The Kingdom.

 

Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” Luke 17.20 & 21

             There are those, even in Canada, who are proposing to create a Christian nation. As a Christian I get it, having a country that is based on the Christian faith has an appeal. It will never happen.

            The first difficulty that we encounter is defining what a Christian nation would be. The Bible is clear, “He has shown you what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6.8) It seems that those who are proponents of a Christian nation are interested in restricting what you can do. They want us to behave, not to be charitable.

            The second issue is that you cannot legislate morality. Prostitution has been illegal for as long as it has been around. We have recognized that prohibition does not work. As a drunken charismatic Lutheran, I sat at the kitchen table of the president of the Alberta chapter of the Christian Women’s Temperance Union getting drunk with her son. We cannot legislate the change of heart required for compassion or morality.

           The third issue is that time and time again and again we have seen that mixing religion, even as I contend it is the right one, with power is a bad idea. We have repeatedly witnessed evil, devastation and violence, when the people who rule think they have a divine mandate. Or those who believe they have a divine mandate have political power. Our residential schools are this country’s example. While I understand those who claim that our residential schools were an example of Christianity, it wasn’t. We should consider Jesus’ comment that when we have done this to those we value the least, we have done it to him. We have witnessed the mixture of religion and power.

            The country where the push for a “Christian nation” seems to be the strongest was based on the concept of the separation of church, religion, and state. This separation is natural. Jesus, the epitome of our faith, was not interested in political power. And those with political power, the religious elite, despised him. Nothing in the intervening millennia has changed this division.

            To say that I mistrust this movement would be an understatement. Those who seem to be the strongest advocates also seem to be filled with hatred and fear. Their motivation is clear, it is their self-aggrandizement for how moral they are and how despicable you are. I don’t see a love for you, or me, or for God.

            As Christians we are called to walk a path that is strangely balanced. Like the man, who while he believed homosexuality was a sin, helped fund a suicide prevention hotline for queer youth. It is recognizing that our faith demands actions from ourselves. It is understanding that we are to protect those who are on the margins.

            If you are truly interested in a Christian nation, do those things that establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” (Isa 1.17) Our faith demands actions from ourselves not others. The Kingdom of God is not established through the ballot box, it is established as we care for each other.

 Anyway, that is my opinion.