When someone says proudly that they are an American, I wonder - what does that mean nowadays? Just as Christianity has been co-opted by the political machinery, I think that being American is close to that same spin.
What is said in casual speech today can come loaded with all sorts of implied meanings. What one person means by "American," or even "Christian" in conversation can send widely divergent messages. Certainly, when a conservative Republican in today's timeframe uses those words, they are very different from the way a progressive Democrat might used the terms.
What I'm really driving at here is not so much the intention in our meaning, but the allegiance of our politic. Whether one is a Republican Conservative or a Progressive Democrat is not my point. As a Christian, I strive to follow the Way of Jesus. Jesus was not of a particular affiliation - he was affiliated with a power far greater than either side of any system on earth! His way is always radical in comparison to even today's political systems!
And, so the really pertinent question remains - To whose Kingdom to you belong?
We really don't use kingdom language anymore, but in hearing the message of Jesus, it was clear that he came to establish a new kingdom - a God kingdom not of this earth, and yet, very much a part of this creation!
I am a Christian. I struggle to even define myself as such, because the word is so broadly defined today. Really, I'm one who struggles to follow in Jesus' Way.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;
for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created,
things visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers -
all things have been created through him and for him.
When the Apostle Paul wrote those words in his letter to the Colossians, he was making a very powerful, political statement. Jesus is the Way, and all others simply fall underneath!
If we dare to call ourselves Christian, we had better work hard to understand fully what that means, and especially what that implies in today's body politic! Especially as we talk about critically important matters like War, Hunger, Economics and Elections.
As those who follow in Jesus' Way, we need to be very intentional in our use of language - especially when talking to fellow American Christians!
