Pastor Steve’s Weekly Letter for Thursday, July 3, 2008
Tomorrow is Independence Day. As I think about my country on its 232nd birthday, I am aware of the need for balance and discernment. After all, I have dual citizenship. I am both a citizen of the United States of America and a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20). So how do the two relate, especially since my ultimate identity and destiny is connected to my citizenship in heaven? As a citizen of heaven, what am I to think about the American Revolution – the movement which culminated in the Declaration of Independence? Let me offer my perspective.
Basically, the American Revolution is a mixed legacy. I wish I could tell you that our founding fathers were committed Christians, but that was simply not the case. While they spoke often about God, they viewed him as a distant, impersonal being. Mark Noll, Nathan Hatch, and George Marsden observe in The Search For Christian America that “the Revolutionary period was marked by declining concern for church, weakness in evangelism, and a low point in public spiritual life in the country.” This is ironic considering that the Puritans in the Massachusetts Bay Colony tried 140 years earlier to establish America as the ‘city on the hill.’ That is a story for another time, but I believe that it was a misguided effort. By 1776, allegiance to the Revolution became just as important to some Christian patriots as the Christian faith itself.
But there is a positive side. According to Noll, Hatch, and Marsden, Christians today “should be pleased with the patriotic insistence upon the rule of law, upon the need for virtue in a population, and upon the dangers of unchecked power.” While America was not founded as a Christian nation, its founders generally respected the Bible and stood for many Christian values and virtues.
When it comes to patriotism, then, I have no problem saying the “Pledge of Allegiance.” Yet I recognize that my ultimate allegiance is to God. I love my country, and yet my greatest love is for God. In fact, it is my love for God which motivates me to be a good citizen and appreciate my homeland. Still I am part of something bigger! I am part of God’s kingdom, that is, his rule as king which restores life to all that it was meant to be. This Sunday, July 6, we will learn about the incredible value of God’s kingdom when we study the parables in Matthew 13:44-52. The title of my sermon is “Life in God’s Kingdom: Priceless.”
One week ago, on June 26, a historic event took place in our denomination, the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA). The EFCA adopted a substantial revision to our statement of faith. This replaces the original statement which was adopted in 1950. Ernie Manges and Marti Magers voted as delegates from our church. Pastor Roberto Cambrany attended the session, too. You can read the new statement of faith at the following link: http://www.efca.org/about/doctrine/. I am enthusiastic about the new statement of faith because it builds upon and strengthens the original statement. Nothing has been sacrificed or “watered-down.” Rather, the language is more precise at several places, and some current issues have been addressed. I encourage you to read it.
The reports from our Mexico Mission Team have been positive. Sue Chalupnik e-mailed me to report that our team is getting along great and that the VBS has been going well. Our team of 44 returns home on Friday. Here at home, the backpack drive got off to a good start last Sunday. Seventy-five back-packs were purchased. Now the shopping begins! Our goal is to donate one-hundred backpacks full of school supplies to needy school students in Lake County.
