What Did Jesus Think Of The American Revolution?

by Chuck McKnight

More than two centuries ago, the founding fathers of this country signed a statement known as the Declaration of Independence. This document officialized the American colonies’ break from Great Britain. The colonists believed they were justified in this action—along with the bloody conflict itself—due to an increase in taxes without sufficient representation. In fact, many of them were convinced that God was on their side in the war for independence from their oppressors. Let the revolution begin!

A similar situation existed two millennia ago. Much like the colonists under British rule, the Jews were under the oppressive rule of Rome. However, Israel was not a rightful colony of Rome; their land had been taken by force. Like the colonists, the Jews faced heavy taxation, but they also faced constant abuse, and their whole way of life was being destroyed. They couldn’t do anything without the interference of Rome. Caesar even considered himself to be god—the ultimate blasphemy against Yahweh.

Surely, they were justified in their desire to break from Rome. Surely, God was on their side.

And then, rumors of a messiah began to surface. Had God sent Israel a deliverer? Was this Jesus going to free them from Rome? Let the revolution begin!

But Jesus wasn’t going to play their game. He withdrew from the Jews when they tried to make him their king (John 6:15). He told them to pay their taxes (Matthew 22:17–21). 

He told them not to resist their oppressors (Matthew 5:39). He even told them to deliberately go out of their way to help Roman soldiers (Matthew 5:41). Worst of all, Jesus told them they had to actually love their enemies—including the Romans—or they could not be considered sons of God (Matthew 5:44–45).

The apostles gave exactly the same message. In particular, Paul made our appropriate response to authorities perfectly clear:

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except by God, and those that exist are put in place by God. So then, the one who resists authority resists the ordinance which is from God, and those who resist will receive condemnation on themselves. (Romans 13:1–2, LEB)

Don’t forget, when Paul wrote this, he specifically had in mind the corrupt and unjust authority of Rome. If Paul instructed followers of Christ to willingly remain under Roman oppression, it’s obvious how he would have reacted to the colonists’ break from Great Britain.

Let there be no doubt, the American Revolution was first and foremost an act of rebellion against God.

So what’s my point? Should we avoid celebrating the Fourth of July? Of course not! Go spend time with your family, eat some good food, and enjoy the fireworks.
But let’s keep things in perspective. Enjoy the great country we live in—and for the most part, the USA is a great country. But don’t think for a second that this is a “Christian nation” founded on “Christian principles.”

We must reject unreservedly the sort of nationalism that ties the cross of Christ to America’s sword.

Originally published here>

America's Unjust Military Spending

"It's no news that a large portion of our federal tax dollars goes towards defense spending. But your jaw might drop at the cost of the newest jet manufactured by the U.S. military, and just how much good could have been achieved domestically with the same price tag.

"The $400 billion program to create a fleet of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets, which, as The Hill points out, is seven years behind schedule and chronically plagued with misfortunes and incompetencies, could have housed every homeless person in the U.S. with a $600,000 home.

"The staggering fact, configured by Think Progress, is just one of several figures the news source put into perspective for taxpayers.

"For example, the amount spent per year to build the F-35 jets could easily fulfill a $16.7 billion request by the United Nations Office of Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs to save countless lives from preventable causes around the world — and then have enough left over to fund UNICEF's budget request, too.

"The full cost of the jets program could also fund the National School Lunch Program, which feeds about 31 million students annually, for the next 24 years."







READ FULL STORY HERE>

*This is unjust spending on the part of the United States Government. Our own people should mean more than unnecessary weapons programs of this magnitude.

A Golden Rule

The Best Way To Be

Peter Maurin once said,

"There is no better way to be

than to be

what we want the other fellow to be."

If that is the case,

then Christians have wanted

their enemies 

to be vengeful and merciless.

If that is the case,

then Christians have wanted 

their enemies

to be judgmental and repressive.

If that is the case,

then Christians have wanted

their enemies

to be controlling and oppressive.

What Christians should want

their enemies to be

is forgiving and merciful.

What Christians should want 

their enemies to be

is gracious and loving.

What Christians should want

their enemies to be

is gracious and loving.

What Christians should want 

their enemies to be

is sacrificial and self-giving.

And if the best way to be

is to be

what we want others to be

then Christians must be Christ to their enemies.

Church and State

In the early years of the Church

this wasn't a problem.

It wasn't until 

the state gave power to the Church 

that Christians stopped being persecuted

and started persecuting.

We took the Christ Who died for sinners

and made Him the Christ who judges sinners.

And instead of going to the cross for others

we now put others on the cross.

The Cross Commission

We must 

again hear the call of our Christ.

We must

pick up our cross and follow

Him Who prayed, upon the cross,

for His enemies,

"Father, forgive them..."

We must 

set down the nails and hammer

that we clench in our hands

and instead allow ourselves

to be pierced,

and thus bear the same marks

from our enemies

that Christ bore for His.

 

-Jacob Davis

FOR THE RECORD

HELP US TAKE THE WAR OUT OF A CHILD

Priorities?

Are We Helpless?

In a brilliant, yet sadly poignant mock-news report, the Onion captured the unspoken reality of gun-violence in America:

"At press time, residents of the only economically advanced nation in the world where roughly two mass shootings have occurred every month for the past five years were referring to themselves and their situation as “helpless.”

Read the full story here>

The truth is that no one in the media wants to talk about gun violence, or what causes gun violence, in America.

After Sandy Hook we were told that it "was not the time to talk about gun control" and after every other shooting after that, it was also never the right time to talk about it.

We don't want to look at the truth.

We don't want to ask why Canada, and England, and Australia - all English-speaking, predominantly white nations like the USA - don't suffer from the same amount of gun violence as we do.

We want the issue to be about mental illness, or prescription drug abuse, or better law enforcement training - all important issues, mind you. But not the actual cause of our problems.

Canada has just as many guns as we do, but not even half the number of gun-related deaths. Why is that?

Does anyone really care to investigate? Does anyone in the media really want to know?

Our media is now fully under the thumb of our government and our corporate overlords. This is why ABC News reports that Obama will be bringing our troops in Afghanistan home without ever mentioning how many thousands of American soldiers have died since that war began.

Can you imagine a newspaper leaving out the number of soldiers who died in WW2? Or in Viet Nam? Or even in the Gulf War? But in 2014 our mainstream media can do an entire story about the end of an American war and never once mention how many soldiers lost their lives in the conflict.

After some searching I discovered that there have been more than 2,178 US military casualties, and over 20,000 Afghan civilian casualties.

Let those numbers sink in.

More than 2,000 American Soldiers, dead.

More than 20,000 Afghan citizens, dead.

And what did we gain from that? How did it benefit the world? What did it do to help make the world a better place for anyone?

As long as American Christians continue to buy into the lie of Nationalism, the church will remain silent while thousands die in vain.

"If we kill enough people, the world will be a better place," is the lie of redemptive violence.

It's time we, the followers of Jesus, raise our voices in unison against lies like this one.

It's time we, the followers of the Prince of Peace, lay down the sword and pick up the cross.

Our message is this, "If enough of us lay down and die for others, the world will know what love really looks like."

And before you chime in and attempt to suggest that our soldiers lay down their lives for our freedoms, let me remind you that what our soldiers are trained to do is to kill others for our freedoms, not to lay down their freedoms and die for their enemies.

Christians are called to lay down and die. It's time we took that seriously.

-kg