Why the Religious Right Won't Win

I'm going out on a limb here and may get some heat, but these are some thoughts I've had recently. Please know that I am not being defeatist or pessimistic here, just following a particular line of thinking. This is only the first installment, so keep following the posts to the end in order to get the full picture.

Why the Religious Right Won’t Win America

There are many in America today that are becoming increasingly concerned by the influence that the “religious right” seems to be finding in the government of the United States. Writers, editors, and producers from various news outlets constantly decry the idea that, in this pluralistic society, one particular set of faith-based values should be officially espoused by our nation. Make no mistake, the religious right are seen as a threat and many, if not a majority, in this country will not stand having their lifestyle attacked in this way. On the other side of this issue are the conservative, evangelical Christians (these are the ones who primarily make up the face of the “religious right” and in most cases the two are considered synonymous). They claim that America is in a steep moral decline akin to that of the great Roman Empire prior to its fall; and that if Americans do not turn back and worship the God of the Bible that the United States will go the way of Rome. In order to prevent this, an attempt is made to curb the moral decline by enacting legislation that favors traditional Judeo-Christian morality and punishes what is seen as immoral under that system of ethics. While this is a lofty goal there are many obstacles, some of which are insurmountable. In spite of its grand efforts and determined spirit, the religious right will never “take back” America.

Re-claiming America?

One of the Evangelical groups that is taking part in this fight uses the slogan, “Reclaiming America for Christ.” While this seems like a great rallying cry for any Bible-believing Christian, there is a questionable premise at its root: that Christ claimed America to begin with. The second question to be explored is this: if Christ wanted America reclaimed, why has it been so difficult? In dealing with the first question one must return to the roots and founding of our nation. The North American continent was originally discovered accidentally. Christopher Columbus was seeking an easier way to reach the islands of the East Indies in order to decrease the time and money needed to ship goods to and from the area and to increase trade capacity. This expedition was, at its root, a commercial endeavor. Once it was determined that Columbus has actually run into an entirely new land that had, as yet, been unexplored by Europeans, many flocked to its shores in search of land and raw materials such as wood and minerals (especially gold, silver and various other valuable commodities). Again, we have commercialism as the driving force behind the activities in the Americas. As time progressed, various groups began to travel to the America and settle. Some of these groups came to America in order to escape religious persecution and to establish communities wherein they could worship as their conscience dictated. Keep in mind, also, that Christianity was the majority, if not exclusive, faith of all of Europe at this time. There were some Jews and a very few from other faiths, but by and large everyone in Europe claimed some form of the Christian religion and the same was true of those who came from Europe to settle America. When the United States broke away from English control this was still true of nearly every person living here at that time. Because of this, the founding documents held within them the assumption that whenever religion was spoken of Christianity was to be understood as what was being referred to.
Now, there is yet another aspect of this to be examined. Just because someone claims to be a part of a particular group, does that make them a genuine member? For instance, a man can claim to be affiliated with the Boy Scouts. He can know the Scout Handbook inside and out, he can own a uniform and be able to recite pledges and such, but if he is not recognized by the head of the Boy Scouts as a legitimate member, then he has made a false claim. The same is true of Christianity. One can go to church every week, be baptized, memorize the Bible and even teach in a Sunday School class or pastor a church; but unless that person has truly experienced conversion in his heart and been claimed by Christ then his profession is in vain. How this works out in the founding of our country is this: just because a large percentage of the population claimed to be Christian does not guarantee (nor can it be determined) that they were genuine Christians. Even if they were genuine believers and did all they did according to what they believed the Bible to say, that did not obligate God to put His blessing on their endeavors, nor did it force Christ to put his stamp of approval on this new nation and call it His.
Some have posited that the situation with the United States is similar to that of the nation of Israel in the Old Testament. The major problem with this is that, in making this interpretation, one fails to recognize that the choosing of Israel by God was an isolated instance used as a picture for what was to come under the New Covenant. Just as God chose Israel as a physical nation, differentiated from all the surrounding nations, as a visible representation of His special chosen people - so He also chose a certain group of people, distinct from all other people on the earth (Christians), to be His true “holy nation.” This was not an instance to be repeated over and over again throughout history. So to say that the United States of America was claimed by Christ or for Christ has no meaning and the idea of re­-claiming it for Him, as will be shown later, sets Evangelicals up for failure.