mbjones

Getting back to [Jesus for President][1] seems prudent, for a post at least, particularly as I’ve thought quite a bit lately about justice in our time. I’m not actually going to talk about that here (perhaps tomorrow); instead, I’m going to continue to explore more from my favorite section of the book: section 3 — *when the empire got baptized*.

One interesting part of it looks at pieces of idolatry in our time, where empire is subverting Jesus in favor of its own welfare. The epitome of this, as far as I’m concerned, comes from our president’s State of the Union speech in 2003:

>There’s power, wonder-working power, in the goodness and idealism and faith of the American people.

Compare this to its original:

>There’s power, wonder-working power, in the precious blood of the Lamb

I find it rather offensive that we can so nonchalantly replace the *precious* blood of the lamb with the American people. As Christians, there isn’t anything that can replace yet we let our leaders re-write our liturgy (pushing Jesus right out of the picture).

Here’s another example from the same president:

>The ideal of America is the hope of all mankind. … That hope still lights our way. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (Bush, 2002 Ellis Island)

Compare that to one of my favorite scriptures:

>1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it.

>John 1:1-5 (HCSB)

So, we have on one hand a president that says America is the hope of mankind and on another the author of John saying the Word (JESUS!) is the hope of mankind. And then the verse 5 is totally co-opted by our political system. I use this translation instead of my usual (NET) to show how its been taken word for word. It’s kind of scary to think how easily the sacred is subverted by the secular, and how no one seems to be batting an eye. And lest you think I’m railing unnecessarily against one party alone, the other does it as well: *This country is still the last best hope on earth* (Obama on Letterman).

What irks me even more though is when religious leaders of our nation willingly participate in the power of the world, disregarding the teachings of Jesus. Some examples:

>We have the ability to take [Hugo Chavez] out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. ~Pat Robertson

>You’ve got to kill the terrorists before the killing stops. And I’m for the president to chase them all over the world. If it takes ten years, blow them all away in the name of the Lord. ~Jerry Falwell

And then the pundits who vocalise the name of Christ (without any visible fruit of the spirit):

>We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. We weren’t punctilious about locating and punishing only Hitler and his top officers. We carpet-bombed German cities; we killed civilians. That’s war. And this is war. ~Ann Coulter

This post is titled ***Idolatry Today*** and these are just a few of the examples that one could readily fine. They highlight ever more clearly, in my eyes, the need for the church to *step up and be the kingdom of God to a dieing world*. It’s time we stopped allowing the state to co-opt the kingdom of God by subverting her songs, creeds and scriptures.

I’ll leave you with a thought from a founding father of our nation, who I tend to think had a much better view of the role of church and the role of state:

>The government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion. ~John Adams

And then Frederick Douglass — slave, abolitionist, statesman:

>Between the Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest possible difference — so wide, that to receive the one as good, pure, and holy is of necessity to reject the other as bad, corrupt, and wicked. … I love the pure peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ; I therefore hate the corrupt, slaveholding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of this land. Indeed, I can see no reason, but the most deceitful one, for calling the religion of this land Christianity.

I’ll let you think on what that *most deceitful one* is.

[1]:http://www.jesusforpresident.org