Summary
Many Christians would like to think that these United States of America are a Christian nation. If we vote Christians into the various offices of our local and state governments, if we choose Christians to sit in Congress, if we elect a Christian president, and if that president nominates Christian judges and justices to the federal courts, then we will have a Christian nation. By putting the right people into office, passing the right laws, and procuring political power, our nation will then be Christian, and we will be safe.
We Mennonites, however, have long been suspicious about this project. After nearly 500 years, we’ve learned that governments rarely operate the way God wants them to. They fight wars and kill people. They waste money on weapons of war. They institute systemically unfair taxes that proportionally favor the wealthy. They burden the weak and privilege the powerful. From our own history as a people, we Anabaptist-Mennonites know that countries can persecute us, drive us away, and even kill us. We know that even so-called Christian countries can do this. We have learned over time that our true home lies in God, rather than in any nation.
Bible References
- Daniel 1:1 - 21
Sermon text
