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

Faithful Democrats

Home
Politics and Religion
Death of Faith: The Christian Right and Civil Religion

Death of Faith: The Christian Right and Civil Religion

Last updated on: May 9, 2013 at 6:22 am by Faithful Democrats

Death of Faith: The Christian Right and Civil Religion 2013-05-09T06:22:50-06:00 Faithful Democrats

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.

Christian Right is seeking to move toward a civil religion

in America — nothing less than an identification of the nation of the United
States, through a revisionist history of Christian roots, with the covenant
people of God. It is the elevation of America to a special role in God's
redemptive plan.

It is
a practice in the Maine State House of Representatives, of which I have recently
been a member, to lead off the morning with a prayer and follow with the Pledge
of Allegiance. On its surface, this would seem like a good start to any day.

The
prayer is by invitation through the office of the Clerk of the House. If you
accept that invitation, you agree to the general terms that, in order to avoid
offending those of other faiths or of no faith, you will make your prayer
generic.

Most
pastors honor that agreement. Often, however, evangelical pastors will come to
the rostrum, preach sermons in their prayers, and close the prayer with "…in
Jesus' name." Violation of the terms of the invitation is justified on the
grounds that "…He who declares me before men, him will I declare before my
Father in Heaven."

Simply
put, there is an assumption that God will not hear a prayer that is not ended in
Jesus' name.

That
assumption fails the test of experience. When Jesus was instructing His
disciples how to pray, He gave them, and us, the Lord's Prayer. Never have I
heard the Lord's Prayer ended in Jesus' name. Can we assume that God does not
hear the Lord's Prayer?

Are
there ways for a Christian pastor to declare allegiance to Christ without
violating the terms of the invitation? I believe there are.

One of
the ways that I have used was to say at the end of my prayer, "…and may the
words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in Your
sight, O Lord, our Strength and our Redeemer, Amen." Thus, I have honored the
terms of the invitation, have honored the God-given right of my neighbor to
reject the Lordship of Christ and have sworn allegiance to the
Godhead.

Thirty
seconds or so later, we who claim citizenship in the very Kingdom of God that
Jesus came to proclaim, stand and pledge allegiance to a flag.

Go
figure.

All
this is reflective of a movement by the Christian Right toward a civil religion
in America.

Civil
religion is nothing less than an identification of the nation of the United
States, through a revisionist history of Christian roots, with the covenant
people of God. It is the elevation of America to a special role in God's
redemptive plan.

It is
civil religion that can declare itself as "good" and other nations or political
parties as "evil," a common tactic of the Religious Right. In order to get
there, of course, we must codify Christianity into the law as our official
religion through carefully selected scriptural mandates to the exclusion of
other Christian principles.

The
assumption is similar to that of ending prayer in Jesus' name — that God's
blessings are reserved only for that nation that exhibits certain trappings of
faith.

That
is not biblical Christianity.

Biblical Christianity insists that the people of God are not those of a
nation-state but are those of every nation, tongue and tribe, who have repented
of their sins, have been reconciled to God through the substitutionary death of
the risen Christ and have joined in the life of the church.

The
story of the settling of the Puritans in America is a story of failure. Its
ideological allegiance to the nation-state did not survive the second
generation. Out of that failure, however, came the founding principles of the
new nation based, not on revealed truth, but on a natural belief in reason,
virtue, order and liberty.

The
inherent flaw in today's concept of civil religion as advanced by the Christian
Right is that it reduces faith to secular evidence. Political institutions
become the arbiter of faith through wedge issues incidental to saving
grace.

While
there can be no argument against Christian principles as a guide to good
government, the path to civil religion is strewn with corruption, deceit, cheap
religious language and a clergy that shills for the state. Once endorsed, we
move from the supremacy of God over nations to an unyielding loyalty to the
government. The two lose their distinctive features, and the Christian falls
into the idolatry of nation over the Kingdom of God.

The
path to civil religion is paved with revisionist history. First, a nation must
have been founded as a Christian nation. Secondly, all evil in the past must be
denied. Finally, there must be an assumption that, contrary to human history,
our nation can be eternal so long as certain precepts are upheld.

America fails and will fail all three.

Featured Writers

Previous Post

October 31, 2006

What Voters Want

Next Post

November 1, 2006 The Pope is Not the Anti-Christ

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category About Us About Us Action Center Advertise Ask a Theologian Ask a Theologian Blogs Books Campaign Blog Candidate Spotlights Commentary Donate Facebook Featured Writers Fellows Fellows From the Pulpit General Information Hillary Clinton Interfaith Blog Latest Media Center Media Center Media Center MyBlog MyBlog News Newsflash Newsflashes Our Team Reader Blogs RSS Sermon of the Week Shop Social Networking Static Items Support Talking Points Test blogs The Basics Theology Uncategorized YouTube

Select a Month November 2020 October 2020 February 2020 August 2019 July 2018 July 2017 March 2017 February 2017 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 June 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 January 2006 August 2004

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was Timothy's mother?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Lois Eunice Priscilla Mary