I have been blessed over the years with many Christian friends. I am able to remain in touch with many of them through the wonder of Facebook.
I find it amusing when a friend posts a comment along the lines of, “What this country needs it to return to God.” I agree wholeheartedly with the statement, but I know many of my Facebook friends, and I suspect what they mean by returning to God and what I mean are not necessary the same thing.
These past couple of years, beginning with the presidential primaries through the election and the inauguration of Donald Trump as our current president, I have often read friends’ Facebook posts declaring what the true will of God is for the election. The funny thing is, I read these posts and realize that said posts are coming from across the political spectrum of our politics. Granted, most of my friends are conservative in their views, but a surprising number of my friends would never identify themselves as politically conservative.
So let’s suppose our nation did return to God. What would a Christian nation look like? What should a Christian nation look like? Obviously, a Christian nation should reflect the character and nature of Christ. The officials we elect to represent us should also take on those characteristics.
As I have considered what it would mean to be a Christian nation, I come up with one simple, yet not simple, answer:
The Christian nation is a compassionate nation.
“When [Jesus] saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).
Paul urges us to be compassionate: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12); “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave us” (Ephesians 4:32). Peter tells us, “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble” (1 Peter 3:8), and James reminds us that “The Lord is full of compassion and mercy” (James 5:11).
When Ronald Reagan ran for president in 1980, he introduced a conservatism that was further to the right than was Eisenhower or Nixon or Ford. His brand of conservatism reached past Barry Goldwater to the conservatism of the earlier part of the 20th century. Reagan won and he began implementing this philosophy into our government. As George Bush stood before the GOP convention in 1988 to accept their nomination, he promised a “kinder, gentler nation,” in part a reaction to the Reagan policies. Twelve years later, George W. Bush ran for president as a “compassionate conservative.” While there is some debate whether either President Bush actually lived up to that higher calling, there is no dispute that both men recognized a Christian nation must be one filled with compassion in our policies and practices.
Compassion is defined as “sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others (“the victims should be treated with compassion”) and has these synonyms: pity, sympathy, empathy, fellow feeling, care, concern, solicitude, sensitivity, warmth, love, tenderness, mercy, leniency, tolerance, kindness, humanity, charity.
So what should a compassionate nation look like? A Christian nations shows its compassion by:
- Looking past that which divides us and instead seeks to bring us together.
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ” (Galatians 3:28).
“So from now on, we regard no one from a worldly point of view. . . All this is from God who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:16, 18).
When Paul wrote the proclamation to the Galatians, he was reminding them that the church must recognize we are one in Christ and that we must look past that which might divide us and work together to build unity. The Corinthians were reminded that each of us in Christ have a ministry of reconciliation, toward one another in the church and toward those who are not affiliated with the church. Paul understood that seeing each other as equals is necessary for compassion and for strengthening the fellowship.
As it is true in the church, so is it in a nation, particularly one that proclaims itself a Christian nation. As long as we can segregate ourselves into different groups, then we create division instead of unity. Division promotes exclusion, and exclusion promotes fear, distrust, even hatred. It promotes an attitude of preserving “my kind” over other kinds. When we describe a group of people with a pejorative term, then we are able to dismiss that group and declare it unworthy of our consideration, much less our compassion.
The compassionate nation recognizes that there, but for the grace of God, go I. It recognizes that people who may be different from me are still people with similar struggles and desires that I have. When we stop seeing people as a distinctive group, we are able to begin to address the needs of all Americans with a Christ-like demeanor.
One of the most maligned segments of our society today are the illegal aliens. I’ve heard time and again, “I’m not opposed to aliens, but they need to go through the proper channels and come across legally.” First, most of the illegal aliens in America today come from Africa or Asia. Second, to dismiss the illegal alien as someone unworthy of our compassion or understanding is to deny the very reminders that God gave to the nation of Israel and that Jesus gave us in His last parable of judgment of the sheep and goats.
“Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt” (Exodus 22:21). “When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living among you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:33-34). “’When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me’.” (Matthew 25:38-40).
In our American society, we truly are a melting pot, a vast quilt of different groups and sub-cultures. One thing unites us as Americans—the belief in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We each believe in the American dream, aspire to improve our lots in life, hope to provide a better world for our children. We may not always agree on how best to achieve these goals, but when we see each other as more alike than different, we are better able to talk with one another, to listen to one another. We find ways to work together to make our world a better place.
- Seeking what is best for all.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).
When John F. Kennedy spoke of reducing taxes across the board, he stated that “a rising tide lifts all boats.” President Kennedy was promoting an economic policy he thought would be good for the country. In the same way, a compassionate Christian nation should always seek a policy that will benefit others, not just ourselves. Our philosophy needs to be one that believes if I am enjoying a right or a benefit because of my place in America, then I want all people to enjoy those same rights or benefits.
Whether the benefit is education, economic opportunity or any of the other many benefits that comes from being a citizen of this great nation, it would be in our best interest to ensure all Americans gain that opportunity. The eyes of compassion see where others are suffering, where others are deprived, where others are struggling and in need, and the compassionate heart seeks to alleviate said deprivation, struggle or need.
- Recognizing the role of stewardship in society.
“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded, and from the one who has been entrusted much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:48b).
“If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” (1 John 3:17).
Luke 12:48 comes at the conclusion of a parable about a wise and faithful manager who has been given responsibilities by his master over the other servants. The teaching is clear: God gives us duties and responsibilities that He expects us to carry out. Out of the many blessings He has given us, He expects us to use them for His glory and His praise.
God has blessed many Americans with many material blessings, and we are expected to be faithful stewards of these blessings. When we who have been given much willingly turn our backs on those in need, those who need a helping hand, then we deny the compassion we are called to, we deny the stewardship we have been given.
The Christian nation of compassion sees its wealth not as something to hoard but as a tool to assist others and raise them up. We recognize that God does not bless us materially solely for our pleasure and amusement, but He enables us to use this tool for His glory and praise. I hear people say we (our government) should stop sending money to other countries and start taking care of the needs at home first. These same people are quick to give to foreign mission trips while turning their backs on poor and needy at home. I’m not saying we should ignore needs beyond our borders to be exclusive to our domestic needs. We can and should do both.
- Insisting on the truth above all else, demanding consistency from its representatives and leaders.
“If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32).
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life’” (John 14:6).
“Simply let your ‘yes’ be yes and your ‘no’ ‘no;’ anything beyond this is from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37).
We are living in an age where truth is questionable at best. Many of us pays attention only to the media that supports and affirms what we already believe. We are unwilling and unable to be challenged to consider the other side. As a result, truth has become sadly relative in our world. And in many ways, truth is relative. If my candidate makes a statement, I tend to believe him or her. If the opposing candidate makes a similar statement, I question everything about it, disbelief rising in me.
But for the Christian, truth is not relative. We have faith in Christ; we believe He is the truth. We are seekers of the Truth, and therefore we must be seekers of all truth. When we have what is true, we should be comfortable enough in our faith to allow that truth to be challenged. By allowing our truth to be challenged, we either strengthen our faith by rejecting the false or we strengthen it by gaining new, greater insight into the truth of Christ.
The same is true in politics and other areas of life. If we insist on holding to the truth, then we should allow ourselves to be open to other arguments, other beliefs, knowing that we will either find the fallacy or we will have a better understanding of what is true.
If we are going to hold ourselves to being true and honest, people of integrity and reliability, then we should also expect the same from our elected officials, from the local to the national level. We should insist on representatives who tell us what we need to hear, not what they believe we want to hear.
CONCLUSION
I agree with those who say this country needs to return to the will of God. The trouble is that our nation cannot return to God until first His people return to Him. Until and unless we can see the world with the compassion of Christ and reach out to the least of these our brothers, we cannot hope to have a society that will do the same. The Christian nation begins with Christian people deeply committed to living out their faith in obedience to the One who called us and made us His own.
© 2017 Glynn Beaty