The Myth Of A Christian Nation Part 2

Yet Matthew and Simon spent three years together ministering alongside Jesus. No doubt they had some interesting fireside chats about politics. But what is positively amazing is that they ministered together with Jesus to advance the kingdom of G.o.d. Just as interesting, we never find a word in the Gospels about their different political opinions. Indeed, we never read a word about what Jesus thought about their radically different kingdom-of-the-world views.

What this silence suggests is that, in following Jesus, Matthew and Simon had something in common that dwarfed their individual political differences in significance, as extreme as these differences were. This silence points to the all-important distinctness of the kingdom of G.o.d from every version of the kingdom of the world. To be sure, Jesus' life and teachings would undoubtedly transform the trust both had in their political views if they would allow it. At the very least, as the reign of G.o.d took hold in their lives, the tax collector would no longer cheat his clients and the zealot no longer kill his opponents. Yet Jesus invited them both to follow him as they were as they were, prior to their transformation, and their widely divergent political views were never a point of contention with Jesus.

What are we to make, then, of the fact that the evangelical church is largely divided along political lines? The Christian position is declared to be Matthew's among conservatives, Simon's among liberals. While Jesus never sided with any of the limited and divisive kingdom-of-the-world options routinely set before him, the church today, by and large, swallows them hook, line, and sinker. Indeed, in some circles, whether conservative or liberal, taking particular public stands on social, ethical, and political issues, and siding with particular political or social ideologies, is the litmus test of one's orthodoxy. In many quarters, individuals and groups with different opinions about which version of the kingdom of the world is best don't have friendly fireside chats. If they communicate at all, it's shouting across picket lines!10 What this suggests is that the church has been co-opted by the world. To a large degree, we've lost our distinct kingdom-of-G.o.d vision and abandoned our mission. We've allowed the world to define us, set our agenda, and define the terms of our engagement with it. We've accepted the limited and divisive kingdom-of-the-world options and therefore mirror the kingdom-of-the-world conflicts. Because of this, we have not sought wisdom from above (James 3:17), the wisdom Jesus consistently displayed that would help us discern a unique kingdom-of-G.o.d approach to issues to empower our moving beyond the stalemates and t.i.t-for-tat conflicts that characterize the kingdom of the world. Instead, we've made these conflicts our own as we fight with each other over "the Christian" option.

We have lost the simplicity of the kingdom of G.o.d and have largely forsaken the difficult challenge of living out the kingdom. We have forgotten, if ever we were taught, the simple principle that the kingdom of G.o.d looks like Jesus and that our sole task as kingdom people is to mimic the love he revealed on Calvary. We have to a large degree gone AWOL on the kingdom of G.o.d, allowing it to be reduced to a religious version of the world. The world supplies the options, and in direct contradiction to Jesus' example, we think it's our job to p.r.o.nounce which one G.o.d thinks is right.

A DIFFICULT SIMPLICITY.

Our central job is not to solve the world's problems. Our job is to draw our entire life from Christ and manifest that life to others. Nothing could be simpler-and nothing could be more challenging. Perhaps this partly explains why we have allowed ourselves to be so thoroughly co-opted by the world. It's hard to communicate to a prost.i.tute her unsurpa.s.sable worth by taking up a cross for her, serving her for years, gradually changing her on the inside, and slowly winning the trust to speak into her life (and letting her speak into letting her speak into our our life, for we too are sinners). Indeed, this sort of Calvary-like love requires one to die to self. It is much easier, and more gratifying, to a.s.sume a morally superior stance and feel good about doing our Christian duty to vote against "the sin of prost.i.tution." Perhaps this explains why many evangelicals spend more time fighting against certain sinners in the political arena than they do sacrificing for those sinners. But Jesus calls us and empowers us to follow his example by taking the more difficult, less obvious, much slower, and more painful road-the Calvary road. It is the road of self-sacrificial love. life, for we too are sinners). Indeed, this sort of Calvary-like love requires one to die to self. It is much easier, and more gratifying, to a.s.sume a morally superior stance and feel good about doing our Christian duty to vote against "the sin of prost.i.tution." Perhaps this explains why many evangelicals spend more time fighting against certain sinners in the political arena than they do sacrificing for those sinners. But Jesus calls us and empowers us to follow his example by taking the more difficult, less obvious, much slower, and more painful road-the Calvary road. It is the road of self-sacrificial love.

When we adopt this distinct kingdom-of-G.o.d stance, everything changes. While living in the kingdom of the world, of course, we still wrestle with tax and inheritance issues. And we should do so as decently and as effectively as possible. But our unique calling as kingdom people is not to come up with G.o.d's opinion of the right solution to these issues. Our unique calling is simply to replicate Christ's sacrificial love in service to the world.

When we return to the simplicity and difficulty of the kingdom of G.o.d, the question that defines us is no longer, What are the Christian policies and candidates? No, when love is placed above all kingdom-of-the-world concerns (Col. 3:14; 1 Peter 4:8), the kingdom-of-the-world options placed before us dwindle in significance-as much as Matthew's and Simon's fireside opinions were dwarfed in significance by their common allegiance to Jesus. For we, like Matthew and Simon know that the one question we are commanded to wrestle with is this: How do we love like Christ loves? Or to ask the same question in different ways: How do we communicate to others the unsurpa.s.sable worth they have before G.o.d? How can we individually and collectively serve in this particular context? How can we "come under" people here and now? How can we demonstrate Calvary love to every person? The revolution Jesus came to bring was "a genuinely human one," as Andre Trocme notes. "People, not principles, were his concern."11 We need not be able to figure out how society should tax its citizens, enforce inheritance laws, or deal with prost.i.tutes. Neither Jesus, nor Paul, nor any New Testament author gave inspired p.r.o.nouncements about such matters. But that does not prevent us from washing the feet of overly taxed citizens, disgruntled younger brothers, and despised prost.i.tutes. Jesus and the New Testament authors gave plenty of inspired p.r.o.nouncements about that.

CHAPTER 4.

FROM RESIDENT ALIENS TO CONQUERING WARLORDS.

Therefore come out from them, and be separate from them, says the Lord...and I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.

2 CORINTHIANS 6:1718 You've got to kill the terrorists before the killing stops. And I'm for the president to chase them all over the world. If it takes ten years, blow them all away in the name of the Lord.

JERRY FALWELL1.

BEING THE FIRST FRUITS.

According to the biblical narrative and church tradition, at some point in the primordial past, Satan managed to deceive humanity and co-opt us into his rebellion against G.o.d, seizing the world and making humanity his slaves. Jesus came into this world not only to take it back and free earth's inhabitants but also to put an end to the war altogether. He came to destroy the Devil and his works (1 John 3:8; cf. Heb. 2:14). In becoming a human, the Son of G.o.d was entering "enemy-occupied territory," as C. S. Lewis says-the territory in which Satan was "ruler" and "G.o.d" (John 12:31; 2 Cor. 4:4).2 Now, through his death and resurrection, Jesus accomplished the task for which he came. He defeated the kingdom of darkness and set humanity free. In principle, therefore, the world has already been reconciled to G.o.d (2 Cor. 5:1421; Col. 1:1520). In principle, the wall of sin that separates humanity along ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, and tribal lines has been destroyed. In principle, all have already died in Adam and been made alive in Christ (1 Cor. 15:22; 2 Cor. 5:14). In principle, we are already one new humanity in Christ (Eph. 2:1415). In principle In principle. Yet Scripture as well as our own experience make it painfully clear that what is true in principle has not yet been manifested as accomplished fact (see, for example, Heb. 2:8).3 From G.o.d's eternal perspective, the interval between what is true in principle and what is manifested as fact is undoubtedly no larger than the interval we experience between, say, turning on a light switch, on the one hand, and seeing the room completely filled with light, on the other. From our our perspective, however, the interval has already lasted two thousand years, and for all we know may go on for another ten thousand (popular apocalyptic authors notwithstanding!) (2 Peter 3:8). perspective, however, the interval has already lasted two thousand years, and for all we know may go on for another ten thousand (popular apocalyptic authors notwithstanding!) (2 Peter 3:8).

Now, we need to understand that this interval is not to be a time in which we pa.s.sively wait for the end. Rather, it is the time in which the kingdom of G.o.d that was planted at Calvary is supposed to grow in us and through us to encompa.s.s the entire world. People who are submitted to the King, and whose lives are therefore being transformed into a domain in which G.o.d reigns, are called the "first fruits" of G.o.d, because they manifest in their lives what humanity and the world will look like when G.o.d's kingdom is fully manifested (2 Thess. 2:13; James 1:18; Rev. 14:4). We are to show ahead of time the eschatological harvest that is coming; we are to reveal the future in the present, the "already" amid the "not yet."

What is more, the Calvary-quality beauty of this coming kingdom revealed in our lives is to be the primary means by which the mustard-seed kingdom expands in the world. Tax collectors, prost.i.tutes, and all others who hunger for real life are drawn to the beauty of the kingdom of Jesus, who was the the first fruit of the new humanity (Rom. 8:29; Col. 1:18). first fruit of the new humanity (Rom. 8:29; Col. 1:18).

To be these first fruits, we must allow the kingdom to grow in us and through us. When we genuinely repent (turn from) our idolatrous allegiances to the world and submit to G.o.d's loving rule, the kingdom gets planted in our innermost being. From there, as the Holy Spirit continually teaches us to yield, the kingdom slowly takes over our hearts, minds, and finally, our behavior. As we learn to think, feel, and act under G.o.d's rule, we learn how to get our worth, significance, and security from Christ alone. We learn how to be freed from our addiction to futilely trying to acquire worth, significance, and security for ourselves. We learn how to walk in freedom from violence, self-centeredness, materialism, nationalism, racism, and all other false ways of getting life. As we die to our old self and "put on" our "new self" created in Christ Jesus (Eph. 4:2224), we learn how to be loved and how to love G.o.d, ourselves, our neighbor, our enemies, as well as the animal kingdom and the earth G.o.d originally placed under our dominion and loving care (Gen. 1:2830).

As we grow in Christlikeness, we grow as conduits of the kingdom, increasingly manifesting the fact that we are "first fruits." Through our Christlike love, others are brought under the influence of the kingdom until, in time, it is planted in them and the process taking place in us begins to take place in them. This is how the mustard seed takes over the entire garden (Matt. 13:3132); this is how demonic powers are defeated. And this is how what is true in principle becomes manifested as fact.

STATIONED BEHIND ENEMY LINES.

We play an important role in this momentary interval between Calvary and the full manifestation of the kingdom of G.o.d on earth. We are not only the garden that is taken over by the mustard seed; we are the means by which the mustard seed continues to take over the rest of the garden! G.o.d wants to work with us to grow his kingdom; indeed, the sovereign G.o.d chooses to need us to grow his kingdom.4 He longs for a bride who learns how to rule with him upon the earth (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 5:10; 20:6; 22:5). Hence, things genuinely hang upon whether or not we fully yield to the kingdom growing in us and through us. While we are loved unconditionally, we are only as useful to the kingdom as we are yielded. He longs for a bride who learns how to rule with him upon the earth (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 5:10; 20:6; 22:5). Hence, things genuinely hang upon whether or not we fully yield to the kingdom growing in us and through us. While we are loved unconditionally, we are only as useful to the kingdom as we are yielded.

As yielded vessels, we are to do what Jesus did. Indeed, to the extent that we are yielded, Jesus himself continues to act through us as we saw in chapter 2. But by the same means, the enemy that confronted Jesus in his earthly ministry continues to confront him through us as we work with G.o.d to advance his kingdom. Though G.o.d's archenemy was in principle defeated on Calvary, this is not yet manifested fact, and so we continue to live in the war-torn interval between the "already" and the "not yet."

This is why Scripture makes it clear that, even after the resurrection of Christ, Satan is still the G.o.d of this age, the ruler of the power of the air, the highest functional ruler on the planet who controls the entire world, and the one who still opposes the advancement of the kingdom at every turn.5 This means that all who have the kingdom of G.o.d growing in them must understand that they are stationed "behind enemy lines" as much as Jesus was. The world is still "enemy-occupied territory." The "pattern of this world" is still demonically structured, and so we must still resist being conformed to it (Rom. 12:2 NIV). We who have Christ being formed within us are no more at home in this present world system than Jesus himself was, and so our att.i.tude toward the present world system must be the same as his. His kingdom was not of this world, and we who are part of this kingdom must never forget that This means that all who have the kingdom of G.o.d growing in them must understand that they are stationed "behind enemy lines" as much as Jesus was. The world is still "enemy-occupied territory." The "pattern of this world" is still demonically structured, and so we must still resist being conformed to it (Rom. 12:2 NIV). We who have Christ being formed within us are no more at home in this present world system than Jesus himself was, and so our att.i.tude toward the present world system must be the same as his. His kingdom was not of this world, and we who are part of this kingdom must never forget that we we are not of this world either (John 17:16; cf. 8:23; 15:1819; 17:14). are not of this world either (John 17:16; cf. 8:23; 15:1819; 17:14).

THE CALL TO BE "HOLY" RESIDENT ALIENS Scripture drives home this truth when it teaches that we are to view ourselves as soldiers stationed in a foreign country and, thus, are not to let ourselves get overly entangled in "civilian affairs" (2 Tim. 2:4). It tells us that we are to see ourselves as aliens and exiles in a foreign country, just as Abraham did (Heb. 11:810, 1316; 1 Peter 2:11). Whatever country we may naturally belong to, Paul says, we are to remember always that our real citizenship is in heaven (cf. Phil. 3:20). Whatever opinions we have about how to solve society's problems, we are to remember always that we cannot serve two masters (Luke 16:13). Our allegiance, therefore, can never be to any version of the kingdom-of-the-world, however much better we may think it is than other versions of the kingdom-of-the-world. Our allegiance is to our heavenly Father, whose country we belong to and into whose family we've been adopted (Rom. 8:29; Gal. 1:2; 6:10; Eph. 1:45).

Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon capture the unique nature of the true church when they depict it as a small colony in a foreign land, "an island of one culture in the middle of another."6 As the t.i.tle of their masterful book denotes, we are to see ourselves as "resident aliens." We are As the t.i.tle of their masterful book denotes, we are to see ourselves as "resident aliens." We are in in the world, but are not the world, but are not of of the world any more than Jesus was of the world (John 17:16); we are to march to the beat of a different drummer. And-note this carefully-preserving this "alien status" is not an addendum to our calling as kingdom-of-G.o.d citizens; it belongs to the essence of what it means to be a kingdom-of-G.o.d citizen. The way we advance the kingdom of G.o.d is by being the unique kingdom of G.o.d in contrast to the kingdom of the world. the world any more than Jesus was of the world (John 17:16); we are to march to the beat of a different drummer. And-note this carefully-preserving this "alien status" is not an addendum to our calling as kingdom-of-G.o.d citizens; it belongs to the essence of what it means to be a kingdom-of-G.o.d citizen. The way we advance the kingdom of G.o.d is by being the unique kingdom of G.o.d in contrast to the kingdom of the world.

This is why Scripture repeatedly stresses the fact that we are called to be a "holy" people (2 Cor. 6:17), a concept that indicates something consecrated and set apart (Ps. 4:3). Like the Israelites coming out of Egypt, we are to come out from the world and be "set apart" for G.o.d. We utterly trivialize this profound biblical teaching if we a.s.sociate our peculiar holiness with a pet list of religious taboos (such as smoking, drinking, dancing, gambling, and so on). No, the holiness the New Testament is concerned with is centered on being Christlike, living in outrageous, self-sacrificial love. If you make this your life aspiration, you will certainly be peculiar-about as peculiar as a Messiah dying on a cursed tree! You will be a "resident alien."

AVOIDING UNBIBLICAL DISTORTIONS.

It's important that we understand that the primary reason G.o.d called Israel to be a holy nation was not to isolate it from other nations but to raise it up for for other nations. Israel was to serve other nations by being their light, winning the world over to allegiance to Yahweh (e.g., Isa. 49:6; 55:45; 60:35; Jer. 3:17; Zech. 2:11; 8:2023; cf. 1 Peter 2:9). G.o.d's plan was always to bless the entire world through Israel (e.g., Gen. 12:23; 17:46; 18:18; Ezek. 36:23; 37:28), and he has always been the G.o.d of all the nations (e.g., Ps. 46:10; 47:8; 67:2, 4; 72:11), working toward a kingdom that would include all people (Isa. 45:23; Acts 17:2428; Rom. 14:11; Phil. 2:1011; Rev. 5:9; 7:9; 14:6). So too, the reason G.o.d now calls kingdom people to remain separate from the ways of the kingdom-of-the-world is not to isolate them from their culture but to empower them to authentically serve their culture and ultimately win it over to allegiance to Jesus Christ. The reason we are not to be other nations. Israel was to serve other nations by being their light, winning the world over to allegiance to Yahweh (e.g., Isa. 49:6; 55:45; 60:35; Jer. 3:17; Zech. 2:11; 8:2023; cf. 1 Peter 2:9). G.o.d's plan was always to bless the entire world through Israel (e.g., Gen. 12:23; 17:46; 18:18; Ezek. 36:23; 37:28), and he has always been the G.o.d of all the nations (e.g., Ps. 46:10; 47:8; 67:2, 4; 72:11), working toward a kingdom that would include all people (Isa. 45:23; Acts 17:2428; Rom. 14:11; Phil. 2:1011; Rev. 5:9; 7:9; 14:6). So too, the reason G.o.d now calls kingdom people to remain separate from the ways of the kingdom-of-the-world is not to isolate them from their culture but to empower them to authentically serve their culture and ultimately win it over to allegiance to Jesus Christ. The reason we are not to be of of the world is so we may be the world is so we may be for for the world. the world.

This point is especially important today, for a significant portion of evangelical Christianity has come under the influence of an escapist apocalyptic theology. Believing Jesus will soon "rapture" Christians out of the world before destroying it, they have little concern with the church being a witness on issues of social justice, global peace, the environment, and so on. To the contrary, in the name of fulfilling biblical prophecy, many are actively supporting stances that directly or indirectly encourage violence, possibly on a global scale (for instance, extremist Christian Zionism). Since the world is doomed for soon destruction, the thinking goes, the only thing that matters is getting individuals ready for the rapture.7 Whatever else one thinks about the New Testament's eschatology, it certainly does not encourage this sort of irresponsible escapism. The hope offered to believers is not that we will be a peculiar elite group of people who will escape out of the world, leaving others behind to experience the wrath of G.o.d. The hope is rather that by our sacrificial partic.i.p.ation in the ever-expanding kingdom, the whole creation will be redeemed (Rom. 8:2023; Col. 1:1820). G.o.d so loved the world the world he sent his Son (John 3:16), and we are to so love he sent his Son (John 3:16), and we are to so love the world the world that we are willing to imitate this sacrificial behavior (Eph. 5:12). If we do this, we will certainly be a "peculiar" people. But following the example of Jesus, our peculiarity will lie in our willingness to incarnate ourselves in the tribulations of the world, not in possessing a "rapture ticket" that allows us to escape the tribulations of the world. that we are willing to imitate this sacrificial behavior (Eph. 5:12). If we do this, we will certainly be a "peculiar" people. But following the example of Jesus, our peculiarity will lie in our willingness to incarnate ourselves in the tribulations of the world, not in possessing a "rapture ticket" that allows us to escape the tribulations of the world.

The holiness of the kingdom of G.o.d is its peculiar love, distinct from everything in the world. It is the unique mark of kingdom citizenship and const.i.tutes our distinct witness to the world (John 13:35; 17:2026; 1 John 3:14; 4:812). Hence, everything hangs on preserving this holiness and resisting the Devil's ongoing temptation to compromise it by reducing the kingdom of G.o.d to a religious version of the kingdom of the world.

THE TEMPTATION TO DO "GOOD"

Paul says we must not be ignorant of Satan's schemes, for they are subtle (2 Cor. 2:11). We thus need to explore the nature of the temptation Jesus faced-and consequently, the temptation we also face-as we seek to live out the holiness of the kingdom of G.o.d.

The Devil tempted Jesus by offering him all the kingdoms of the world without having to go to the cross (Luke 4:68). In essence, the Devil was offering him the very thing he came to get, for Jesus came for the people of the world, and people are always subjects of some kingdom or other. To rule the people, all Jesus had to do was submit to the "power over" G.o.d of this age and leave him in place as its ruling authority.

Think about this. Without having to suffer and die, Jesus could have immediately taken a position as the functional lord of all these kingdoms. True, Satan would have remained over him. His rule, therefore, would have had to partic.i.p.ate in the "system of domination" that runs the world.8 But at the very least, Jesus' position of power would have made the world a whole lot better. He could have quickly overpowered evil in all societies. He could have immediately alleviated much, if not all, suffering and created a kingdom of the world that enacted perfect law, order, and justice. Not only this, but he would have thereby fulfilled all his people's expectations of what a messiah was supposed to be and freed Israel from the tyranny of the Romans. Those he loved (and he loved all) could have experienced an immediate, vast improvement in their lives. The Devil's temptation would not have been a genuine temptation for Jesus unless there was a lot of "good" wrapped up in it. But at the very least, Jesus' position of power would have made the world a whole lot better. He could have quickly overpowered evil in all societies. He could have immediately alleviated much, if not all, suffering and created a kingdom of the world that enacted perfect law, order, and justice. Not only this, but he would have thereby fulfilled all his people's expectations of what a messiah was supposed to be and freed Israel from the tyranny of the Romans. Those he loved (and he loved all) could have experienced an immediate, vast improvement in their lives. The Devil's temptation would not have been a genuine temptation for Jesus unless there was a lot of "good" wrapped up in it.

Yet Jesus refused. Why? Because Jesus didn't come to make the kingdom-of-the-world a new and improved version of itself, let alone a Christian version of itself. Instead, he came to transform "the kingdom of the world" into "the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah" and thereby establish the rule of G.o.d, in place of the Devil, "forever and ever" (Rev. 11:15). He came to ultimately put the kingdom of the world out of business by establishing a counterkingdom of radical love that would eventually render it obsolete.

As tempting as it was, Jesus was not going to allow the radical distinctness of the kingdom of G.o.d to be co-opted by the demonically ruled kingdom of the world-however good the immediate consequences may have been. He was not going to trade in his holy mission-his radically peculiar mission-for a good kingdom-of-the-world mission. He was not going to do the practical thing and win the world by acquiring "power over" nations. He was, rather, going to win the world by exhibiting "power under" nations. He didn't want the authority of the world's kingdom that the Devil was offering him; he wanted only to exercise the unique authority his Father had given him. Hence, in obedience to the reign of his Father, Jesus took the impractical, slow, discrete, and self-crucifying road to transforming the world.

This wasn't just an unavoidable means to a n.o.ble end. To the contrary, this act of love in obedience to the Father expresses the very heart of the kingdom that Jesus came to establish. "The cross is not a detour or a hurdle on the way to the kingdom," Yoder correctly notes, "it is is the kingdom come." the kingdom come."9 Sacrificial love, therefore, isn't simply an effective means to a greater good: it Sacrificial love, therefore, isn't simply an effective means to a greater good: it is is the "set apart" kingdom of G.o.d on earth! When one obeys G.o.d and loves as Christ loves in a kingdom-of-the-world context, it always looks like this. This is the "holiness"-the set-apartness-of G.o.d's kingdom on earth. And this is why everything hangs on not allowing it to become co-opted by immediate, obvious, and self-serving kingdom-of-the-world methods, however good the immediate consequences may appear to be. the "set apart" kingdom of G.o.d on earth! When one obeys G.o.d and loves as Christ loves in a kingdom-of-the-world context, it always looks like this. This is the "holiness"-the set-apartness-of G.o.d's kingdom on earth. And this is why everything hangs on not allowing it to become co-opted by immediate, obvious, and self-serving kingdom-of-the-world methods, however good the immediate consequences may appear to be.10 Jesus knew what we must know: Everything rests on our resisting the Devil's temptation to do what seems to be immediate good things without suffering, instead of kingdom-of-G.o.d things that are slow, discrete, and always involve an element of sacrifice. As Camp argues, everything hangs on our confidence that it is not through the power brokers of human history that G.o.d will effect G.o.d's purposes, but through the little minority band of peoples committed to walking in the way of Jesus of Nazareth, bearing witness to the new reality, the new creation, the kingdom of G.o.d.

But as Camp further notes, this requires "great trust: that it is not our task to make things turn out right, but instead to be faithful witnesses. We have to trust that G.o.d will be G.o.d, and do what G.o.d has promised."11 THE CHURCH MILITANT AND TRIUMPHANT.

Tragically, the history of the church has been largely a history of believers refusing to trust the way of the crucified Nazarene and instead giving in to the very temptation he resisted. It's the history of an inst.i.tution that has frequently traded its holy mission for what it thought was a good mission. It is the history of an organization that has frequently forsaken the slow, discrete, nonviolent, sacrificial way of transforming the world for the immediate, obvious, practical, and less costly way of improving the world. It is a history of a people who too often identified the kingdom of G.o.d with a "Christian" version of the kingdom of the world.

For the first three hundred years, this wasn't so. Followers of Jesus during this time saw themselves as "resident aliens." They were a persecuted minority and as such did not dream of corporately exercising "power over" others. Indeed, the church of this time grew-and grew at a mind-boggling rate! This growth came about not by Christians fighting for their rights, as so many do today, but largely by Christians being put to death! It was during this time that the word martyr martyr, which originally meant "witness," came to mean "one who dies for their faith," for dying was one of the primary ways these early Christians witnessed for their faith. In fact, many considered it an honor to be allowed to imitate Christ in being sacrificed for the kingdom they were citizens of.

This is not to suggest that the early church was a perfect expression of the kingdom of G.o.d; they had their all-too-human faults as we all do and absorbed their share of pagan ideas and att.i.tudes. But as a corporate whole, their general relationship with the kingdom of the world replicated that of Jesus. To a large degree, the early church looked like a corporate version of Jesus dying on the cross for those who crucified him. The main proof they offered the world that Jesus was real was the fact that the new reality of the kingdom was manifested in their lives, both individually and corporately.12 It's difficult to overemphasize the change that occurred when, in AD 312, the emperor Constantine was converted. Just prior to an important battle, legend has it that Constantine had a vision in which he was told to paint Chi Rho (the first two letters of the Greek word for "Christ") on the shields of his soldiers. Allegedly, a voice in the vision announced, "By this sign you shall conquer." Constantine obeyed the vision and won the battle. The magic apparently worked, and so Constantine and his administration dedicated themselves to the Christians' G.o.d. This was the first time anyone ever a.s.sociated the Christian faith with violence, but its success stained the church from then on.

Constantine legalized Christianity in AD 313, and because of its a.s.sociation with him, the religion immediately exploded in popularity. Within seventy years it was proclaimed the official religion of the Roman empire-making it a crime not not to be a Christian (the Jews were exempt from the law, but not from the growing anti-Semitism of the church). The first recorded instance of Christians killing pagans occurred shortly after. In short order, the militant church extended its power by conquering lands and peoples throughout Europe, compelling them to become baptized Christians or die. As Charlemagne instructed his Christian troops in their conquest of the Saxons: "If there is anyone of the Saxon people lurking among them unbaptized, and if he scorns to come to baptism...and stay a pagan, let him die." to be a Christian (the Jews were exempt from the law, but not from the growing anti-Semitism of the church). The first recorded instance of Christians killing pagans occurred shortly after. In short order, the militant church extended its power by conquering lands and peoples throughout Europe, compelling them to become baptized Christians or die. As Charlemagne instructed his Christian troops in their conquest of the Saxons: "If there is anyone of the Saxon people lurking among them unbaptized, and if he scorns to come to baptism...and stay a pagan, let him die."13 The "power under" kingdom centered on the cross had succeeded in becoming a ma.s.sive "power over" kingdom centered on the sword. The church had become "the church militant and triumphant," and the kingdom of G.o.d, manifested in the crucified Nazarene, had become the empire of Christendom.

The sacrificial love and humility that characterized Christ and the early church had to be reinterpreted at this time to accommodate the new power that church leaders believed G.o.d had given to the church. Instead of being seen as the essence of the kingdom of G.o.d, the "power under" lifestyle of Jesus and the early Christians came to be understood as a provisional inconvenience that had to be tolerated until Christianity could gain status in the world. Jesus and the early disciples had had to be humble and suffer, it was argued, because they didn't have the power to do otherwise. Forgetting that "the G.o.d of this age" owns all the authority of the kingdom of the world and gives it to whoever he wills (Luke 4:68), church leaders of this time insisted that G.o.d had given the church the power of the sword and thus concluded the church had an obligation to use it. to be humble and suffer, it was argued, because they didn't have the power to do otherwise. Forgetting that "the G.o.d of this age" owns all the authority of the kingdom of the world and gives it to whoever he wills (Luke 4:68), church leaders of this time insisted that G.o.d had given the church the power of the sword and thus concluded the church had an obligation to use it.

Indeed, since the church knows the truth and thus knows what is best for all people, the thinking generally went, it would be positively immoral to lay this power aside and "come under" the heathen. Rather, for their sake and for the glory of G.o.d, the church must use its newfound "power over" to compel (by force) heathens and heretics to agree with it and be saved. Why else would G.o.d have given this power to us, they thought?

A HISTORY OF PERSECUTION IN JESUS' NAME What followed was a long and terrible history of people using the sword "in Jesus' name for the glory of G.o.d." Though there are, of course, many wonderful examples of Christlike people and movements throughout church history, the reigning church as a whole-"Christendom"-acted about as badly as most versions of the kingdom of the world. The Holy Roman Empire was about as violent as the Roman Empire it aspired to replace. It just carried out its typical kingdom-of-the-world barbarism under a different banner and in service to a different G.o.d.

Augustine was the first theologian to align the church in an official way with the use of the sword, and it happened to be against a fellow Christian group, the Donatists. Among other things, the Donatists believed that the alliance between the church and the state that had been forged since Constantine was undermining the purity and integrity of the church, and they wanted to keep the church pure.14 Though Augustine had previously spoken against the use of coercion for religious purposes, his ongoing battle with the Donatists led him to reverse his view. Though Augustine had previously spoken against the use of coercion for religious purposes, his ongoing battle with the Donatists led him to reverse his view.

Augustine now justified the use of force by arguing that inflicting temporal pain to help someone avoid eternal pain is justified. Since G.o.d had given the church the power of the sword, Augustine reasoned, it had a responsibility to use it to further G.o.d's purposes in the world just as a stern father has a responsibility to beat his child for his own good. Since G.o.d sometimes uses terror for the good of humans, we who are G.o.d's representatives on earth-the church-may use terror for the sake of the gospel.15 If the end justifies it, the use of violence as a means to that end is justified. (This is, in essence, Augustine's "just war" policy.) Augustine thus invoked a recent edict of the emperor Theodosius to criminalize the "heresy" of Donatism and attempt to persecute it out of existence. This set a tragic precedent for handling doctrinal disagreements for the next thirteen hundred years. If the end justifies it, the use of violence as a means to that end is justified. (This is, in essence, Augustine's "just war" policy.) Augustine thus invoked a recent edict of the emperor Theodosius to criminalize the "heresy" of Donatism and attempt to persecute it out of existence. This set a tragic precedent for handling doctrinal disagreements for the next thirteen hundred years.

Throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance, millions were burned at the stake, hung, beheaded, or executed in other ways for resisting some aspect of the church's teaching or for failing to operate under its authority.16 Thousands upon thousands were tortured in unthinkable ways in an attempt to elicit a confession of faith in the Savior and the church; some of the macabre torturing devices were even inscribed with the logo "Glory be only to G.o.d." Christian sectarian groups such as the Paulicans, Cathars, Albigensians, and Waldensians were ma.s.sacred by the towns-often including women and children-and Christians in both the West and the East slaughtered each other in Jesus' name as ruthlessly as they slaughtered Muslims. Terrible atrocities were carried out on Jews, especially when the Crusades needed to be financed, and mult.i.tudes of women (estimates range between sixty thousand to several million) were burned or hung for allegedly being witches-most of whom denied the charge. Thousands upon thousands were tortured in unthinkable ways in an attempt to elicit a confession of faith in the Savior and the church; some of the macabre torturing devices were even inscribed with the logo "Glory be only to G.o.d." Christian sectarian groups such as the Paulicans, Cathars, Albigensians, and Waldensians were ma.s.sacred by the towns-often including women and children-and Christians in both the West and the East slaughtered each other in Jesus' name as ruthlessly as they slaughtered Muslims. Terrible atrocities were carried out on Jews, especially when the Crusades needed to be financed, and mult.i.tudes of women (estimates range between sixty thousand to several million) were burned or hung for allegedly being witches-most of whom denied the charge.17 The church of resident aliens had become a horde of savage warlords. The church of resident aliens had become a horde of savage warlords.

The militant, Constantinian mindset carried into the Protestant Reformation. So long as they remained a persecuted minority, Reformers generally decried the use of violence for religious purposes. But once given the power of the sword, most used it as relentlessly as it had previously been used against them. Indeed, with the exception of the Anabaptists, every splinter group of the Reformation in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries spilled blood. Lutherans, Calvinists, Anglicans, and other Protestant groups fought each other, fought the Catholics, and martyred Anabaptists and other "heretics" by the hundreds. It wasn't until the bloodshed became economically unbearable and unfeasible in the Thirty Years' War that a truce (the Peace of Westphalia) was called and Christians agreed, at least theoretically, to end the violence.

Yet while the Christian use of the sword subsided in Europe, it continued in the New World. As G.o.d gave Canaan to Joshua, many argued, so G.o.d gave other lands over to white European Christians. To the thinking of many, the church "militant and triumphant" was on the move to conquer the world for Christ, and all who resisted it were seen as resisting G.o.d himself and deserving death.18 Christians coming to the long-inhabited land of America partic.i.p.ated in the slaughter of millions of Native Americans, as well as the enslavement and murder of millions of Africans as a means of conquering and establishing this new land for Jesus. Such, it was claimed, was the "manifest destiny" of Europeans, Christians coming to the long-inhabited land of America partic.i.p.ated in the slaughter of millions of Native Americans, as well as the enslavement and murder of millions of Africans as a means of conquering and establishing this new land for Jesus. Such, it was claimed, was the "manifest destiny" of Europeans,19 and it wasn't simply warriors who died at the swords of Christians. As is common with kingdom-of-the-world conquests, raping, torturing for sport, pillaging, and treatise breaking were widespread. and it wasn't simply warriors who died at the swords of Christians. As is common with kingdom-of-the-world conquests, raping, torturing for sport, pillaging, and treatise breaking were widespread.

While the violent expression of the Constantinian mindset has been largely outlawed, the mindset itself is very much alive today. To be sure, in some parts of the world Christians still engage in violence against other Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and other groups. But even within the borders of America, the mindset is alive and well. When Jerry Falwell, reflecting a widespread sentiment among conservative Christians, says America should hunt terrorists down and "blow them all away in the name of the Lord in the name of the Lord" (emphasis added), he is expressing the Constantinian mindset. When Pat Robertson declares that the United States should a.s.sa.s.sinate President Chavez of Venezuela, he also is expressing the Constantinian mindset. And when Christians try to enforce their holy will on select groups of sinners by power of law, they are essentially doing the same thing, even if the violent means of enforcing their will is no longer available to them.

A DEMONIC IRONY.

It has been a profoundly sad and ironic history. In the interest of effectively accomplishing what it thought was an immediate and discernable good thing, the church often forsook its kingdom-of-G.o.d call. As a result, it frequently justified doing tremendously evil things. The moment worldly effectiveness replaces faithfulness as the motive for an individual's or inst.i.tution's behavior, they are no longer acting on behalf of the kingdom of G.o.d but are partic.i.p.ating in the kingdom of the world. The so-called good end will always be used to justify the evil means for those thinking with a kingdom-of-the-world mindset, and in doing this, the church succ.u.mbed to the very temptation Jesus resisted. It wanted to fix the world with its superior wisdom and run the world with the sword because it naively believed it could do so better than secular authorities. So, submitting itself to the cosmic "power over" G.o.d, it established itself as the ruling Caesar of the West. Far from improving on the old version of the kingdom of the world, however, it brought about a regime that was often worse than the version it replaced.

In fact, a kingdom-of-G.o.d citizen could (and should) argue that the Christian version of the kingdom of the world was actually the worst worst version the world has ever seen. For this was the version of the kingdom of the world that did the most harm to the kingdom of G.o.d. Not only did it torture and kill, as versions of the kingdom of the world frequently do-it did this under the banner of Christ. If violence and oppression are demonic, violence and oppression "in the name of Jesus" is far more so. The church of Christendom thereby brought disrepute to the name of Christ, a.s.sociating his kingdom with the atrocities it carried out for centuries. The resistance most Islamic countries have to Christianity today, in fact, is partly to be explained by the vicious behavior of Christians toward Muslims throughout history. version the world has ever seen. For this was the version of the kingdom of the world that did the most harm to the kingdom of G.o.d. Not only did it torture and kill, as versions of the kingdom of the world frequently do-it did this under the banner of Christ. If violence and oppression are demonic, violence and oppression "in the name of Jesus" is far more so. The church of Christendom thereby brought disrepute to the name of Christ, a.s.sociating his kingdom with the atrocities it carried out for centuries. The resistance most Islamic countries have to Christianity today, in fact, is partly to be explained by the vicious behavior of Christians toward Muslims throughout history.

This tragic history has to be considered one of Satan's greatest victories, and the demonic ironies abound. In the name of the one who taught us not to lord over others but rather to serve them (Matt. 20:2528), the church often lorded over others with a vengeance as ruthless as any version of the kingdom of the world ever has. In the name of the one who taught us to turn the other cheek, the church often cut off people's heads. In the name of the one who taught us to love our enemies, the church often burned its enemies alive. In the name of the one who taught us to bless those who persecute us, the church often became a ruthless persecutor. In the name of the one who taught us to take up the cross, the church often took up the sword and nailed others to the cross. Hence, in the name of winning the world for Jesus Christ, the church often became the main obstacle to believing in Jesus Christ.

THE CHURCH VERSUS JESUS.

While we, of course, have no business judging people's hearts and deciding who is and is not "saved," kingdom-of-G.o.d citizens must have a vested interest in discerning and declaring what is and is not the kingdom of G.o.d. If we we don't declare that this barbaric religious version of the kingdom of the world was not, and is not, the kingdom of G.o.d, who will? While Christian apologists sometimes try to minimize the harm the church has done, making excuses for it whenever possible and insisting instead on the good the church accomplished, kingdom people should rather be on the front row declaring that insofar as the church picked up the sword, it had don't declare that this barbaric religious version of the kingdom of the world was not, and is not, the kingdom of G.o.d, who will? While Christian apologists sometimes try to minimize the harm the church has done, making excuses for it whenever possible and insisting instead on the good the church accomplished, kingdom people should rather be on the front row declaring that insofar as the church picked up the sword, it had nothing nothing whatsoever to do with the kingdom of G.o.d. Far from defending the church, kingdom people should lead the charge in critiquing it, for when it exercised power over others in Jesus' name, not only was it not the kingdom of G.o.d-something that is true of all versions of the kingdom of the world-it const.i.tuted a demonic distortion of the kingdom of G.o.d. whatsoever to do with the kingdom of G.o.d. Far from defending the church, kingdom people should lead the charge in critiquing it, for when it exercised power over others in Jesus' name, not only was it not the kingdom of G.o.d-something that is true of all versions of the kingdom of the world-it const.i.tuted a demonic distortion of the kingdom of G.o.d.

For the sake of the kingdom of G.o.d, we need to proclaim with our lives, and with our words when necessary, that the sole criteria for whether something is a manifestation of the kingdom of G.o.d or not is the person of Jesus Christ. To the extent that an individual or group looks like Jesus, dying for those who crucified him and praying for their forgiveness in the process-to that degree they can be said to manifest the kingdom of G.o.d. To the degree they do not look like this, they do not manifest G.o.d's kingdom. Hence, to the extent that the church throughout history has persecuted "sinners" and "heretics" rather than embracing them, serving them, and sacrificing for them in love, it was simply one religious version of the kingdom of the world among a mult.i.tude of others-only worse, precisely because it claimed to represent the kingdom of G.o.d.

To say the same thing a different way, kingdom people need to lead the charge in proclaiming that the church has nothing to do with the kingdom of G.o.d whenever it wields the sword instead of loving. While those who wielded the Constantinian sword throughout history undoubtedly convinced themselves they were wielding the sword in love-this is a common self-delusion among religious power brokers-lording over, torturing, and killing people does not communicate their unsurpa.s.sable worth to them; it is not not loving. loving.

Love is patient and kind (1 Cor. 13:4); enslaving and torturing people is neither. Love is never rude (1 Cor. 13:5); burning people alive is. Love does not insist on its own way and is not irritable or resentful when others disagree (1 Cor. 13:5); compelling people to agree with you by using force is the direct ant.i.thesis. Love doesn't rejoice in wrongdoing (1 Cor. 13:6), even if (especially if) those rejoicing credit G.o.d, who supposedly gave them the power to do it. Love bears all things while believing the best in others and hoping the best for others (1 Cor. 13:7); imprisoning, enslaving, and killing others in the name of your religious views is not bearing their burdens, believing the best about them, or hoping the best for them. It's that simple.

Given how obvious this is, one wonders how it was so often missed and why it is yet so often missed today. One wonders why no one in church history has ever been considered a heretic for being unloving. People were anathematized and often tortured and killed for disagreeing on matters of doctrine or on the authority of the church. But no one on record has ever been so much as rebuked for not loving as Christ loved.

Yet if love is to be placed above all other considerations (Col. 3:14; 1 Peter 4:8), if nothing has any value apart from love (1 Cor. 13:13), and if the only thing that matters is faith working in love (Gal. 5:6), how is it that possessing Christlike love has never been considered the central test of orthodoxy? How is it that those who tortured and burned heretics were not themselves considered heretics for doing so? Was this not heresy of the worst sort? How is it that those who perpetrated such things were not only not deemed heretics but often were (and yet are) held up as "heroes of the faith"?

If there is an answer to this question, I believe it lies in the deceptive power of the sword. While G.o.d uses the sword of governments to preserve law, order, and justice, as we have seen, there is a corrupting princ.i.p.ality and power always at work. Much like the magical ring in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings Lord of the Rings, the sword has a demonic power to deceive us. When we pick it up, we come under its power. It convinces us that our use of violence is a justified means to a n.o.ble end. It intoxicates us with the unquenchable dream of redemptive violence and blinds us to our own iniquities, thereby making us feel righteous in overpowering the unrighteousness of others. Most of the slaughtering done throughout history has been done by people who sincerely believed they were promoting "the good." Everyone thinks their their wars are just, if not holy. Marxists, n.a.z.is, the Khmer Rouge, Islamic terrorists, and Christian crusaders have this in common. wars are just, if not holy. Marxists, n.a.z.is, the Khmer Rouge, Islamic terrorists, and Christian crusaders have this in common.

KEEPING THE KINGDOM HOLY.

As we have said, kingdom disciples need to be as outspoken in repudiating the dark side of church history as non-Christian critics could ever be. We should have no more interest in defending a religious version of the kingdom of the world than we have in defending an Islamic or Buddhist or Marxist version of the kingdom of the world. But we should have a great investment in criticizing it, for the Christian version hinders our call to advance the kingdom of Calvary-like love.

We need to repudiate the violent "power over" side of church history not just for the sake of others, but for our own, for we need to continually remind ourselves how easy it is to give in to the Devil's temptation and, thereby, desecrate the holiness of the kingdom. We need to always remember how subtle is the pull to be conformed "to the pattern of this world" (Rom. 12:2 NIV). We need to remain aware of how easy it is for us to be seduced by the demonic G.o.ds that pollute the American air we breath-the G.o.ds of wealth, self-centeredness, greed, racism, nationalism, and violent triumphalism. Without noticing it we can find ourselves morphing the radical gospel of Christ into a self-serving, Americanized, violent version of the kingdom of the world.

Jesus taught us that our life, prayer, and mission must be to keep the Father's name (character, reputation) holy, and to work to see his kingdom come "on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:910). To the extent that we fail to do this, we fail to obey Christ's commission and example. Yet as history testifies, nothing is easier for us than to give in to the Devil's temptation to do just this. Indeed, all indications are that we American Christians have, to a large degree, already succ.u.mbed to this very temptation and have been doing so throughout our nation's history.

The kingdom of G.o.d is not a Christian version of the kingdom of the world. It is, rather, a holy alternative to all versions of the kingdom of the world, and everything hangs on kingdom people appreciating this uniqueness and preserving this holiness. We must always remember that we are "resident aliens" in this oppressed world, soldiers of the kingdom of G.o.d stationed behind enemy lines with a unique, all consuming, holy calling on our life. We are called, individually and corporately, to look like Jesus to a rebellious, self-centered, and violent world.

CHAPTER 5.

TAKING AMERICA BACK FOR G.o.d.

But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."

MATTHEW 20:2528 Every war...with all its ordinary consequences...the murder with the justifications of its necessity and justice, the exaltation and glorification of military exploits, the worship of the flag, the patriotic sentiments...and so on, does more in one year to pervert men's minds than thousands of robberies, murders, and arsons perpetrated during hundreds of years by individual men under the influence of pa.s.sion.

LEO TOLSTOY1.

Having accepted the falsehood that we must run the world, we seek to get hold of the mantle of power. Consequently, "discipleship" gets transformed: "following Jesus," rather than denoting a walking in the way of the humble Suffering Servant, denotes being "spiritual" as we seek to wield power over our fellows.... Christians become convinced that they are pursuing the purposes of G.o.d by pursuing the purposes of the empire.

LEE CAMP2.

AN IDOLATROUS CELEBRATION.

Shortly after the Gulf War in 1992 I happened to visit a July Fourth worship service at a certain megachurch. At center stage in this auditorium stood a large cross next to an equally large American flag. The congregation sang some praise choruses mixed with such patriotic hymns as "G.o.d Bless America." The climax of the service centered on a video of a well-known Christian military general giving a patriotic speech about how G.o.d has blessed America and blessed its military troops, as evidenced by the speedy and almost "casualty-free" victory "he gave us" in the Gulf War (Iraqi deaths apparently weren't counted as "casualties" worthy of notice). Triumphant military music played in the background as he spoke.

The video closed with a scene of a silhouette of three crosses on a hill with an American flag waving in the background. Majestic, patriotic music now thundered. Suddenly, four fighter jets appeared on the horizon, flew over the crosses, and then split apart. As they roared over the camera, the words "G.o.d Bless America" appeared on the screen in front of the crosses.

The congregation responded with roaring applause, catcalls, and a standing ovation. I saw several people wiping tears from their eyes. Indeed, as I remained frozen in my seat, I grew teary-eyed as well-but for entirely different reasons. I was struck with horrified grief.

Thoughts raced through my mind: How could the cross and the sword have been so thoroughly fused without anyone seeming to notice? How could Jesus' self-sacrificial death be linked with flying killing machines? How could Calvary be a.s.sociated with bombs and missiles? How could Jesus' people applaud tragic violence, regardless of why it happened and regardless of how they might benefit from its outcome? How could the kingdom of G.o.d be reduced to this sort of violent, nationalistic tribalism? Has the church progressed at all since the Crusades?

Indeed, I wondered how this tribalistic, militaristic, religious celebration was any different from the one I had recently witnessed on television carried out by Taliban Muslims raising their guns as they joyfully praised Allah for the victories they believed "he had given them" in Afghanistan?

Now, perhaps one could respond to my many questions by insisting that the Gulf War, unlike the war carried out by the Taliban, was a "just war." After all, the Kuwaiti people were losing their freedom and there were reports of women being raped.

Perhaps it was; perhaps it wasn't. People still debate this.3 But as kingdom-of-G.o.d citizens who are to always have a healthy suspicion toward every version of the kingdom of the world, especially our own, we have to at least ask the question why the loss of freedom to the Kuwaiti people mattered so much to our government while the loss of freedom to millions of others around the globe does not? For example, less than two years after the Gulf War, nearly a million Rwandans were barbarically ma.s.sacred in a three-month period. Though the American government and other Western governments possessed detailed information about the genocide as it was unfolding, we did nothing. A similar question could be raised, comparing our war for "Iraqi freedom" with our reluctance to get involved militarily in the Sudan, where atrocities-far worse and on a larger scale than those perpetrated by Saddam Hussein-have been carried out routinely. But as kingdom-of-G.o.d citizens who are to always have a healthy suspicion toward every version of the kingdom of the world, especially our own, we have to at least ask the question why the loss of freedom to the Kuwaiti people mattered so much to our government while the loss of freedom to millions of others around the globe does not? For example, less than two years after the Gulf War, nearly a million Rwandans were barbarically ma.s.sacred in a three-month period. Though the American government and other Western governments possessed detailed information about the genocide as it was unfolding, we did nothing. A similar question could be raised, comparing our war for "Iraqi freedom" with our reluctance to get involved militarily in the Sudan, where atrocities-far worse and on a larger scale than those perpetrated by Saddam Hussein-have been carried out routinely.

Of course, the reasons why we go to war in Kuwait and Iraq but do little to help Rwanda or the Sudan are complex. Kingdom-of-the-world issues almost always are, especially when they pertain to international relations. But for kingdom-of-G.o.d citizens who are aware of the idolatrous self-centeredness of rebellious hearts and the universal influence of Satan, and who thus know better than to place undue trust in any version of the kingdom of the world, don't these inconsistencies at least call into question the claim that we as a nation operate with purely altruistic motives? Don't these inconsistencies suggest that where where a group is located and a group is located and what what their resources are (like oil) are at least one factor in whether a people's freedom is worth risking American lives for? In other words, doesn't it suggest that, like every other version of the kingdom of the world, America looks out primarily for its own self-interest? And shouldn't this curb our confidence that G.o.d is always on our side and shares our excitement over "winning"? their resources are (like oil) are at least one factor in whether a people's freedom is worth risking American lives for? In other words, doesn't it suggest that, like every other version of the kingdom of the world, America looks out primarily for its own self-interest? And shouldn't this curb our confidence that G.o.d is always on our side and shares our excitement over "winning"?4 My goal in raising these questions is not to critique America. To the contrary, this is the way all all versions of the kingdom of the world operate. My critique is rather toward versions of the kingdom of the world operate. My critique is rather toward the American church the American church. We expect nations to be driven by self-interest, but we shouldn't expect kingdom people to applaud this fact, especially when the national self-interest involves taking lives! Isn't our central calling as kingdom people to manifest the truth that this old, self-centered, tribalistic, violent way of living has been done away in Christ? Are we not to display the truth that in Christ a new humanity has been created, one in which there are no ethnic, nationalistic, gender, social, or economic distinctions (Eph. 2:1317; Gal. 3:2629)? Aren't we called to "live by the Spirit" and thus put away all "works of the flesh"-including aligning ourselves with various sides of "dissensions [and] factions" (Gal. 5:1620)?

Whether one thinks the Gulf War was just or not (or whether one thinks this question is even relevant for disciples of Jesus), how can kingdom people not grieve the loss of Iraqi lives as much as the loss of American lives? Didn't Jesus die for Iraqis as much as for Americans? Don't they possess the same unsurpa.s.sable worth that Americans possess? Are we not to embody and manifest Christ's Calvary-quality love even for our nation's worst enemies? When a congregation, gathered in the name of the crucified Nazarene, applauds the violent conquest of fighter jets flying over his cross, is this not further evidence of the diabolic power of the sword to blind us?

THE ALL-TOO-COMMON RALLY CRY.

While I suspect-and hope-the fusion of patriotism with the kingdom of G.o.d I witnessed in that July Fourth video is not representative of most conservative churches, I also know that the basic sentiment it expressed is is far too typical. The evangelical church in America has, to a large extent, been co-opted by an American, religious version of the kingdom of the world. We have come to trust the power of the sword more than the power of the cross. We have become intoxicated with the Constantinian, nationalistic, violent mindset of imperialistic Christendom. far too typical. The evangelical church in America has, to a large extent, been co-opted by an American, religious version of the kingdom of the world. We have come to trust the power of the sword more than the power of the cross. We have become intoxicated with the Constantinian, nationalistic, violent mindset of imperialistic Christendom.5 The evidence of this is all around but nowhere clearer than in the simple, oft-repeated, slogan that we Christians are going to "take America back for G.o.d." The thinking is that America was founded as a Christian nation but has simply veered off track.6 If we can just get the power of Caesar again, however, we can take it back. If we can just get more Christians into office, pa.s.s more Christian laws, support more Christian policies, we can restore this natio