Lesson Nineteen: Be Patriotic
Truth, Justice, and the American Way.
I was going to focus this lesson on what Superman would do, since Jesus doesn’t really give us a lot to work with on the topic of patriotism. Or did he?
Jesus cared deeply for his people and their nation. He wanted to save them from the path of destruction he knew they were on. He loved them so much, he gave his life for them.
Jesus was a prophet, he was a truth teller. Today, some Christians refuse to listen to what Jesus had to say, just as his countrymen did in his own time.
I understand that many have been taught that those who focus on the teachings of Jesus deny his divinity. This is absurd.
The truth is, Jesus is a threat to power.
Societies that deny mercy and justice to the poor are destined for destruction. This is not class warfare, it is history. It is the role of the prophets to warn the people.
There are powerful people who do not want the gospel preached. I don’t mean the “believe in Jesus so you will go to heaven when you die” version; I mean the “repent, for the kingdom of God is near,” version.
The evangelical leaders of today are very much like the Pharisees and scribes in Jesus’s time. They’ve built a religion based on the law that ignores the prophets and they’ve married themselves to power. They reject mercy and justice.
Woe to them, for the kingdom of God is near.
They have built a White Christian Nationalist coalition that is destined to collapse. They are dust and to dust they shall return.
The Trump administration seems particularly afraid of James Talarico, a Senate candidate in Texas. They’ve gone after The View for airing an interview with him and The Late Show was forced to pull their interview with him from their broadcast (you can find it on YouTube).
What are they afraid of?
They’re afraid that the millions of Christians who have supported them will find Jesus.
They’re afraid that truth, justice and the American way will prevail.
The Trump administration does not stand with truth. It does not stand for justice. It is not the American way. It is extraordinarily corrupt.
Anyone who believes in the ideas set forth in the Declaration of Independence and who supports the U.S. Constitution must oppose this administration. It is the patriotic thing to do.
How you do that will depend on you, but it always begins with the simple act of loving your neighbor.
Find your torch. Mine is helping Christians find Jesus. What’s yours?
This is part 20 of a series inspired by my reading of On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons Learned From the Twentieth Century, by Timothy Snyder as part of my effort to offer Christian insight to those wondering what to do in this moment.