Scandalous Witness

1. History has a Divine Purpose, Inaugurated in Christ

Historic Christianity insists precisely this: that history is headed toward a glorious re-creation the likes of which only poets can begin to voice.

Meaningful trajectory. Unlike the despairing view that history is a meaningless sequence of events, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam share the conviction that history possesses a divine purpose and direction. This purpose culminates in the ultimate triumph of truth, goodness, and beauty, where all wrongs are set right and creation is restored. This profound hope counters the notion that "it's all going to burn" and only individual souls matter.

Kingdom inaugurated. Christianity uniquely proclaims that this "end of history" has already begun through Jesus of Nazareth. The resurrection of Christ is not merely a religious claim but a central historical assertion, ushering in God's glorious reign and vindicating Christ's way of suffering love. This inaugurated kingdom redefines what is most real, demonstrating that God's power triumphs over the schemes of tyrants and the lies of the powerful.

Proleptic living. Christians are called to live proleptically, embodying the future reality of God's kingdom in the present. This means practicing generosity, reconciliation, and peace now, as foretastes of the coming consummation. Such a stance is a "politic of authentic freedom," grounded in the confidence that death itself has been overcome, inviting believers to participate in God's ongoing work of setting all things right.

2. American Hope is a Bastardized Form of Christian Hope

When America forces himself into an intimate, consummating relationship with the Christian eschatological vision, we are left with an illegitimate form of Christian hope.

Idolatrous rhetoric. American political rhetoric, from figures like Ronald Reagan to Woodrow Wilson, often co-opts biblical language to describe the United States as a "shining city on a hill" or the "last best hope of earth." This brilliant but idolatrous language transfers the eschatological task of reconciliation and redemption, rightfully belonging to God and the church, onto the nation-state. It conflates national identity with divine mission, creating a distorted vision of hope.

Liberalism's influence. This bastardization is partly due to liberalism's influence, which privatizes religion and leaves a void for historical meaning. When Christianity is relegated to a private affair, the nation-state often steps in to fill the role of historical savior. Both "liberal liberals" and "conservative liberals" operate within this framework, arguing over parameters of individual liberty rather than challenging the fundamental liberal assumption that the state is the primary bearer of historical meaning.

Consequences of conflation. Conflating national identity with divine purpose leads to dangerous outcomes, including justifying violence and oppression. When a nation sees itself as God's chosen, others become legitimate targets of contempt and force. This theological error undermines the true Christian witness, which transcends national boundaries and military might, offering a hope rooted in God's redemptive work, not in any human empire.

3. Christianity Must Not Be a Prostitute or Chaplain to the State

As whore, the Christian community forsakes its covenant vow and shares the marriage bed with the powers that be in order to receive some sort of favor in return; the Christian church sells itself in order to share some measure of intimacy, some power, some access.

Compromised witness. Historically, the church has often reduced itself to a mere chaplain, blessing the state's exploits, or worse, prostituted its graces for power and influence. Examples like Father Corby offering absolution to Union soldiers before battle illustrate how Christian rituals can be used to provide spiritual comfort to a state uninterested in the gospel's political shape. This turns the church into a "court prophet," divinizing for hire and ignoring the true prophetic call.

Rejecting state service. The true Christian witness demands a refusal to bless the ways of empire, war, or national self-interest. Instead of being used by the powers, the church must focus on its own repentance and adherence to Christ's ways. This means not worshipping the flag, pledging ultimate allegiance to the nation, or celebrating nationalistic greatness that contradicts Jesus' teachings on authority and servanthood.

Faithful citizenship. By refusing to be a prostitute or chaplain, Christianity becomes a more faithful citizen. Its allegiance to a transnational community of reconciliation, forgiveness, and hospitality enables it to speak truth persistently in love, welcome strangers, and embody practices of mercy and kindness. This alternative politic serves the world by demonstrating a different way of living, helping even the powers fulfill their created purpose of serving humankind, not enslaving it.

4. The United States Cannot Be a Christian Nation

This claim that the United States was, is, or can be a Christian nation is (a) historically false, (b) theologically false, and (c) strategically alienating.

Historical fallacy. The notion of the United States as a Christian nation is historically inaccurate. The Constitution makes no mention of God or Christianity, and the Treaty of Tripoli explicitly states the government is "not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." Founding Fathers like Jefferson were deists or critical of orthodox Christianity. Phrases like "In God We Trust" and "under God" were later additions, often reflecting a generic religiosity rather than specific Christian faith.

Theological impossibility. No nation-state can be a Christian nation-state because their fundamental natures are incompatible. Nation-states are geographically bounded, maintain existence through military might, and pursue partisan agendas. In contrast, the Christian church is transnational, lives by suffering love, and is called to a ministry of reconciliation that transcends self-interest. To superimpose Christianity on a nation-state fundamentally misunderstands both.

Strategic failure. The quest for a Christian America is also strategically problematic. If Christianity's role is to be "salt and light" through suffering love and generosity, then a strategy of compulsion or seeking state power contradicts its core tenets. This approach alienates many, particularly the youth, and turns Christian witness into a "laughingstock." True Christian influence comes from embodying Christ's way, not from coercing others through state power.

5. Selective "Christian Values" and Bible Use Corrupt True Faith

The idolatrous and blasphemous use of the Bible in contemporary politics is immensely destructive to Christianity.

Redacted scripture. The Bible, a complex metanarrative, is often misused through selective quoting and decontextualization, leading to a "redaction" that distorts its true message. Public figures frequently cite isolated verses to support partisan agendas, ignoring the broader narrative arc and cultural contexts. This "bibliolatry" is disrespectful to scriptural authority and contributes to the public mockery of Christian claims, as seen in historical examples like the Slave Bible.

"Christian values" agenda. Similarly, the concept of "Christian values" often functions as a redacted version of Christianity, emphasizing certain moralisms while omitting core gospel tenets. When figures like Jeff Sessions cite Romans 13 to justify harsh policies without acknowledging the preceding call to "let love be genuine" and "extend hospitality to strangers," they pervert the text. This selective approach reduces Christianity to a tool for social conservatism, rather than a holistic vision of God's kingdom.

Loss of narrative. The problem lies in losing the overarching Christian narrative, which emphasizes redemption, justice, and suffering love. Without this comprehensive framework, "Christian values" become detached moralisms, easily co-opted to justify actions contrary to Christ's teachings. Christians must learn to critically evaluate public uses of scripture and "Christian values," ensuring they align with the full, unredacted story of God's redemptive work in the world.

6. All Empires Fall; Christian Allegiance Transcends Nation-States

The historical records clearly demonstrate that all empires have fallen. On historical grounds, and certainly on biblical grounds, we may safely presume that all empires will.

Inevitable decline. History consistently shows that all empires, regardless of their might, eventually fall due to their own greed, hubris, and overreach. This "flat-footed realism" is neither pessimistic nor unpatriotic; it simply broadens the possibilities for Christian sociopolitical posture. Recognizing that the Christian church predates and will outlast any empire, including the United States, frees believers from ultimate concern for the empire's existence.

Biblical anti-imperialism. The biblical narrative, from Genesis to Revelation, contains a persistent anti-imperialist critique. Pharaoh, Babylon, Assyria, and Rome are all depicted as arrogant powers ultimately undone by God's purposes. This critique is a "conservative" stance, challenging the hubris of power, whether from the right or the left. It exposes the self-destructive nature of imperial ambition and the futility of placing ultimate trust in military might or nationalistic greatness.

Transcendent allegiance. For Christians, ultimate allegiance belongs to the kingdom of God, not to any nation-state. This means rejecting the "fistfight on the Titanic" of partisan hostilities, which distracts from the church's primary mission of reconciliation. While engaging with worldly politics is important, it must always be within the relativizing context of God's ultimate reign. This transcendent allegiance allows Christians to be both critics and contributors, working for relative goods without succumbing to the idolatry of national power.

7. Christianity is a Politic, Not a Private Religion

If religion is defined as liberalism would have it, then Christianity cannot possibly be a religion.

Beyond private spirituality. Modern liberalism has relegated religion to a private sphere of beliefs about God or the afterlife, separate from public life. However, if Christianity is understood in this way, it ceases to be true Christianity. The primary task of the Christian community is not merely spiritual solace but to embody and bear witness to an "all-encompassing reality" – the inaugurated kingdom of God – which is inherently public and political. Jesus was a political figure, calling his followers to a distinct politic.

Sacraments as political acts. Christian sacraments are not mere religious rituals but tangible means of grace that constitute an alternative politic. Baptism is a voluntary induction into a new way of life, pledging ultimate allegiance to Christ and transcending socio-political barriers like nationality or ethnicity. The Eucharist, or Lord's Supper, embodies economic sharing and community, challenging conventional notions of wealth and power. These practices are profoundly political, shaping a people for God's kingdom.

Truth-telling witness. Bearing witness is a core political commitment, grounded in the belief in truth and the humility of subjective experience. It means telling the truth about the world and about ourselves, rejecting falsehoods and spin that corrupt human community. This witness is not about imposing beliefs through coercion but about demonstrating new possibilities for human life and relationships through non-violence, reconciliation, and hospitality. The problem with historical Christian atrocities was not mixing Christianity and politics, but politicizing a redacted form of Christianity.

8. True Christian Witness is Exemplary, Not Dominating

The primary task of Christian community is not to dominate the political communities that do not accept basic Christian claims.

Rejecting political puissance. The goal of Christian engagement is not to achieve "liberal political puissance" or to forcibly impose Christian values on the unbelieving world. Such a pursuit would contradict the radical liberty inherent in Christian faith and the non-coercive nature of Christ's kingdom. Jesus's messianic complex was one of obedience to God's will, even unto losing and death, not one of worldly domination.

Exemplary witness. Instead, the church's calling is to bear an "exemplary political witness," demonstrating to the world and its powers what creation was intended to be. This involves navigating complex relations between church and world, learning from historical models like medieval Christendom, the Reformation, and the Radical Reformation. While Christendom preserved relative goods and checked rulers, and the Reformation emphasized individual faith, both often compromised the integrity of Christ's non-coercive way.

Radical integrity. The Radical Reformation, particularly the Anabaptists, offers a model of voluntary community committed to Christ's non-violent teachings, even under persecution. Their "demonstration plot" approach sought to persuade through winsomeness, not terror, prioritizing Christ's authority above all others. This means rejecting both Constantinian coercion and Lutheran fragmentation, instead embodying a distinct politic that serves the good of the city through reconciliation, forgiveness, and hospitality, without seeking to run the world.

9. Christian Engagement Requires Discernment, Not Withdrawal

Instead of a stance that is countercultural, a practice of percipient cultural discernment proves more constructive and clarifying.

Beyond "countercultural." The idea that Christianity should be "countercultural" is often ignorant and unconstructive. Culture, encompassing language, art, and social communication, is the very fabric of human existence; withdrawal is impossible. Such a stance can foster disdain, anti-intellectualism, or unnecessary hostility. Instead, Christians need "percipient cultural discernment" – a deep capacity to understand cultural phenomena and navigate them in ways that bear witness to God's kingdom.

Critiquing sectarianism. While a legitimate "sectarianism" means prioritizing Christ's authority, it must not devolve into narrow-minded judgment or refusal to engage with neighbors. True Christian distinctiveness, rooted in God's generous love, compels engagement, not withdrawal. The greatest "sectarianism" of the modern world is often the industrialized killing and self-interest of nation-states, which Christians must critique, not emulate.

Cultural production. Christian engagement involves both discerning existing culture and actively producing new culture. This means selectively withdrawing from harmful practices (e.g., objectification, systemic hatred) and wholeheartedly engaging in life-affirming ones (e.g., sharing wealth, art, reconciliation). It also means seeking redemptive transformation within institutions like the press or economic systems, celebrating their potential for good while critiquing their fallen aspects. Christians are called to contribute grand institutional and cultural goods, as historically demonstrated by hospitals and universities.

10. Christian Engagement Must Always Be Ad Hoc

To continue ever to seek such new correctives—gracious and fair and equitable social practices—with patience and peaceableness and truth telling and without coercion or violence or disdain, this is what it means to be living as a Christian, as a Christian community, in the world prior to the consummation of the kingdom of God.

No utopian solutions. Christian social engagement must always be "ad hoc" because, living between the inauguration and consummation of God's kingdom, no ideologically pure or utopian social arrangement exists. Every human institution, no matter how well-intentioned, is prone to sin and will eventually struggle with its own infidelities. This "eschatological realism" frees Christians from rigid ideological commitments to any single partisan solution, allowing for flexible, context-specific responses.

Shifting targets. The biblical narrative illustrates this dynamic: centralized power, initially a solution (Joseph in Egypt), later becomes a mechanism of oppression (Pharaoh). Similarly, well-intentioned regulations can be gamed by greed. This means the "target" of critique and constructive action is constantly shifting. Christians need not be single-issue voters or assume one legislative agenda is the only way forward. Instead, they can seek creative, effective solutions that address concrete human problems, whether social, economic, or medical.

Wisdom for the powers. This ad hoc approach allows Christians to offer "wisdom of God" to the powers, even those who do not accept Christ's lordship. By demonstrating the beauty of truth, goodness, and reconciliation, Christians can call rulers to steps toward liberation, such as repenting of lies or violence, even if they cannot fully embrace Christ's way. This strategic engagement, "wise as serpents and innocent as doves," seeks common cause and celebrates moves in the right direction, sowing seeds of the kingdom without coercion or disdain.