Religious conservatives?

With the coming of July 4th and the American troops scattered throughout the world to represent "liberty and justice for all," it would seem there is no better time to be patriotic. Conservative radio stations and talk shows fill the air with political comments that are directed to promote the American Constitutional values. Almost synonymous with this exaltation of America is the promotion of the Christian God. It would seem that to be Republican or conservative would be one and the same with being Christian. Such a position could be devastating for the authenticity of Christianity.

Whoever said being conservative or Republican meant being Christian? It is possible that being Christian may promote a conservative way of thinking, but its creativity and reality does not stop there. With men like Pat Robertson and James Dobson promoting Christian participation in politics and then Republican officials promoting Christian values in society, it is easy to see how people would confuse the two.

The problem with mixing the two is that Christians are called to change the world from the inside out and politics attempt to do so from the outside in. In John 18:36, Jesus addresses Pontius Pilate's fears as to his political influence by saying, "My kingdom is not of this world, If my kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here." Christians must be careful and not get distracted with trying to take a country by political force. To do so would breed a physical war between two parties rather than a spiritual undertaking.

This is not to exempt Christians from political responsibility, but to make aware the division taking place in America. Christian values should never be set aside in the name of political agendas. Rather, political agendas should be subject to those values. In the book "The Kingdom That Turned the World Upside Down," David Bercot states that "neither Jesus nor his disciples ever talk about such a thing as a 'Christian nation.' The term is actually an oxymoron, like the phrase 'thunderous silence.'" What if the bloody political fight to keep America as a nation "under God" is actually placing God under a political agenda?

Recently in San Diego, a giant concrete cross that stands in a public parking lot has made the news as violating the doctrine of the separation of church and state. Its permanence is being fought by people who think differently about the Constitution and Thomas Jefferson's famous "separation" statement. In all honesty, this dichotomy of separation is useless for the country, but for some it is a matter of America's survival. To have crosses on or off parking lots doesn't make the country more or less Christian. If some feel it is a threat to religious freedom in the nation, then perhaps they have misplaced the origin from which freedom comes. Such people ought to be helping the poor and feeding the hungry rather than fighting a cause that in the end will carry no eternal value.

Homosexuality, abortion, the War in Iraq and many more are issues on the Republican-conservative agenda. For Christians to try and correct these issues through the position of Republicanism misrepresents Christianity and its purpose. Adjusting a secular law to favor a certain Christian belief could cause Christianity to look more like a religion of political power driven by hate. No matter how well intentioned the end result may be, the means of getting there should be pursued with the same attitude. It seems it would be out of character for Jesus to ever have tried to change a nation by implementing laws, but he would have done it relationally - one person at a time.