_______ Nationalism

Word from the Center
Written By Peter Scaer

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How should we fill in the blank? Traditionally Christian nations have a spotty record, but compared to what? A Hindu nation, where people are divided according to castes? A Muslim nation, where women are treated like property? A Communist nation that leads to wholesale slaughter? The Spanish Conquistador might be faulted, but consider the world of the Aztecs, the mass human sacrifice.

Then shall it be a secular nation? Is our nation somehow worse for having "In God we trust" on our money," for saying "under God" in the pledge? But is there a neutrality to strive for? Vacuums are soon filled, and we end up with cultural Marxism in which children are given puberty blockers, then hormones, leading almost inevitably to mutilating surgery. We end up with the destruction of the family. But this secularism is not neutral, to each his own. In some states, a parent can lose his child if they do not affirm their children's gender delusion, a delusion often encouraged by the secular state.

Funny thing. When Martin Luther King Jr. was pushing for civil rights, he argued based on natural law, on rights endowed by our creator. Was he acting as a Christian nationalist? Were the Christians who sought to end slavery stepping out of their lane? And what about all those justice warriors who have taken to the streets? What morality are they pushing? And according to what creed? Is it not the ideology that has already felled many a nation? The ideology that drives away the church and turns Cuba into an island prison, and turns an abundant Venezuela into a land of starvation? In the killing fields of Cambodia? The horrors of the Gulag? The mass murder of China?

So what do we mean by Christian nationalism? Values will be held and imposed. It is not because I want to dominate that I want to outlaw abortion. It's because children are precious, and they deserve protection. The right to bear arms is predicated on the idea that the state is not all in all, that we have the right and duty to protect our families, for which the state exists. Is it Christian nationalism to push for real marriage? Or is it simply a matter of justice, recognizing that a child has a reasonable right to a mom and dad, and that biological parents have a reasonable responsibility.

I know of no one that wants pastors to run the nation, though it would be a lot better than the situation in Iran, where the Islamic clergy have the power. But what we should acknowledge is that it's a good thing when a nation becomes Christian. When Ireland turned from paganism, did it not become a better land? Is it not great to celebrate Dyngus Day and the turning of Poland to Christianity? Would it not be better if Hagia Sophia were once more a church?

All of this is to say, something, some ideology, is going to fill in the blank. Why would we not want to say that we live in a Christian nation, a place where churches are welcome and prayers are said freely and without fear? Would we not want our children to live in a land where they can speak of Christ freely, and not lose their business or job because they wish not to lie or live by lies? To say we welcome others is good. But is it a good thing for England to have Muslim mayors in so many of its cities, and Sharia acting as a de facto law leaving women vulnerable on the streets?

A few years back, I was talking to a Christian leader in Tanzania. He said something to the effect that within ten years, Tanzania would become a Christian country, an Islamic country or secular country in the European style . . . In that sense, nations are not that unlike families, which might be Christian, Islamic, or dead secular, even if a member or two strays.

The idea that we wish our nation to run according to biblical values should not be so strange, especially when we assert, as we should, that these are the values that are written into creation itself. It is never good to sacrifice a virgin to the sun god, nor should it ever be allowable to sacrifice an unborn child on the altar of convenience, or to castrate a child in honor of a false rainbow. This is why it is so important to speak truth, to teach our children that what we offer concerning the value of life, of marriage, of the dignity of man created in God's image is not just opinion, but it is fact, and that apart from such an understanding, terror, bloodshed, and cruelty will reign, and people will be treated worse than animals.

So again, Christian nations have a spotty record, which should hardly be surprising. But I have yet to witness better alternatives. How then shall we fill in the blank?

 

The Rev. Dr. Peter Scaer is a professor at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Be Informed
When it comes to pastors and pro-life issues, Rev. Jonathan Petzold shares how he delivers Christ’s hope and forgiveness to his people as they face them.

Be Equipped
An update on a freedom of speech and religion case involving Lutheran leaders in Finland is in order, and Dr. Päivi Räsänen, former minister of the Interior of Finland, offers a helpful one.

 

Be Encouraged
“We care about that precious baby, but we also care about the mom. We care about that woman who is haunted by the guilt and shame of a past abortion … We care because Jesus cares for us. We love because God first loved us. And this we know! Our Lord Jesus—who died for us and took away all of our sin and guilt and shame—is risen and ascended to the Father’s throne. JESUS LIVES! THE VICTORY’S WON!” –Rev. Paul Clark, LFL of Michigan

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_______ Nationalism
_______ Nationalism

How should we fill in the blank? Traditionally Christian nations have a spotty record, but compared to what? A Hindu nation, where people are divided according to castes? A Muslim nation, where women are treated like property? A Communist nation that leads to wholesale slaughter? The Spanish Conquistador might be faulted, but consider the world of the Aztecs, the mass human sacrifice.

 

Then shall it be a secular nation? Is our nation somehow worse for having "In God we trust" on our money," for saying "under God" in the pledge? But is there a neutrality to strive for? Vacuums are soon filled, and we end up with cultural Marxism in which children are given puberty blockers, then hormones, leading almost inevitably to mutilating surgery. We end up with the destruction of the family. But this secularism is not neutral, to each his own. In some states, a parent can lose his child if they do not affirm their children's gender delusion, a delusion often encouraged by the secular state.

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The Mob's Demonic Shrieks

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Think for a moment about which hymn stanza would best conclude a cantata at a wedding. What words should be echoing in the ears of bridegroom and bride as they prepare for married life together? Which would be best?

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SEEING THINGS FROM GOD’S “MISSION-VICTORY” POINT OF VIEW!

D.C. We have seen religious liberties for Christians now protected and defended rather than threatened and litigated. We have seen other constitutional protections undergirded as well. But sadly, we are also seeing a growing callousness to the issue of life, not just from a select group of secular elites, but even from American citizens who are religious. The Pew Research Center shows that while conservative Christians still see abortion as an illegal action against innocent Children in the womb, other Christians are beginning to support the “abortion in all circumstances” mantra in pop culture.  The abortion euphemistic cover of a constitutional “right to choose” has been properly litigated, but now the deceptive phrases of “reproductive freedom” and “women’s health care” has many callously embracing the killing on demand of innocent children right up to the moment of birth. Politicians and citizens alike are growing in their support of the outrageous notion that a child can be aborted up to the time of birth and even after it is born, as long as the mother and the doctor decide.

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Religious Liberty and Bearing the Cross: It’s Always to Share the Message of the Cross

A blessed Good Friday, Easter morning to you all!!

One of my favorite recurring guests on the “Liberty Action Alert” is Cal Thomas. He is a clear-thinking, fearlessly-engaging, Christian voice in the public square. His columns and commentary always give “public” Christians a lot to think about as they try to live out their faith lives in the particular vocations in the world in which they serve. He wrote this Good Friday piece about 3 years ago,

Peter Scaer
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