The Controversial Issue of Christian Nationalism: Why the Cross Must Be Our Central Message
During this election year, a phrase frequently discussed, with both pros and cons, is “Christian nationalism.” There are those who warn about its dangers, and others who tell us Christians should be involved in politics and that we need more of it.
What do we make of this controversy? The phrase is variously defined with each definition having many different shades of meaning. In general, Christian nationalism means Christianity is so united with the state or political party that the Gospel is either completely eclipsed or, …
We are not the first Christians who have had to endure unrest and fear that our nation might unravel politically, racially, and economically.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young theologian, found himself living in a Germany rife with riots, finger pointing, and political strife, which brought widespread fear and conflict of every sort. Germany’s first attempt at democracy, the Weimar Republic established after World War I, was about to unravel. There was fear of communism, and with soup lines in Berlin and Munich, there was fear of starvation. Open fighting on the streets …
A New Name for an Age-Old Problem: Deconstruction: Abandoning the Faith
About ten years ago, a new term slipped into everyday Christian vocabulary: deconstruction. As we know, construction means to build something; and so, understandably, deconstruction refers to tearing something down. In our social media age, the word is frequently used for those who are abandoning the Christian faith. Those of us who are older remember when we called it “backsliding,” which meant leaving your Christian beliefs and lifestyle and choosing to be absorbed into the world. The word backsliding is used multiple times in the Old Testament when the …
