How a Faithful Nation Gets Jesus Wrong

Following is a very stimulating article I discovered this morning. I am currently trying to get a grip on politics and religion. It is difficult for me to understand why American Christians feel compelled to align themselves with a political party because of certain beliefs. Why do some feel they must be a Republican if they are against abortion? Why do others feel they must be a Democrat if social justice is on the top of their agenda? There are Democrats who are pro-life and Republicans who give significant amounts of money and time to groups involved in social justice. If you have some time, read the article. As you read, realize that it is okay to disagree with some of his points and agree with others. Do not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Is that in the Bible?

Only 40 percent of Americans can name more than four of the Ten Commandments, and a scant half can cite any of the four authors of the Gospels. Twelve percent believe Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. This failure to recall the specifics of our Christian heritage may be further evidence of our nation's educational decline, but it probably doesn't matter all that much in spiritual or political terms. Here is a statistic that does matter: Three quarters of Americans believe the Bible teaches that “God helps those who help themselves.” That is, three out of four Americans believe that this uber-American idea, a notion at the core of our current individualist politics and culture, which was in fact uttered by Ben Franklin, actually appears in Holy Scripture. The thing is, not only is Franklin's wisdom not biblical; it's counter-biblical. Few ideas could be further from the gospel message, with its radical summons to love of neighbor. On this essential matter, most Americans—most American Christians—are simply wrong, as if 75 percent of American scientists believed that Newton proved gravity causes apples to fly up.

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