Should Christians Say... "God Bless America"?
Given the current attitude and state of our nation, is it right or proper to ask a Holy God to bestow His blessing upon us?
God bless America... Its a slogan that rolls off our lips so effortlessly and sometimes without much thought. After all, why wouldn't God bless our country? We are the nation that stands for democracy, freedom, and individual God-given rights. So, shouldn't we expect God look upon us with favor?
Up until recently this had been my attitude. It was commonplace for me, during my personal prayer time, to ask the Lord to "bless our nation". However, I found myself feeling the sense of conviction in asking for this. Why, some may ask, especially in light of the above mentioned American characteristics.
The following quote made by our sitting president makes for a good example and serves to cement my decision to cease this practice:
“As long as we’ve got to fight to make sure women have access to quality, affordable health care, and as long as we’ve got to fight to protect a woman’s right to make her own choices about her own health, I want you to know that you’ve also got a president who’s going to be right there with you, fighting every step of the way,” “Thank you, Planned Parenthood. God bless you.”
This helps to place things into perspective.
If we look at what the America of today stands for and compare it to what is in actuality the will of God, we see a vast difference. There is an undeniable dichotomy.
What does America stand for today?
Toleration in the form of political correctness.
Below are a few examples along with relevant Bible verses for contrast with God's view:
- A woman's right to choose. (Genesis 1:26; Psalms 139:13-16; Exodus 20:13; Romans 9:11)
- Embracing of all philosophies and religions. (John 14:6; 2 John 1:9-11; 2 Corinthians 11:14)
- Gay marriage. (Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
It needs to be noted that toleration does not imply an all-encompassing utilization of the term. In actuality, it is an arbitrary application of the same…
A politically correct application…
An inconsistent relativistic view of morality in which all viewpoints are worthy of consideration and acceptance…
…All but the view of Biblical Christianity.
It is not politically correct. It is insensitive to other cultures, lifestyles, and opposing views. It is exclusive. Therefore, it is to be rejected out of hand.
The American nation no longer has any concept of the "Fear of God", this is true even among professing Christians. This is a sad result within American evangelicalism. This mindset and philosophy has become normative inside the church. Many self-professing Christians are willing to embrace these worldly man-centered ideals and co-opt them into their own worldviews. Thus, denying the true Christ His lordship over certain aspects of their thoughts, opinions, and lives, choosing instead to create their own humanistic faith, a designer Christianity if you will. They construct a faith that makes allowance for, and appeals to, their own personal taste and worldliness, along with making provision for acceptance by the unregenerate masses. Given this, one must ask who or what is such an individual’s ultimate authority?
This is not to mention the most visible face of what is passed off as American Christianity; Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Joyce Meyer, and all other prosperity preachers and their corrupt gospel of health, wealth, favor, and prosperity, Individuals who preach a false gospel in lieu of the true gospel of redemption and deliverance from sin and death. These do not seek the will of God. But, rather are seeking after their own carnal desires.
If we look at the culture of America, what do we see as the driving force?
Secular music that promotes any and all things in opposition to godliness;
Movies and television that glorify sex and violence;
Celebrities and sports figures whose exploits are followed and sensationalized. Not to mention the promotion and idolizing of these individuals lifestyles and godless philosophies. I need only point to Oprah Winfrey. How many people who name the name of Christ, live their lives by, and predicate their opinions upon the words of Oprah.
The American nation is the furthest from God it has ever been in its short history. Whether it is by that secular part of society that vocally affirms they want nothing to do with God, the segment that adheres to false religious systems, or the extremely large contingent of apathetic individuals who will say they are Christians. We are a nation rife with debauchery and depravity.
Unfortunately, some seek the redemption of this nation through the political parties. However, the Democratic Party left the true God behind long ago and the Republican Party has begun to follow suit. This is so, in that they may remain relevant and viable among the increasingly secular and godless segment of the American population. Let us not place our faith in political parties and expect them to deliver us from our decadent situation, but let us place our faith in the One who has delivered us already.
In regards to all I have already stated, I am of the opinion that Christians should no longer use the slogan "God Bless America"! nor promote the same with bumper stickers, clothing, and other items. I will elaborate further.
Let's take a look at the definition of the word bless,
1. To consecrate or sanctify by a religious rite; make or pronounce holy. 2. To request of God the bestowal of divine favor on. 3. To bestow good of any kind upon. (Dictionary.com)
Now, in light of all we see the American nation embracing, promoting, and coming to stand for... How can a Christian, who holds to the word of God as their ultimate authority, fathom asking a Holy God to consecrate, sanctify, and declare us, along with our national evils holy? How can we ask a Holy God to bestow upon us His divine favor, when we as a nation seek to push Him out of our public consciousness?
It is my opinion we, as Christians, should actually follow the example of Abraham when he plead with the Lord regarding Sodom:
22 So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” 26 And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
27 Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” 30 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 31 He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” 32 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” 33 And the LORD went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place. (Genesis 18:22-33,ESV)
If we contrast America with Sodom, we could possibly be standing on the precipice of total destruction in the near future. Instead of asking the Lord to bless our nation, we need to be interceding and asking Him to forgive and save us. I propose, from this point on, inserting the verbs save or forgive instead of bless, into any invocation to the Lord regarding America. Thus, the proper slogan for the Christian would be, "God Save/Forgive America"! We would no longer ask the Lord to bless those things that are contrary to His word and nature. But, are in fact offenses to Him.
If enough Christians begin to view our nation in this way, and are willing to make supplication to Him with burdened hearts, who knows... Maybe the Lord will begin a healing within our poor sin sick nation.
Grace to you
J. Lashley
God bless America... Its a slogan that rolls off our lips so effortlessly and sometimes without much thought. After all, why wouldn't God bless our country? We are the nation that stands for democracy, freedom, and individual God-given rights. So, shouldn't we expect God look upon us with favor?
Up until recently this had been my attitude. It was commonplace for me, during my personal prayer time, to ask the Lord to "bless our nation". However, I found myself feeling the sense of conviction in asking for this. Why, some may ask, especially in light of the above mentioned American characteristics.
The following quote made by our sitting president makes for a good example and serves to cement my decision to cease this practice:
“As long as we’ve got to fight to make sure women have access to quality, affordable health care, and as long as we’ve got to fight to protect a woman’s right to make her own choices about her own health, I want you to know that you’ve also got a president who’s going to be right there with you, fighting every step of the way,” “Thank you, Planned Parenthood. God bless you.”
This helps to place things into perspective.
If we look at what the America of today stands for and compare it to what is in actuality the will of God, we see a vast difference. There is an undeniable dichotomy.
What does America stand for today?
Toleration in the form of political correctness.
Below are a few examples along with relevant Bible verses for contrast with God's view:
- A woman's right to choose. (Genesis 1:26; Psalms 139:13-16; Exodus 20:13; Romans 9:11)
- Embracing of all philosophies and religions. (John 14:6; 2 John 1:9-11; 2 Corinthians 11:14)
- Gay marriage. (Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
It needs to be noted that toleration does not imply an all-encompassing utilization of the term. In actuality, it is an arbitrary application of the same…
A politically correct application…
An inconsistent relativistic view of morality in which all viewpoints are worthy of consideration and acceptance…
…All but the view of Biblical Christianity.
It is not politically correct. It is insensitive to other cultures, lifestyles, and opposing views. It is exclusive. Therefore, it is to be rejected out of hand.
The American nation no longer has any concept of the "Fear of God", this is true even among professing Christians. This is a sad result within American evangelicalism. This mindset and philosophy has become normative inside the church. Many self-professing Christians are willing to embrace these worldly man-centered ideals and co-opt them into their own worldviews. Thus, denying the true Christ His lordship over certain aspects of their thoughts, opinions, and lives, choosing instead to create their own humanistic faith, a designer Christianity if you will. They construct a faith that makes allowance for, and appeals to, their own personal taste and worldliness, along with making provision for acceptance by the unregenerate masses. Given this, one must ask who or what is such an individual’s ultimate authority?
This is not to mention the most visible face of what is passed off as American Christianity; Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Joyce Meyer, and all other prosperity preachers and their corrupt gospel of health, wealth, favor, and prosperity, Individuals who preach a false gospel in lieu of the true gospel of redemption and deliverance from sin and death. These do not seek the will of God. But, rather are seeking after their own carnal desires.
If we look at the culture of America, what do we see as the driving force?
Secular music that promotes any and all things in opposition to godliness;
Movies and television that glorify sex and violence;
Celebrities and sports figures whose exploits are followed and sensationalized. Not to mention the promotion and idolizing of these individuals lifestyles and godless philosophies. I need only point to Oprah Winfrey. How many people who name the name of Christ, live their lives by, and predicate their opinions upon the words of Oprah.
The American nation is the furthest from God it has ever been in its short history. Whether it is by that secular part of society that vocally affirms they want nothing to do with God, the segment that adheres to false religious systems, or the extremely large contingent of apathetic individuals who will say they are Christians. We are a nation rife with debauchery and depravity.
Unfortunately, some seek the redemption of this nation through the political parties. However, the Democratic Party left the true God behind long ago and the Republican Party has begun to follow suit. This is so, in that they may remain relevant and viable among the increasingly secular and godless segment of the American population. Let us not place our faith in political parties and expect them to deliver us from our decadent situation, but let us place our faith in the One who has delivered us already.
In regards to all I have already stated, I am of the opinion that Christians should no longer use the slogan "God Bless America"! nor promote the same with bumper stickers, clothing, and other items. I will elaborate further.
Let's take a look at the definition of the word bless,
1. To consecrate or sanctify by a religious rite; make or pronounce holy. 2. To request of God the bestowal of divine favor on. 3. To bestow good of any kind upon. (Dictionary.com)
Now, in light of all we see the American nation embracing, promoting, and coming to stand for... How can a Christian, who holds to the word of God as their ultimate authority, fathom asking a Holy God to consecrate, sanctify, and declare us, along with our national evils holy? How can we ask a Holy God to bestow upon us His divine favor, when we as a nation seek to push Him out of our public consciousness?
It is my opinion we, as Christians, should actually follow the example of Abraham when he plead with the Lord regarding Sodom:
22 So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” 26 And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
27 Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” 30 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 31 He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” 32 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” 33 And the LORD went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place. (Genesis 18:22-33,ESV)
If we contrast America with Sodom, we could possibly be standing on the precipice of total destruction in the near future. Instead of asking the Lord to bless our nation, we need to be interceding and asking Him to forgive and save us. I propose, from this point on, inserting the verbs save or forgive instead of bless, into any invocation to the Lord regarding America. Thus, the proper slogan for the Christian would be, "God Save/Forgive America"! We would no longer ask the Lord to bless those things that are contrary to His word and nature. But, are in fact offenses to Him.
If enough Christians begin to view our nation in this way, and are willing to make supplication to Him with burdened hearts, who knows... Maybe the Lord will begin a healing within our poor sin sick nation.
Grace to you
J. Lashley