If I were trying to undermine a country, I would attempt to make its own citizens hate it. I would do this in a veiled way so that they would not realize what was happening. I believe that this is exactly what has taken place in our nation over the past many years. The deception has been so great that even many Christian leaders who pride themselves in their biblical knowledge and discernment have been taken in “hook, line, and sinker.”
During the lead up to the 2020 election, I was appalled to hear a much-beloved and respected Christian author justify supporting the party of abortion because Trump’s pride was even worse than killing unborn babies. The desire to disassociate with all things Trump and look “respectable” to the Left robbed this man of his judgment. Two years later we see clearly that the party of abortion is also the group attempting to destroy the entire nation along with its Judaeo-Christian values. Perhaps now in hindsight those who fell for this feeble attempt to justify voting against Trump realize that they voted for the devil instead. Those who were not taken in saw clearly at the time what was going on. This is an example of “nuanced” deception masquerading a Christian wisdom. It is never okay to vote avowed baby killers into office. If even the most educated and highly regarded can come under the sway of this sort of deception, none of us is immune.
“Wokeness” and critical race theory appeal to those who believe they have a deeper understanding of things than the “great unwashed” group of people who live in the “fly over” areas of the country and who generally vote conservative. (Is this an updated edition of Gnosticism?) Spiritual pride is likely behind this desire to avoid being identified with those despise. It is like someone who is ashamed of his family, for whatever reason, and tries to distance himself in every way possible, not realizing that it makes him seem insecure, petty, and small. We should love our families because they are where we originate. It’s who we are, so to speak, but we may not choose to identify with its members’ worst characteristics. The same is true for our nation. Every family and every nation has something good for which we can be proud.
When we are ashamed of someone or something, we lose our power to influence things for good. It is impossible to help someone to whom we have shut the door of compassion.
It is easy to fall for the lie that all white people somehow share the responsibility for systemic racism, until we encounter racism coming from the other direction that is just as hateful and evil. We should repent for specific sins we commit, but it is quite impossible to repent for systemic sins of which we have no direct knowledge, choice, or responsibility.
The devil seeks to lock us into a permanent sense of shame and guilt for which their is no solution.
To accuse this country of systemic racism is like accusing it of systemic sin, which is another way of saying we are human. We are all sinners and prone to racism, but the beauty of the gospel is that Jesus sets us free and declares us “not guilty.” God only requires us to repent for known sins of which he convicts us, but he does not want us walking under a cloud of shame and guilt that can never be resolved. Instead, the Bible clearly says that Jesus removed all condemnation and judgment that was against us. (John 5:24) The devil never wants anyone to be free. He always accuses us. There is no solution, only retribution. This sounds very much like CRT. Anything that seeks to bring us under a cloud of permanent guilt is from the devil, pure and simple.
All people are sinners and inherently racist. Bigotry and racism of some sort are present in every society. It is not always provoked by the color of one’s skin however. The central issue may be what nation we come from, what language we speak, or what religion we follow. In some areas of Africa, it is related to what tribe one belongs. All of this points to our fallen sinful condition.
If we are going to be helpful, we must rise above the sinful attitudes and behaviors around us and model something far better. In other words, we are to be “salt and light” in a very dark world.
The devil and his agents espouse philosophies and belief systems that seek to drive wedges between various people groups. He wants us to suspect and fear one another, with the hope that it will escalate into hatred and violence.
These lies have so worked themselves into the national conversation that many, who should know better, now have a “root of bitterness” against their own country. (Hebrews 12:15)
When this happens, all we can see is what is wrong with it. We feel good about ourselves when we speak evil of it, thinking that somehow this makes us superior. All it really does is ally us with the Accuser of the Brethren. (Revelation 12:10)
In addition, many Christians also have adopted a Quaker-like isolationism and passivity when it comes to politics, believing that the political realm is “beneath” us and that we should focus instead solely on the business of the church and the gospel. This cedes the political arena to those who do not serve our Lord. This is a great victory for those who have worked hard to convince one of the largest voting blocks in the country, conservative-minded Christians, to disengage politically or deny our conservative Christian heritage in an attempt to make the Left like us, which they never will because they hate God.
A large part of the reason our nation is in the mess we are in today is because good people have gone AWOL from politics.
I understand completely. Even though I believe that many who serve our Lord Jesus should be involved politically, nothing about politics appeals to me. Nevertheless, we need men and women who have great courage and stamina to serve in that part of society. Likewise, we need God-fearing people serving in all the major areas of influence and power – government, finance, education, the arts, business, medicine, the military, and science. We cannot afford to continue to cede these areas to the devil.
People who have learned to despise our nation do not seem to mind very much that it is under assault by our political enemies, who operate in both major political parties, and that we are in danger of losing our republic and our freedoms entirely. I have heard people say that Christians should focus on the kingdom of God and basically ignore those who are doing their level best to collapse the country. What would our Christian forebears think about this? What would those who gave their lives and fortunes to secure the liberties of free speech, worship, and self-defense say to us today? I believe they would be appalled at the deception we have embraced.
The Bible makes it clear that Jesus came to set the captive free. (Luke 4:18) The Bible tells us that wherever the Spirit of God is, there is freedom. (2 Corinthians 3:17) Whenever the devil gets involved in anything, freedom is lost and people become enslaved. (John 10:10)
I believe we can safely say that those nations that defend liberty promote that which is godly, and those which steal freedom from its citizens are of the devil. Government has been authorized by God to represent him as an enforcer of justice. (Romans 1:4) When a government abandons that mandate, it becomes illegitimate in the sense that it ceases to properly represent God.The framers of the US Constitution recognized that governments inherently progress or devolve into tyranny. That is why Benjamin Franklin said that we were given a republic, if we can keep it. Representative government requires constant vigilance against those who want to “play” the system and steal our liberties. That is why Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence the following.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
The biblical word “redemption” means to buy back from slavery and set free. Through faith in Christ and his shed blood, Father God grants us freedom to serve him. Freedom for freedom’s sake is never the goal, however. When we use our freedom to serve something besides God, we will eventually lose it. That is what has happened to us in the United States.
Those who braved the icy waters of the Atlantic in small wooden ships to bring their families to a wild “new world” did so in the hope of finding political and spiritual freedom. Most of them left rather tyrannical governments and wanted nothing more to do with anything like that. They were willing to risk everything in pursuit of freedom. Those who fought against Britain in the Revolution did so to a great extent because they were resisting what they viewed as tyranny. Sadly, our government today is more oppressive than Great Britain ever was, but many of us piously think that we are “above” being concerned with such matters.
I believe that our failure to address the peril we are in as a nation is proof that we have divorced our “religion” from real life. We have fallen for the devil’s ruse that we should “fort up” in our Christian ghettos (churches) and let the world go to the devil.
What will we do when our churches are closed down and those who profess Christ are hunted and persecuted? Although we know that God can and will use every situation for our good and his glory, how can anyone think that persecution would be a good thing?
The world in general is not coming to our churches. We must go to them. We must let our light shine in whatever area we can. And if we have no place to shine except in the church, maybe we should try to carve out some place else to be a witness. Maybe we should get involved with groups and causes which currently have little light shining. There are service clubs, political groups, school boards, etc. where a Bible believing person of moral courage could accomplish much.
But we will never do this if we are nursing a root of bitterness against our country and frankly do not much care if it is destroyed. May God deliver us and rekindle in us a love for the nation in which we live, despite its many failures and flaws. May God deliver us from a critical spirit that only sees what is wrong. May he open our eyes to what is good and worth saving. Then we can step forward to become part of the solution, with God’s help.
