Posted in reflections

Confessions of an ex culture warrior

In the early 1990s, I got caught up in listening daily to a popular Christian radio broadcaster. Only in retrospect do I realize how subtly it began to shape my worldview, seeing life as a contest between invisible spiritual forces of evil vs. good. There was always an assumption underlying it all that America was God’s chosen people, an exceptional nation.

American Prohibition Flag, circa 1915

The difficulty was that this stew of nationalism and spiritual warfare teaching began to crowd out the Jesus kind of love that is the only viable well-spring of effective Christian ministry, and that was problematic since I was a pastor! It’s hard to be a culture warrior and love your neighbor as yourself.

Thankfully, missionary service abroad expanded my worldview. Only when I got some distance from my own country of birth did I come to understand that God so LOVED the WORLD (John 3:16). Those two words are now my theological North Star. Christianity is global, and its essence is love.

If God “so loved,” how can we hate? If God so loved “the world,” then dare any Christian claim their country has unique status in God’s eyes? If we as followers of Christ keep God’s love and global concern in focus, we’ll be able to stand strong against the rising tide of hatred and nationalism that threatens to sweep us away.

May the Lord give us courage and clear vision in the challenging days to come.

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Image credit:

T.P. Flag Co., Pittsburgh Pa. (flag design) User:AnonMoos (SVG file), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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Greg is interested in many topics, including theology, philosophy, and science.

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