We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Thomas Jefferson The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies In Congress, July 4, 1776

These famous words provide the defining vision of what would become the United States of America. They are foundational to our democratic republic. That is why we pause each year on July 4 to both celebrate and be reminded of their great place in history.

But nominal Christians often attach a deeper, more spiritual meaning to them. This declaration not only announces our independence from Britain, but acknowledges our dependence upon God in doing so. It is, rather superficially, assumed that "God" — in this context — is meant to be a reference to the God who reveals himself on the pages of the Old and New Testaments. That is proof, so the argument is made, that the USA is a uniquely Christian nation founded upon Christian principles with the special blessing of this God.

Moreover, we have been given a special purpose in the world: to be a beacon of hope, as the late Ronald Reagan eloquently stated. Or to be the ambassadors of freedom, as our current President often remarks. But that is clearly not the case. The author of these words, Thomas Jefferson, had a different God altogether in mind. He tips his hat in the preceding (opening) paragraph by referring to "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" — a subtle reference to the Deism that Jefferson and his party espoused.

As historian Greg Singer shows us, the "god" depicted in the Declaration was not the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Rather, he was an idolatrous creation of enlightenment humanists like John Locke — whose words Jefferson mirrors. This same idol-god has evolved over the years, in keeping with the general flow of social, philosophical and religious conventions, to become the god in whom our government says we "trust."

This is the "god" that Dwight Eisenhower insisted we honor by inserting "under God" in the pledge of allegiance nearly 50 years ago. This was the god our president invoked in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks. And this is the god he continues to believe has given him a mandate to fight evil in the so-called "war on terrorism."

It is what one writer has called the "great mush god" of the American religion. But he is not The God Who Is There. He is an idol. At the close of his first letter, having warned of the dangerous coming of the antichrist — those who deny Jesus, the Messiah — the Apostle John utters a serious admonition: Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

Since the terrorist attacks on September 11, there has been a renewed embrace of the idol-god of the American religion. And he continues to be embraced by undiscerning Christians — those that believe that allegiance to America and the true God are not mutually excusive. But they are.

Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. Matthew 22:21

The earliest Christians were seen as countercultural figures in the multivariegated pagan culture of the Roman empire. At that time people were bound together by a shared allegiance to the Roman Emperor — much as the disparate people of the former Soviet Union were bound together by the Communist party. They could practice their diverse pagan rites without interference, including the worship of their own local deities, so long as they also affirmed that "Caesar was Lord" — even worshipping him as a divine being of some sort. But the Christians would have none of this.

For them, the resurrection of Jesus was God's climactic announcement to the world that he and he alone was Lord — and not Caesar. Their allegiance was not to Rome but to the kingdom of God that was breaking into the present through the work of the Holy Spirit — the gift of the Risen Lord. They were rightly perceived as political subversives. And many died as martyrs for that fact alone. It is crucial that we understand this: the early Christians were not persecuted and martyred because they worshipped Jesus, calling him Lord. It was because they worshipped him ALONE. And while they obeyed Caesar, rendering to him what was his due, they would not render to him what was decidedly not his due. And they were killed because of it.

One Nation Under God?

Many professing Christians in America, laboring under the false view that we are "one nation under God", are in serious danger of violating that careful distinction. Some have already done so — as Michael Baxter argues convincingly. They are treading on very dangerous ground. And they are giving people around the world the impression that the one whom Christians worship is the American idol-god. That is absolutely not true.

The only "nation" a Christian ought to pledge their allegiance to is the "holy nation" they are joined to by virtue of their being united to Christ in faith. And while we certainly ought to pray for our country and its leaders, we are not to be aligned with their political vision in any way that suggests that it is a mandate from the true and living God. That is indeed happening today. And it dishonors Him. Christians stand united with other Christians throughout the world from every tribe, nation and tongue. The only revolution that matters is the one that began — not in the 18th century, but — in the 1st century.

The only one we pledge our allegiance to is the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. And the only flag we honor is the one that declares that He is Lord of all.

Thank you for the insightful article.
I have been searching, for nearly a year, to find a tape recorded sermon that I heard years ago.
I believe it was given in New England by a minister to his congregation. It was entitled:
The Jealous God of Biblical Faith vs the Great Mush God of Popular Religion", or something very close to this. I wonder if you have any idea who the author of this sermon is, as I believe it is the first use (in the 1970's of the term: "the great mush god".
I would appreciate any help you can offer.

in Christ,

Michael
--Michael Goldrick ( estimado at aol dot com ) on 6/27/2006; 10:05:51 PM

your article, rob schlapfer, is worship-prompting and soul-uplifting. thank you, thank you, thank you. your discernment is a blessing for those of us who love the american people but are hurt by american foreign policies.

i'm involved in leading a community in canada who serves communities in developing countries needing justice and peace. one such community is the maguindanao muslims in southwestern philippines. there are some 2,500 u.s. troops there right now, supposedly helping the armed forces of the philippines fight muslim terrorists. caught in the crossfire are 100,000 muslim civilians who are now in miserable refugee camps. (for more info, visit www.wavescommunity.org.)

my fellow workers and the muslim leaders we interact with need to hear that there are american christians who critique, pray for, and discern their government's policies like you do.

again, thank you for your encouragement. you have ministered to me and to my team.
--dann pantoja ( dann at waves dot ca ) on 8/24/2004; 1:57:09 PM

shit happens!

Blessings on all that frequent these pages.
--rob schlapfer ( robschlapfer at mac dot com ) on 8/18/2004; 5:07:47 AM

Rob, sorry about the author mixup, stuff happens....
Charlie
--Charlie Wear ( charleswear at yahoo dot com ) on 8/14/2004; 1:55:34 PM

I have no idea who Rob McAlpine is, but this article was written by me for our July issue of Christian Counterculture. You might want to correct it.

I would hate to put my words in someone else's mouth . . .

:-)
--rob schlapfer ( robschlapfer at mac dot com ) on 8/13/2004; 9:09:20 PM

In general I agree with the article. Time Magazine recently had a special issue on Jefferson that clearly showed his theology (and his approval of the French Revolution, including his excusing of its "excesses"). Furthermore, he was not the only Deist among the founding Fathers. To be sure, there were some true believers, but the movers and shakers appear to be Deists, at least that is what the documents show.

What I dispute was the statement that "nominal Christians" view the Declaration as showing the special status of the USA. I would say that very committed CHristians do the same. When there was a one year memorial service for 9/11 here in Texas (Sugar Land, near Houston) all the evangelical pastors - committed men whom I respect in many ways - joined in the best example of syncretism I have ever seen, e.g. hymns to God mixed with hymns to the USA. And that, of course, is just the most obvious tip of the iceberg.

But I wonder if the Deist god (who is mushy and uninvolved, leaving the world to be run by reason) is the real god of the USA? Are not Mammon and Mars its twin gods? What are the issues in the election? The economy and security. Security is defined in terms of military might and police power, i.e. Mars. The economy must grow and policy is dependent upon its whims, i.e. Mammon. Growth is dependent upon consumer spending. It may be no accident that the planes on 9/11 hit a major symbol of Mammon.

Yes, its is true that the USA trusts in god. And this god, these gods, have names. Unfortunately Jesus does not give them good press. When the founders of the nation chose the Deist god over God, they opened the door for a more active pantheon. The end result shows up in Revelation 18.
--Peter Davids ( peter at davidsnet dot ws ) on 8/12/2004; 11:56:34 AM