Is America A Christian Nation?

Some are quite emphatic that we are/were a Christian Nation and should act accordingly. Others disagree. Does the Bible answer this question?
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I quote...

“Is the United States a Christian nation? Not in its philosophy, or in what it loves, or in what it does. Despite its Christian roots and heritage, the United States today is a nation that follows the god of self, and that is not the heart of Christianity.”
http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-nation.html
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My response...
Let’s examine the above statement as we are “Living in These Last Days”

When examining both sides of this issue whether or not the USA is a “Christian nation” it depends on how in context the term is being defined and used. When we read the definition of “nation” which is: “A people connected by supposed ties of blood generally manifested by community of language, religion, customs, etc. The body of inhabitants of a country united under a single independent government; a state (Webster Dictionary), we can reasonably say that the USA has been and is a “nation of Christians”. Meaning a nation where Christians are inhabitants. But unlike England at the time of our nation’s founding, we do not have an official state church.

Certainly our founding father’s prayed and hoped that the nation would be blessed by God, be founded on biblical principles, and become by majority faithful Christian citizens who would live according to the Lord’s Word apart from government or state control or intervention. That is, Christ’s local churches would be prominent throughout every community and be respected and protected by the Constitution and laws of the land insuring freedom to practice their faith without prejudice or persecution. The same prejudice and persecution profound in Europe and from where the Protestants fled to the New World for religious freedom. So yes, the Protestants/Christians who were elected representatives and leaders of the new world nation made sure that the Constitution of the USA legally protected God’s people so that they may freely worship without the President ever having the power to claim kingship, or the Roman Catholic Church ever being acclaimed by the government to have authority and headship over Christ’s church.

Over time as two centuries and decades have past the US government and politicians have upheld and defended the Constitution on behalf of Christians religious freedom, but also over time the church has failed to maintain its status, stronghold, and dominance in society for lack of unity and bluntly, sin. Christian’s have drifted and have been led astray from Christ preferring to be lovers of pleasure and wooed by what the “world” has to offer politically, socially, and economically. The break down in faith has led to a breakdown of our Christian culture. So when Christian leaders say that we must reclaim America it is directed toward the local church standing upright and making their voices heard and votes counted as well as praying that the nation will be awakened by a revival through the power of the Holy Spirit. That only through actively participating in political and governmental affairs and voting like mindedly would/will Christians ever be able to reestablish the “God and country” relationship as it was intended to be during the days of our founding father’s. Thus the political system is not necessarily the root of the problem, it is Christians who as a body are failing to represent and defend the reputation of Christ and to be counted in unity as a nation of Christians.

During these last days as we eagerly wait for Christ’s return Scripture is being fulfilled according to God’s will and perfect timing. The signs of the close of the age (the end of human history), is at hand as described in Matthew 24 and 25, and the Book of Revelation. Satan, who God allows to be the ruler over every nation, will continue to stir up mass confusion, chaos, corruption, and sin, and nation will continue to rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. The Lord appears to be implying that no nation on earth has been appointed or favored to be His Christian nation exclusively. And that life on earth will continue to degenerate until He returns to save His people whom He has a personal relationship, destroy all evil things, and restore the heaven and earth for His holy eternal kingdom.

Until the Day of His coming we as Christians are to be focused on Him and His kingdom proclaiming His Gospel through out the whole world seeking the lost and helping to set the “captives free” so that they may be saved. Christians are called to be witnesses for Christ in every sector of society thus His local churches must not be disobedient, lukewarm nor complacent (Revelation CH 1-3). Christians are also to be focused on the promise that we are only but visitors here on earth “soon” to be Raptured leaving Satan’s nations to perish.

So yes, Christians are to be actively involved in their community, politically, socially/culturally, and economically but without compromising their faith and Christian lifestyle that God has commanded them to live. In this context it is biblical to say, here and now, that we are a nation of Christians, but not a Christian nation.

Additional information…
http://www.gotquestions.org/separation-church-state.html

What if America Were a Christian Nation Again? By D. James Kennedy
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1011693&item_no=6972X
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Dear reader what do you think? Comments encouraged and appreciated.

Evangelism

Bro Dan, good thoughts as usual, I moved your questions and comments from the goose story over to this section so we can discuss it better here.  Give me a chance to put together a response.  Btw, I am sorry I asked you to join SF, as of right now they are all in a tizzy over one thing or another, but would still love to see you join.

Daniel Shepherd said...
I had another thought to share about Christ loving His creation so much He became physically human so that we would be saved rather than perish.

This has a lot to say about the "goose" guy in the story. He at least was willing and wished he could become a goose so that the flock would understand he was there to rescue them from perishing. Yet he discovered that he couldn't, only another goose could save the flock. So he brought his personal pet goose to them to be their savior. Like the Father send His Son to save us.
Application... Ultimately, we too should be willing to be sent and become like one of the flock we are called to disciple and to help rescue them whether they be widows, orphans, sick, poor, etc...

Another words Christ's disciples must leave the comfort of their ivory tower "barn" and go out into the cold cruel world to walk in the shoes of the unsaved and less fortunate. They must resemble by making themselves of no reputation dwell, bond, and be willing to sacrifice their life on their behalf. Only then are disciples truly representative of Christ.

Not that disciples are not saviors but they help the One true Savior who is, like the goose man in the story helped gather the geese into the safety of the barn.

What say you?

Linus on Life

Why Would God Become a Man?

There was once a man who didn't believe in God, and he didn't hesitate to let others know how he felt about religion and religious holidays, like Christmas.

His wife, however, did believe, and she raised their children to also have faith in God and Jesus, despite his disparaging comments. One snowy Christmas eve, his wife was taking their children to a Christmas Eve service in the farm community in which they lived. She asked him to come, but he refused. "That story is nonsense!" he said. "Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That's ridiculous!" So she and the children left, and he stayed home.

A while later, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm. He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening. Then he heard a loud thump. Something had hit the window.

Then another thump. He looked out, but couldn't see more than a few feet. When the snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see what could have been beating on his window. In the field near his house he saw a flock of wild geese. Apparently they had been flying south for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm and could not go on. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter. They just flapped their wings and flew around the field in low circles, blindly and aimlessly. A couple of them had flown into his window, it seemed.

The man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them. The barn would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It is warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm. So he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched and waited, hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside. But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and did not seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them. The man tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to scare them and they moved further away. He went into the house and came back out with some bread, broke it up, and made a bread crumbs trail leading to the barn. They still didn't catch on. Now he was getting frustrated. He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the barn, but they only got more scared and scattered in every direction except toward the barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be warm and safe. "Why don't they follow me?!" he exclaimed.. "Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?" He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn't follow a human. "If only I were a goose, then I could save them," he said out loud.

Then he had an idea. He went into barn, got one of his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese. He then released it. His goose flew through the flock and straight into the barn, and one by one the other geese followed it to safety. He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed in his mind: "If only I were a goose, then I could save them! Then he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier. "Why would God want to be like us? That's ridiculous!" Suddenly it all made sense. That is what God had done. We were like the geese - blind, lost, perishing. God had His Son become like us so He could show us the way and save us. That was the meaning of Christmas, he realized. As the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul became quiet and pondered this wonderful thought. Suddenly he understood what Christmas was all about -- why Christ had come. Years of doubt and disbelief vanished like the passing storm. He fell to his knees in the snow, and prayed his first prayer: "Thank You, God, for coming in human form to get me out of the storm!"

God With Us

Preaching on Isaiah 7:14, C. H. Spurgeon closed with this flourish:

“God with us.” It is hell’s terror. Satan trembles at the sound of it; the black-winged dragon of the pit quails before it. Let him come to you suddenly, and do you but whisper that word, “God with us,” back he falls, confounded and confused. “God with us” is the laborer’s strength; how could he preach the gospel, how could he bend his knees in prayer, how could the missionary go into foreign lands, how could the martyr stand at the stake, how could the confessor own his Master, how could men labor, if that one word were taken away? “God with us” is the sufferer’s comfort, the balm of his woe, the alleviation of his misery, the sleep which God gives to his beloved, their rest after exertion and toil. “God with us” is eternity’s sonnet, heaven’s hallelujah, the shout of the glorified, the song of the redeemed, the chorus of angels, the everlasting oratorio of the great orchestra of the sky.

Merry Christmas brother Daniel

Brother Daniel, I hope you and your lovely family have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

May God bless each and everyone of you and keep you all safe within His arms. You have been a wonderful teacher and friend over the years and I hope we can continue on with this ministry, and be even more active in the new year to come. God richly bless all of you!

In Christ,

Sis Mary

Merry Christmas, Sis !

Sis Mary,

I just wanted to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and pray that our good Lord richly blesses you all.

Love to and yours,

YBIC,
bro Dan