I wanted to address an issue that came up in each of my last two posts, and that is the issue of God's judgment on our nation (or any nation for that matter)
I address this as an historic orthodox Christian, affirming with other historic Orthodox Christians my belief in Jesus Christ as the risen/resurrected Lord of all who will return as King and Judge. This was the clear unambiguous teaching of Jesus Himself, and of the Apostles. The later (so called) Apostles' Creed puts it this way "from From thence he shall come again to judge the living and the dead." That line could have taken straight from just about any sermon in the book of Acts. It was the belief and teaching from he beginning.
I realize that those who are not Christians don't believe this, and I realize that more theologically liberal Christians don't much believe this either. I have no intention to persuade; I am only affirming a theological premise for what follows.
The Christian looks to what he refers to as the Old Testament and sees God in a very special covenant relationship with one particular nation of the earth - Israel. Along with the blessings of being in relationship with God, Israel also bore the burden of being under potential covenant curse or blessing according to how she lived according to the stipulations of the covenant. Curses and blessings were part and parcel of the Covenant itself.
But now (from the Christin point of view), God is not in a unique covenant relationship with any of the current nations of the earth. The Christian looks and works toward the ongoing preaching of the good news of Jesus Christ to all of the people/languages/nations of the earth equally. There is not really one nation that has a "special status," unless in some way, Israel does. (According to the Christian writers, the God of Israel, though seeing the purpose and point of Israel fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus, nevertheless has an ongoing special affection for the descendants of Abraham according to promise, i.e., via Isaac).
The Christian also sees the church itself (and possibly individual churches) as in a kind of covenant relationship with God where they may a level of blessing or cursing according to obedience or disobedience (see Revelation 2 and 3). Plus the Christian sees a large world-wide judgment of God against evil and rebellion when Jesus returns.
One also sees an ongoing battle as it were between the power of the state and the power of the state-sanctioned civil religion (on the one hand), and the people of God (on the other hand). If the book of Revelation says anything it says that over the course of history as a whole, good will win, God will win, His people will be vindicated, and death and sin and curse will be destroyed.
Again, a person who is not a Christian would not agree with any of this. I'm still laying groundwork for my point.
Here is the point. In the here and now of life in a fallen world we do not know God's secret counsel; we do not know "why" specific or particular bad things happen (whether the people be "good" or not), and we do not know whenever there is a disaster that it is due to God's special judgment upon a nation or a people. So, we don't know, Reverend Wright, if what happened on 9/11 was a matter of God's judgment in the "what goes around comes around sense." Nor do we know, Mr Cizic, whether God will judge America for not passing sufficient legislation regarding global warming. We do not know. we cannot know.
There are so many Christians who see America as having a "special nation status" with God, and who, as they see moral decay as evidenced by abortion and pornography and family breakdown and conspicuous consumption, expect God's imminent judgment. There are many Christians who see the United States as the focal point of evil in the world, and which can expect judgment at any time for its sins of greed and war mongering and environmental degradation and inattention to the poor, etc.
But we cannot read God's mind. We do not know the "why's" for many things that happen. Speculative after the fact comments like Jeremiah Wright's, or speculative ahead of time warnings like Cizic's really are just blowing smoke. They do now know. They cannot know.
In fact all human beings, including Christians, have a responsibility to do right, to pursue justice, and to seek the good of others. This applies everywhere to every nation (The Christian believes). But ours is just one of the many nations. As citizens and as a body politic we have responsibilities, and when we act stupidly or unjustly there may well be predictable consequences which are bad, or, as is often the case, we or some other nation may get away with evil for a very long time. Such has been the story of world history. Just how God's judgment intersects with our history we just do not know and will not know until the story is over.
For the Old Testament Psalmist as well as the New Testament Christian, the idea of God's coming in judgment was great news. Finally and at long last things will be made right. For the psalmist this was such good news he could see the trees clapping their hands with joy. For the Christian this is simply a basic core principle of life and prayer - "Thy Kingdom Come," or put another way, "Come, Lord Jesus."
I confess I can get grumpy at the anti intellectualism of our day that has led so many Christians, especially protestant Evangelical ones, to be so ignorant of their own faith. I even wish non Christians would become more knowledgeable of historic orthodox Christianity, just as I need to become more knowledgeable regarding Islam and Hinduism and modern Judaism, not just out of respect, but also so we can at least have an intelligent conversation. I still hold out hope.
In the mean time I wish Christian leaders, whether liberal or conservative, would quit invoking God's judgment (maybe "evoking" would also be true here), especially when their own theological hobby horse is involved. It's bad form.
Friday, April 18, 2008
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2 comments:
Joel, Abraham`s seed is Christians, and not the children of the bondwoman but of the free (the bondwoman likened unto Ishmael, but Paul is applying this to the unbelieving Jews); Galatians 3:29, Isaiah 41:8. So Christians are now the Israel of God, Galatians 6:16, James 1:1, Romans 11:19.
The promises are made only to "one seed," and that "one seed" is Christ (Galatians 3:16)
If we (Gentiles) are in Christ, then we "are counted for the seed" (Romans 9:8).
"WE are the circumcision..." (Philippians 3:3).
"WE... are the children of promise." (Galatians 4:28)
"...WE are not the children of the bondwoman, but of the free." (Galatians 4:31).
"YE are... the children of God..."(Galatians 3:26).
We are "the Israel of God." (Galatians 6:15-16
Peter said that Gentiles were not a people (until they accepted Christ as their Savior), but are now the people of God, 1 Peter 2:10.The only promise about the Jews given in Luke 21:23, was that there would be (from that day until Christ`s second coming) great wrath upon the people of the Jews. So the Jews who have repented and received Christ as their Messiah and Redeemer, they are with Gentile Christians, the seed of Abraham:ONLY THESE TWO. God is able to graft in more Jews, but they all have freewill, and God doesnt force his will on anyone.
As for America being especially chosen to be blessed by God: it was at first, having a Constitution based upon Protestant principles of freedom of religion and speech, and separation of church and state, and the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and right to own a business and everyone could make a living and work at any job for which he/she was qualified. But now, America has changed, and freedoms have sprouted wings and many have been nullified by this judge`s opinion or that judge`s, and Americans have given up freedom of speech in the workplace-and in order to preserve peace in America`s workplace, everyone has to give up freedom of speech, for "the common good." America is no longer Protestant, which it was over 90% Protestant in 1776, and Protestantism is no longer allowed. Should God bless America for outlawing Protestantism and witnessing for God in the workplace? What did the disciples of Jesus, after his ascension, tell the Sanhedrin, when they told them not to teach in this man`s name (Jesus Christ) anymore? That`s right: "We ought to obey God, rather than man," Acts 4:19; 5:29. America is now under the judgment of God, for sin (and oppression included)is a reproach to any people, Proverbs. With the USA legalizing homosexuality and lesbianism and gambling, and taking away the rights of parents to raise their children according to the dictates of their consciences, and allowing children to divorce their parents so they can live elsewhere and do their own thing-this along with divorce being the end of around 50% of marriages, with women ruling over men through laws partial to women, and men delegated to be second class citizens when they are (by God Ephesians 6:23) supposed to be the head of the woman and moral leader in every marriage. America, before it is over-and Christ comes with his angels to resurrect the righteous dead and translate the righteous still alive at his coming-America will be reduced to rubble, and humbled to the dust. Glitteringspear
Paul M.
I write to a general audience, folks of different faiths and perspectives with whom I live and work and who are able to read even this comment. Your understanding about the seed of Abraham is more or less the same as mine, for it is the NT view. But I find it hard and hurtful given my audience to lay it out as you have without much gentle explanation however, and would not put it that way in this forum. As to my comments, I was referring to Paul's words for God's ongoing affection for the unbelieving Jews, and I used the language I did to distinguish between the unbelieving descendants of Isaac and those of Ishmael, not intending to confuse the true child of promise/"seed" of Abraham, Jesus Christ, with others. It is not the purpose of my blog in general to poke my thumb into the eye of my neighbor, especially my Jewish one. I was trying to address the general issue about everybody invoking God's judgment.
I simply do not agree with you at all as to the place of America in God's heart. Free speech and freedom of religion and the other "founding principles" were and are not biblical principles per se, and ours is a secular constitution, for which I am grateful, especially when, as a Christian, I imagine and shudder at the thought of many theocratic or theonomist Christians taking the reins of power. Our beginnings were fraught with multitudes of mixed motives. Hardly all of the settlers of our continent were puritans from the Mayflower. There were as many scoundrels and money grubbers as godly people. If you want to argue about God's judgment one could argue that we as a nation were doomed to judgment roe very start due to slavery and our treatment of the native inhabitants, and given the semi human place of slaves in our constitution. As bad as many things are today, there are also many good things about our country, even now. You don't know that we are under some special judgment because of the sins or problems you described. You can say it a thousand times, but you still don't know it. You just don't. You may want it, wish it, pray for it, hope for it, but you don't know it.
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