, America still embraces many of the same principles that were created by its founders. Liberty can be, of course, a Christian principle. We can freely choose to follow Christ or to reject Him. Yet no one would pretend that we could vote or legislate the Lord to the masses. However, much of legislation is not a matter of faith, but of righteousness and unrighteousness. For instance, abortion is a repulsive slaughter that has been literally legislated to fruition by unrighteous men. Homosexuality is literally being legislated by men who want the state to recognize and protect a sexual fetish as “normal.” Commercial pornography that is marketed to lustful men is sometimes funded by the state as “free speech.”
More importantly than how “Christian” our temporary nation might be is the fact that God placed many of us here. We are given the opportunity to live in a relatively free nation. If any of you have had the opportunity to live or travel overseas, you will quickly realize how blessed you are to live in this nation. When my wife (then girlfriend) studied in Europe while in grad school, she told me via telephone and email that she couldn’t wait to return to the States. It wasn’t that Europe wasn’t a beautiful place, but that it lacked many of the things that Americans take for granted – from the simple things (good toilet paper and inexpensive American products, air conditioning, fast food) to the most important things (like readily accessible Christian fellowship and encouragement).
I have traveled to other countries. Like my wife, I always return thankful for the country of my temporary earthly citizenship. Yet I am also struck with the overwhelming responsibility given to me. Like Esther, I believe that I have been placed here in this position for “such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). I also remember the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). For those of us who have been so blessed as to live in countries like this, we must realize that we are like the man who was given more talents. What will we show for it?
:-(