When Jesus told His disciples that they couldn’t serve two masters, He was alluding to God and Mammon (sometimes interpreted as Wealth or Greed). The desire for wealth without conscience is idolatry because it puts our devotion to God in a secondary position. Keeping the Sabbath was all about giving everyone (including illegal aliens) and every animal a time when no money was made and no work was done. The Apostle Paul put greed on almost every list of sins he produced. This idea of having two masters is often conflated to mean God and anything that takes us away from God. Patriotism in its most perverted form – Nationalism – is one such master that is often paired with religious faith. God & Country – the American flag on the altar – prayer at events like public school graduations – and there are so many more; all of these practices and phrases put God on equal footing with love of country. It forces us to serve two masters.
So, to say that America is A (read, only) Christian nation is one of the most unpatriotic and unfaithful things a follower of Jesus can say. America was created by a religiously diverse group of people who saw the wisdom in not having a state religion that was funded by the government and, because of the money, controlled by it. It is fair to say that most of the enslaved people here were Muslim, and we know that there were people of other faiths here as well. George Washington, in 1784, wrote, “If they are good workmen, they may be of Asia, Africa, or Europe. They may be Mahometans (Muslims), Jews, or Christian of any sect, or they may be Atheists.” He saw the diversity around him and didn’t care; being a good citizen was what mattered. Our Constitution is supposed to guarantee that right.
In the same way, Christianity is not only an American religion, nor does it rest in a particular time or era. God is timeless; God does not locate God’s self in 1776 or 2024. When churches focus on a particular style of worship or language or practice, they limit themselves and God. Tradition or a particular theology can become a kind of master that we invent to control God, instead of allowing God to control and guide us. True Christianity and true Patriotism have this in common – they allow each one of us the freedom to choose how we will honor God. This is why the new Louisiana law forcing the placement of the 10 Commandments in each public school classroom is in no way about religion – it is about shoving a particular and favored type of religious practice down children’s throats.
No real believer in God should find forced faith in the public realm to be an acceptable practice. If you believe this law is correct, I would encourage you to learn more about Jesus. He invited people into a relationship with Him, and He never forced them to love or serve Him. Jesus taught and prayed and fed people, but He never once shoved the Scriptures in their faces and forced them to read them. He asked them what they thought and challenged them to see things differently. I can love my nation and God in different ways, but God always comes first. Which means, at least from a Jesus point of view, I am to serve others and love them. To do otherwise is to be unpatriotic. And un-Christian.
Prayer – Holy God, You offer Yourself to us and give us the freedom to choose. Help us to convince those who would misuse You of this truth. Amen.
Today’s art is a provocative cartoon by Nick Anderson.