Americanized Religion
Preaching
Shaking Wolves Out Of Cherry Trees
And 149 Other Sermon Ideas
Purpose Statement: To show how our country's values, good and bad, have influenced our Christian church.
There is so much radical patriotism running rampant in the United States, and it increases significantly during wartime or during real or suspected threats to our country. As Christians, we are to live in two worlds. We live here physically, but we are called to obey the will of God in God's Kingdom. The two do not always synchronize. The danger is that the Christian becomes too worldly, or takes on the values of the world even when they oppose God's values. Consequently, the values and principles of the United States begin to mold and influence Christians. When those are the values of radical patriotism, it distorts Christian values. Use Matthew 22:15-21 where Jesus says to give to the government (or nation) what belongs to the government, and to God what is God's.
a. The church becomes viewed as an arm of the nation. It is "God bless America over the rest of the world."
b. The nation's values influence the church. Values such as greed, competition, aggressiveness, toughness, rugged independence (opposite values from the church) make Christians vulnerable to the same problems as the nation as a whole. These problems make the United States a world leader in divorce, crime, citizens in jail, suicide, gun deaths, alcoholism, juvenile crime, broken homes, rape, domestic violence, drug use, the gap between the rich and the poor, and the only industrialized country to have capital punishment.
c. Christians begin to think like radical patriots. Super patriots (those who have carried good ideas to the extreme) create a divisive world where it is "we versus them." They have an artificial division where they can turn the guns on anyone at anytime when paranoia sets in. They don't care about people; just themselves. You won't see them at Hattiesburg or Selma or Montgomery unless it is unleashing the dogs on civil rights' activists. They don't allow criticism of our country. And criticism is often necessary for growth. Not only individuals, but also countries must admit faults and accept responsibility for wrongs.
d. Christians choose true patriotism. True patriotism (and Christianity) is love for all people as the children of God -- one world. God is not for us; God is for everyone and for peace. It is an appreciation of all cultures. It is gratitude for the values of freedom and democracy because we respect people. It is an enjoyment of our country's natural beauty and a desire to share it with the world.
There is so much radical patriotism running rampant in the United States, and it increases significantly during wartime or during real or suspected threats to our country. As Christians, we are to live in two worlds. We live here physically, but we are called to obey the will of God in God's Kingdom. The two do not always synchronize. The danger is that the Christian becomes too worldly, or takes on the values of the world even when they oppose God's values. Consequently, the values and principles of the United States begin to mold and influence Christians. When those are the values of radical patriotism, it distorts Christian values. Use Matthew 22:15-21 where Jesus says to give to the government (or nation) what belongs to the government, and to God what is God's.
a. The church becomes viewed as an arm of the nation. It is "God bless America over the rest of the world."
b. The nation's values influence the church. Values such as greed, competition, aggressiveness, toughness, rugged independence (opposite values from the church) make Christians vulnerable to the same problems as the nation as a whole. These problems make the United States a world leader in divorce, crime, citizens in jail, suicide, gun deaths, alcoholism, juvenile crime, broken homes, rape, domestic violence, drug use, the gap between the rich and the poor, and the only industrialized country to have capital punishment.
c. Christians begin to think like radical patriots. Super patriots (those who have carried good ideas to the extreme) create a divisive world where it is "we versus them." They have an artificial division where they can turn the guns on anyone at anytime when paranoia sets in. They don't care about people; just themselves. You won't see them at Hattiesburg or Selma or Montgomery unless it is unleashing the dogs on civil rights' activists. They don't allow criticism of our country. And criticism is often necessary for growth. Not only individuals, but also countries must admit faults and accept responsibility for wrongs.
d. Christians choose true patriotism. True patriotism (and Christianity) is love for all people as the children of God -- one world. God is not for us; God is for everyone and for peace. It is an appreciation of all cultures. It is gratitude for the values of freedom and democracy because we respect people. It is an enjoyment of our country's natural beauty and a desire to share it with the world.
