We stand with those who stand for FREEDOM.
Cries for justice know no boundary lines.
Freedom loving people want what we in America have: to think and speak without restraint.
But how do we practice freedom as American CHRISTIANS?
Watch our Truth in Two to find out (full text and AFTERWORDS below).
American Christians should show gratitude for our country and give thanks to God for it.
Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website). Dr. Eckel spends time with Christian young people in public university (1 minute video), hosts a weekly radio program with diverse groups of guests (1 minute video), and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video). Consider becoming a Comenius patron (here).
Picture Credit: Luke Renoe, Snappy Goat
FULL TEXT:
This is the toughest question for me as an American Christian.
How do I facilitate the tension between two biblical responsibilities: preserving the titanic freedoms I have been afforded by living in the United States and speaking for or against poor American policy?
We live in the most peaceful, prosperous nation in all of human history: the United States of America. Yes, I know we have our problems and no, I am not sidestepping true justice issues. But there is a reason why people from other countries are clamoring to get into this country. Americans enjoy a wide range of freedoms and opportunities unheard of elsewhere. People want what Americans have.
So I celebrate the freedoms of a free country. Genesis 1:28 tells me, I bear responsibility to conserve and manage what has been given to me, for the sake of my children, grandchildren, and neighbors. But what if I see breaches of ethics, freedoms, or care in my country? Then, I must speak out as a citizen for or against policies harmful to a person’s present or a nation’s future.
So here are my two watchwords for everyone. For my conservative friends I say this: do not baptize your American citizenship with Christianity. Christians have been given a charge to care for the immigrant, the stranger. Welcome and hospitality is The Church’s responsibility no matter another’s national origin. For my progressive friends I say this: do not baptize verses in Scripture meant for believers, thinking these truths should be automatically applied to American public policy. The responsibilities of The Church and a nation state are quite different.*
At the Comenius Institute we say: rejoice in the tension of being an American Christian. Preserve what has been given in America while we speak for or against American public policy.
For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, President of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.
*Compare clear statements in Matthew 22, Romans 13, 1 Timothy 2, Titus 3, 1 Peter 2-4, and elsewhere about Christian responsibility toward human authority structures, including those of government.
AFTERWORDS
Read my post on “Politics” (here) – grateful for my country, a warning against despotic rule.
Thankful for Vaclav Havel (here) whose stand with the Dali Lama cried out for freedom.
Christian Persecution around the world: my nine-point response (here).
From April, 2009 “Call of Duty” (here)
I love my country. My voice cracks when I sing the national anthem. Tears come to my eyes when an Air Force jet passes over a football stadium before kick off. Seeing uniformed service personnel in airports, I walk over to shake their hand, thankful for their service. A smile lights up my face when I think of my students who serve in our military. And I loathe anti-Americanism. Bowing before potentates, exchanging pleasantries with leaders who want our national destruction, or giving backhanded apologies for actions taken in just wars does not represent dependable gratitude for The United States of America. No place is perfect. But for years I’ve watched as people risk their lives to get from Havana to Miami for the privilege of our freedom. And I’m still waiting for those who have decried our nation in the past to emigrate elsewhere. To my mind, living in this country is a privilege, bearing the weight of responsibility.