Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Politics and Religion
Why I think the American Church is in Bed with the Beast: Beast #2

Why I think the American Church is in Bed with the Beast: Beast #2

Last updated on: October 3, 2023 at 9:01 am by Rob Dalrymple

Why I think the American Church is in Bed with the Beast: Beast #2 2023-10-03T09:01:54-08:00 Rob Dalrymple

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Has the Western (evangelical) Church been deceived to the point in which we are more like the Beast than Jesus? Courtesy iStock

What if I were to say, “The wealth we (generic plural again) in the West have attained is largely immoral (unbiblical) and is closely tied to the work of the Beast!?”

NB: Before I proceed, I want to acknowledge that I too am guilty of being in bed with the Beast. What I intend to write in this and upcoming posts includes my journey of realizing my own complicity in allying with the Beast.

In my last post, I suggested that the Western church has gone to bed with the Beast far more than we are ready to admit. And I believe that the situation is beyond dire. In fact, I suspect that if a biblical prophet were writing today, the message would be quite strong.

NB: I am using “Beast” as a catchall phrase for what the Book of Revelation calls the Dragon/Satan, the Beast/empire, the False Prophet/false Christs/prophets, and Babylon/the material prosperity that is under the control of the empire. Throughout this post and those to follow I will use Beast and/or Babylon to refer to one or all of the above.

We are wealthy and have little concern for the poor

One of the points that I made in my last post is that we (note: this is a generic “we.” I agree that many in the Western Church are dynamic, God-fearing, Christ followers. Of course, even when the prophets spoke against the people of God, they did not deny that there was a remnant that was the exception) are wealthy and have little concern for the poor and the needy (Ezek 16:49).

I then added that we are not only wealthy but we justify our wealth as a blessing from God for our hard work. In saying this, I don’t intend to deny that most, if not the overwhelming majority of well-to-do Western Christians, are hard-working people. The point is that we cannot simply assume that our hard work alone is the reason for our prosperity. Nor, and this is a significant point, can we assert that those who are not well off are such because they have not made an effort similar to ours.

We must reckon with the fact that the US and its prosperity began with stolen land and then developed off the backs of free labor!

The Beast’s propaganda

The idea that our wealth is simply the result of our hard work is a part of the propaganda that comes from the Beast! And, in my last post, that was my fourth point: “We have aligned ourselves with the Beast.”

This may all seem innocuous. But I assure you that not only is this quite serious, but I am convinced that we are well past the point of mission-critical here!

What do I mean:

NB: If you have read my work for any period of time you may have noticed that I like to be quite methodical, or systemic, in my line of reasoning. I want to make a case but I realize that as I attempt to make my argument the readers may have objections. So I typically endeavor to allay any such concerns before I make my point. In this post, however, I am going to cut to the chase and hope that you will stick with me so that in future posts I may allay your concerns.

I mean that the wealth we (generic plural again) in the West have attained is largely immoral and is closely tied to the work of what the book of Revelation calls the Beast!

There I said it. Now, if you will allow me to both defend this assertion and to allay some concerns.

First, I love the church. In case you are wondering if I am writing these posts because I hate the church or because I have a vendetta against it, I want you to know that I have a very high view of the Church.

In fact, I believe that the Church is the embodiment of Christ to the world. I would even make the argument that the NT story centers on the Church. “What about Jesus?” you might ask. “That is the point,” I would respond. The NT’s focus on Christ turns quickly to the Holy Spirit—whom the resurrected Christ sent—and then focuses on the Spirit-empowered body of Christ: i.e., the Church.

My concern is not because I don’t love the Church.

I am writing because I want to see those who are the faithful remnant in the Western Church and yet are in bed with the Beast to come out of Babylon so that we might manifest Christ to the world. As long as we are deceived by the Beast, our witness to the nations is diminished.

I am writing to exhort the Church to: “Come out of her [Babylon], my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues” (Rev 18:4).

Second, I love the nations: including the United States. I firmly believe that Christ loves the nations and that He has sent the Church to be His ambassadors to them. Christ’s love for the nations is mediated through the Church.

Now, in order for us to demonstrate the love of Christ to the nations we must, “Follow the Lamb” (Rev 14:4). We cannot, however, follow the Lamb and give allegiance to the Beast at the same time.

This, I believe, is one of the primary concerns behind the writing of the Book of Revelation.

The Church and the Nation (the United States)

One of my concerns is with the Western Church’s proclivity to glorify the state (in particular the United States). I should note here that if I were in another nation I would likely have similar criticisms with respect to the Church’s embracing of the state.

I have been in a Palestinian church where the Palestinian flag was on the platform. And we hear of the Russian Orthodox Church’s justification of the war in Ukraine.

For too long the Church has allied with the state.

American Christians, however, often support and endorse the actions of the United States in a manner that far exceeds Christians in other nations.

It is one thing to support our country. It is one thing to be patriotic. It is one thing to root for our countries athletes.

It is another thing, however, to endorse the actions of our country when they transcend justice.

Why does the world hate the US?

Most of the world hates us—the United States. But have we really considered why that might be?

Interestingly, if we were to ask Americans why much of the world hates us, the answers might vary between, “it is because we are the defenders of freedom and other nations don’t like that,” to “it is because we are Christians.”

But if we were to ask those who reside in nations that are hostile to the US, they may well have a litany of allegations that I suspect most Americans have never considered.

Could it be that the US is the Beast?

This question might cause a measure of consternation. It shouldn’t. The answer is easy: of course, the US is the Beast. After all, as I wrote last year, every nation/empire is the Beast!

See: previous posts: Who/What is the Beast #1 Rev 13/Dan 7; Beast: Satan as the deceiver #2; Beast as empire #3; The Beast: Empire, Deception, and the Church #4; Beast: empire and power #5

The problem here is two-fold:

First, most American Christians have no idea that the US is just as much the Beast as any other nation.

Second, most American Christians have little/no idea just how bad a Beast the US is.

. . . to be continued.

For more on Christian Nationalism, I recommend:

David Crump, I Pledge Allegiance; see also, Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry, Taking America Back for God

For the determinetruth Podcast interviews with David Crump click here (part 1) and here (part 2). For a follow-up conversation on Christian Nationalism click here.

Our goal is to keep these posts free of charge. I do not intend to ever hide them behind a paywall. I can only do this if those of you who have been blessed by them and can afford to give ($5, $10, $25, or more/month) do so. You can give a tax-deductible contribution by following this link.

Please share this post and let others know about determinetruth.

If you wish to view this blog on your smartphone through the Determinetruth app simply download the “tithe.ly church” app on your smartphone and insert “determinetruth” as the church name you wish to follow. Once it is loaded, simply click on the “blog” icon and it will automatically load.

If you would like to have Rob speak at your church or organization in person or via Zoom, please let us know by filling out the contact info on the Contact me tab on this site.

Politics and Religion

Education and Religion

Beast

Biblical Interpretation

Christian Nationalism

Previous Post

September 18, 2023

4 reasons why I believe that the Western church has largely fallen prey to the Beast: Beast #1

Next Post

October 2, 2023 Why I believe the US is the Beast: Beast #3

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 000 1 Cor 11:17-34 1 Corinthians 1 John 1 Peter 1 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 10 Commandments 2 Corinthians 2 John 2 Peter 2 Thessalonians 2 Timothy 3 John 666 Abortion Acts 2:42 Ahmaud Arbery AIPAC All Saints Day America antisemitism BDS Beast Betting Bible Bible study Biblical Interpretation Biden Book of Acts Boycott Campus Protests Catholicism Ceasefire Chavez Ravine Christian Nationalism Christian Zionism Christianity Today Christmas Church Colossians Communion Convict Leasing Covid-19 Craig Blaising creation Crucifixion Daoud Nassar Deception Deconstruction Democracy Devotional guide Discipleship Easter Eden Education Election End-times Ephesians Eschatology Ethnic Cleansing Evangelicalism Evangelicals Evolution Fall Famine Fascism FIFA Freedom of Speech Galatians Gary Burge Gaza Gaza; Genocide; Boycott Genesis Genocide George Floyd Global Warming God's will Gospel Gospel of John Gospel of Luke Gospel of Mark Gospel of Matthew Government Grace Great Prostitute Hamas Harris healthcare Hebrews HeGetsUs Holy Spirit Holy Week Honor Father and Mother ICJ Immigration Indigenous peoples day Iran Israel Israel Palestine Itamar Ben Gvir James Jesus Joel Willits Jude Just war Justice Kamala Harris Kingdom Of God Kings and Queens land of Israel Law (OT) Lazarus Les Miserable LGBTQ+ Love Luke Mahmoud Khalil Man of Lawlessness Mark Mark of the Beast Marriage Martin Luther King Jr Mercy Mexican Repatriation Military-Industrial-Complex Ministry Mission Money NAFTA Nakba Netanyahu New Creation New Testament Nicaragua Nicodemus Non Violence Occupation Pacifism Palestine Parable Paul Peace Pentecost Peonage Philemon Philippians Politics Poor Power Prayer Pride Month Priests Pro-life Propaganda Prophesy Prophet Qatar Queen Elizabeth Racism Reconstruction Redemption Reformation Resurrection Revelation Roe v Wade Romans Romans 13:1-7 Rome Russia Sabbath Samaritan Seals Sermon Settlements Slavery Spiritual gifts Taxes Tent of Nations Terrorism The Beast Theology Titus Torture Trump truth Ukraine Uncategorized Veteran's Day War Warsaw Ghetto wealth Wedding Women World Cup 2022 Worldview Worship Wrath Yemen Zionism

Select a Month September 2026 May 2026 February 2026 November 2025 October 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 August 2018 June 2018 May 2018 March 2018 September 2017 July 2017 May 2017 November 2016 October 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What were the Ten Commandments written down on?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Stone tablets The Ark of the Covenant Papyrus Scrolls

Support this
Column