America has always been a place where all beliefs are accepted and respected
1 Jun 2009
No doubt you heard comments made by our President last April about the religious nature of our country. While visiting the nation of Turkey, President Obama said that one of our country’s great strengths is that “we have a very large Christian population.” That was followed by this qualification: “We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values.” This has caused some considerable commentary on whether Mr. Obama was denying that the United States is a Christian Nation!
That actually isn’t the real issue. Our President was in fact, accurately describing our nation. Whether this country is no longer, still is, or never was a Christian nation is certainly a hot button topic for many, and not just Christians. Find a follower of Jesus that adamantly believes that the USA is Christian and you can easily find someone to argue the opposite point just as strongly. Quite honestly it’s really a question of semantics. Both sides point to the faith (or lack thereof) and values of our founding fathers to prove their point. What all can (and should) agree on is that the Judeo-Christian belief system was a strong basis for the freedoms, morals and laws that began and continue to guide this nation.
However, things are changing, and our President’s remarks (in my opinion) just reflect who we are today. People have for decades been describing America’s religious picture as becoming “post-Christian,” that is, that the values and world-view of our citizens is less and less informed and shaped by traditional Biblical precepts. Recent polls seem to indicate that this transition continues to happen. Consider the following:
·The Northwest is no longer the most unchurched region of the US. That distinction now belongs to the Northeastern states. (We haven’t gotten better; they have gotten worse!)
·The percentage of respondents indicating they have “no religious affiliation” has doubled to 16% of the population in the past 20 years.
·Only 76% identify themselves as “Christian” which is a 10% drop since 1990.
·More people are designating themselves as “spiritual” rather than associated with any particular religion.
What might any of this mean? Conclusions are difficult and may miss real trends, but I like what some are saying about all of this, mainly, that though Christianity seems to be losing ground, the loss is mostly in the mainline denominations that have barely retained any notion of believing the Bible. Evangelicals (a broad term referring to those who believe the Bible is true) are growing! Alongside that, there is a strong desire for spirituality even if that isn’t Christian. As one said, this is “less about the death of God and more about the birth of many gods.” This might be challenging for we who have assumed a Judeo-Christian value for America, but is still an opportunity because people continue to be interested in things spiritual.
Finally, America has never been a “Christian nation” for a nation cannot be “Christian,” only people can express belief. America was founded on Christian values, but Christianity has never been imposed on the populace. Instead America has always been a place where all beliefs are accepted and respected. If there are more non-Christians now that just means the Church must be about our mission which has always been to present the Gospel to those who do not believe. And we do that best when we don’t get tangled up in worrying whether our nation’s politics are Christian, or whether our faith is protected. After all, the Christians of the first century had no political power or right to vote, and they turned the world upside down for Jesus. So can we in the 21st century if we remember that our citizenship is in Heaven even as we serve on earth.
