America is a great nation.  Its founding and history clearly show God’s favor.  Those of us who value all the good things for which this country stands, don’t want to see its prominence diminished.  We like our majestic view of this nation and how its greatness seems ordained by God.  But is it a Christian nation?

Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, is also the author of several books including Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel.  In early May, The Gospel Coalition featured him in the following video posted on their Facebook page:

Moore’s statements may be shocking to some because the opposite belief is so easy to come by: the pilgrim’s quest for religious freedom, the faith of our founding fathers, “In God we trust” is on our money, many prominent buildings (both federal and state) bear inscriptions to God, etc., etc.  Surely, we must be a Christian nation.

But despite God’s abundant blessings upon this country, the United States – unlike the biblical nation of Israel – does not have a covenant relationship with God.  God never promised that He would protect America or that it would endure forever.

God has indeed used, and continues to use, America in mighty ways to build His kingdom. Our freedom of worship has grown Christianity in this country to enormous proportions.  American ingenuity and prosperity has allowed us to become the most philanthropic nation in the history of the world.  That wealth coupled with the Great Commission has accomplished much, including the founding and funding of international missions on a global scale.

Our Constitution, however, did not enthrone a Christian theocracy.  Rather, it established a secular republic that left religion to the conscious of each person.  We may want to overstate our nation’s relationship with God to comfort ourselves or to counter our detractors, but believing the opposite is worse in many ways.

Beyond being biblically inaccurate, a false belief in God’s providence may cause us to doubt God’s sovereignty or conclude that He’s let our country down as it slowly morphs into something unfamiliar and increasingly unrecognizable.  It also fosters a “take-back-the-nation” mentality, which predisposes us to wanting to identify and blame those who “took our country away.”

“Them vs. us” is not Jesus’ approach.  If “they” are not Christians, we refer to them as lost, or non-believers, or desperately in need of salvation.  That’s our lens.  That’s our worldview.  The Great Commission is not a Christian jihad against liberals, atheists, the LGBT community, or anyone else we think “took our country away.”

We’re fighting for God when we’re sharing the Gospel with love, compassion, grace, and mercy.

The most valuable territory that God wants under His control is the hearts and minds of those who profess to follow Him.