I probably spend too much time griping about my country's flaws instead of praising its virtues. While it is true that I am rarely pleased by the government, there is so much more about the US which I love. So, without further ado, and in no particular order:

Freedoms

I really enjoy the political freedoms which we have in the US. In particular I appreciate the freedom from established religion. It has fostered a rich Christian heritage in this country, which I believe has been squelched by the state churches of Europe. Being of the anabaptist persuasion, I have no patience for the concept of a "state church," so I am glad to be free of it.

Another freedom which is pertinent to this post is the freedom of speech and the press. It would be very silly of me to spend so much time publishing critical articles on my blog without expressing thankfulness for my right to do so without legal consequence. Freedom of speech is also a boon for preaching the Gospel. We are fortunate to not have to worry about smuggling Bibles or meeting under ground (and therefore we ought to help those Christians who do have such oppression).

The Land

Almost any person will think that their homeland is the most beautiful land on earth. But I think the US can make an especially good claim in this area. We have an exceptional quantity and variety of wilderness to enjoy. Dry deserts to mountain peaks to tropical islands, we've got it, and in abundance. We of course benefit richly from the resources of our bountiful land. Read more »

I am in the midst of a multi-year crossroads in my Christian understanding of politics. The half-life of my political opinions is about two weeks, and this has been going on for years. I suppose I am not unique in this, and I predict after some time I'll tire of constant internal debate and settle down with one of the two major parties in the US. Note to my future self: shame on you!

I don't even have a decently defined range at the moment. Honestly, I'm going to come down somewhere between anarchy and Marxism (endpoints are inclusive), with libertarianism and mainstream US politics being major waypoints. For now, I am feeling my way through. My current political credo is "Render unto Caesar," which is more of a quip than a philosophy I admit, but I know my final resting place will have to comply with that maxim.

My political meandering is like a planet in a binary star system. There are two major poles which battle for influence. The first of these poles is Jesus' teaching on non-violence and non-resistance. I happen to believe that Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount can and should be applied by Christians living today. I do not think it is a sermon for the upcoming Kingdom of Heaven.  To those who assert that it represents an impossible ideal, I counter that Jesus, living as a human in the City of Man, lived out his teaching. Perhaps some day my interpretation will change, but for the moment, this is how I understand the teaching. So I have a problem with violence. All government is predicated on violence. Therefore I have a problem with government. Read more »

In the context of the Helen Thomas blowup I've been participating in a discussion about the theological status of the Hebrew people being the "owners" of the land of Israel in the context of the New Covenant. I've examined the matter before, and an important passage for establishing the status of Israel in the New covenant is Romans 9-11, where Paul affirms that "it is not as though God's word had failed." Indeed,

For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.

Notice the absence of any mention of land. Paul goes on in this section to emphasize the importance of righteousness and salvation for Israel, but land never comes up.

So what? At the very least, I think it is safe to conclude that the land is not very important in the context of the New Covenant. If it were, it seems Paul would have bothered mentioning it in this passage. I wouldn't bet the farm on an inductive argument like this one. But neither am I willing to put too much weight on the idea that Israel are still divinely entitled to the land. I do feel comfortable saying that belief in Jesus is more important for Israel than possession of the land for Israel. Read more »

I'm calling for a 10 year moratorium on the use of the words "conservative" or "liberal" in the context of politics or religion.

Of course that means I also have to call  for a moratorium on my moratorium on moratoria.